1.
I found Joanna’s article and interpretation of Is it safe to bring myself to work? Understanding LGBTQ experiences of workplace dignity to be very interesting and informative. Discrimination against people with different sexualities has gone on for a while but is more recently being brought into the light. I think that knowing how to be a good ally is definitely important is supporting people who are being discriminated against which is why the video she included was so important. However, I found the excerpts of people explaining their experiences to be more powerful because it really brings to light how people are treated and for something that should not matter to anyone but themselves.
I also enjoyed Sherri’s interpretation and ideas of Algorithm-Driven Hiring Tools: Innovative Recruitment or Expedited Disability Discrimination? I think that people who do not have disabilities might not be able to see how people with disabilities are discriminated against and bring the topic into the light is important for companies as well as people who are discriminated against for something they cannot control. I found the statistics that Sherri included to be very helpful and eye opening. Seeing the actual numbers and percentages of how many people are affected, especially when it should really be no one, makes the issue much clearer and supports her ideas of the article very well.
3.
Bogost’s transitions were so clean and smooth that they are almost hard to pin point. He has one argument, but different types of evidence to support the argument. When moving between the first couple points of evidence he uses small phrases that can be related in a way to everything that he is saying like “But that’s an aspirational hope” and “Those efforts have merit”. Both of these comments conclude what he is saying in a way that the reader might not even see it as a transition. His next point after each transition relates to the previous point which is what causes the transition to not feel like one.
Zoe,
I agree that Sherri’s analysis of Algorithm-Driven Hiring Tools: Innovative Recruitment or Expedited Disability Discrimination was spot on. You mentioned statistics and it is sobering to note that the employment rate for people with disabilities is about 37%, compared to 79% for people without disabilities. This has me thinking about our current employment situation. In an economy coming out of a pandemic and lockdowns businesses are in a striking predicament. They can’t find enough people to hire.
Rising vaccination rates, easing lockdowns and huge amounts of federal stimulus aid are increasing consumer spending on goods and services. However, employers in areas like manufacturing, restaurants and construction are struggling to find workers. There are more job openings in the U.S. this spring than before the pandemic hit in March 2020, and fewer people in the labor force, according to the Labor Department and private recruiting sites. (Source: https://www.wsj.com/articles/millions-are-unemployed-why-cant-companies-find-workers-11620302440).
I wonder if this might present an opportunity for people with disabilities. Would employers be more open minded due to the labor shortage? It would be an interesting research project to study the data. Raising the data beyond 37% seems like a worthy goal.
There has been a lot of discussion around issues of disability and work over the last year, driven in large measure by the work-from-home options that suddenly became available in many industries, accommodations that people with disabilities have been asking for (and have been denied) for years. This is definitely an interesting moment. There’s the potential for real, lasting change as we sort through what’s happened, what we want to hold on to, what we want to let go of, what we never knew we needed, etc…..
I agree, Zoe–sometimes transitions are so seamless they are almost imperceptible, but they get us where we need to go, following along with the reader.