Living with a disability is challenging. But a lot of people are also subjected to workplace discrimination because of their disability. If you are one of these individuals, you should take some steps immediately. An employment lawyer Ravi Sattiraju helps you help go through each step and ensure you don’t make mistakes that can ruin your case.
Legal Protections Against Disability Discrimination at Work
The Law Against Discrimination (LAD) in New Jersey and the Americans Disability Act (ADA) exist to protect disabled workers from workplace discrimination. Under such laws, employers cannot discriminate against employees based on their disabilities in different stages of employment such as in hiring, giving a raise, promoting, or firing. Thus, even if you have a mental or physical impairment that doesn’t prevent you from carrying out your work duties, your employer can’t fire, demote, suspend, or harass you because of it.
You Don’t Need to Have a Serious Disability to Get Legal Protection
In New Jersey, even if a physical or mental impairment is not too serious, it can still be considered a disability. So, although impairments like blindness, paralysis, and fullformcollection hearing loss are protected by law, other conditions like cancer, depression, anxiety, and learning disabilities also have protections under anti-discrimination laws.
Discrimination Based on Previous and Perceived Disabilities
Under the law, employers cannot discriminate against employees based on a false perception that a worker is disabled or that they have a history of having a disability. For instance, conditions like cancer, hypertension, multiple sclerosis, and diabetes have legal protections. Likewise, episodic medical conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder, epilepsy, and asthma are also gyanhindiweb protected by anti-discrimination laws.
You are Entitled to Reasonable Accommodations
Employers must give disabled workers reasonable accommodations, so they can perform their duties. Thus, if you have been fired or harmed at work due to the refusal of your employer to give a reasonable accommodation, you can seek legal remedies with the help of an employment lawyer.
Harassment is Prohibited
Workplace harassment toward people with disabilities is prohibited by law. For instance, your employer or co-worker cannot tease you about your impairment or make jokes about your limitations. If your employer makes it hard for you to perform your duties due to your disability, you might have a ground for a discrimination lawsuit.
Workplace discrimination against workers with disabilities can come in many forms. If you have a disability, you could be discriminated against at work if you have been declined employment, demoted, or terminated. In this case, you should rely on an employment lawyer to help you take action against the offender.
