The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) prevents employers from firing someone because of a disability. You know, like a missing foot. The British version is the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA 1995). The ADA would apply to a British company operating on American shores, even if the employee is also British. “American” in this case means located in America.
There were essentially no rights for a disabled employee in 1963. The notion of civil rights for disabled people didn’t get introduced into our cultural dialogue until the 1970s.
And let’s be very clear about something: Guy is perfectly capable of doing his job. “Can’t golf” is the lamest weakest excuse in history. Saint John Powell and his evil cohorts just don’t want to see him around. They don’t want to feel uncomfortable. They don’t want to be reminded. And they don’t want other people, specifically clients, to be uncomfortable. They don’t want anyone to see a guy (guy/Guy=everyman?) with a visible disability and avert their eyes in that discomfitted way people do, and potentially lose a sale. Golf my ass.
And Guy has no legal rights in this matter.
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[...] Guy’s lawnmower incident there was an interesting post about the Americans with Disabilities Act and what rights he would have had in today’s [...]
Deborah, THAT'S the quote i nominate for a shirt: “That’s life. One minute you’re on top of the world, the next minute some secretary’s running you over with a lawn mower." ahaha
Also, I agree about business on the golf course. It's still like that today! I have a friends who works in finance in Connecticut and he's going to be learning tennis, golf and sailing — what the rich kids do. It's all about networking.
But I DO think Powell's ending Guy's career was a cold exaggeration of this. I think it really is a vanity thing for him. Ick!