The Americans with Disabilities Act requires that employers make reasonable accommodations for individuals who have disabilities. How might this requirement affect teachers, law enforcement officers, and firefighters? How is it legal for law enforcement to turn away applicants for diseases such as type 2 diabetes?
Sample solution
Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell.
In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.
God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.
Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.
To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.
References
Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.
Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.
Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.
Sample Answer
Sample Answer
The Impact of the Americans with Disabilities Act on Various Professions
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) plays a pivotal role in shaping the workplace by mandating that employers make reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities. This requirement has significant implications for professions such as teaching, law enforcement, and firefighting, each of which presents unique challenges and considerations.
Teachers
For teachers, reasonable accommodations might include modifications to classroom environments or teaching methods to support educators with disabilities. For example, a teacher with mobility issues may require accessible classrooms or specialized equipment to perform their duties effectively. Additionally, the ADA encourages hiring practices that focus on capabilities rather than disabilities, fostering an inclusive educational environment.
Law Enforcement Officers
In law enforcement, the ADA requires that agencies assess applicants based on their ability to perform essential job functions rather than on disabilities alone. However, certain physical standards may be necessary for specific roles, raising complex legal and ethical questions. For instance, individuals with conditions like type 2 diabetes might be disqualified if their health significantly impairs their ability to perform critical tasks, such as high-pressure decision-making or physical confrontations. Legal precedents support this practice when agencies can demonstrate that specific health conditions pose a direct risk to public safety or the officer’s ability to perform essential duties.
Firefighters
Similar to law enforcement, firefighters must meet rigorous physical fitness standards due to the demanding nature of their work. The ADA requires fire departments to consider reasonable accommodations for firefighters with disabilities, but again, if a condition severely impacts an individual’s capacity to handle the physical demands of firefighting—such as lifting heavy equipment or responding quickly in emergencies—departments may legally exclude candidates.
Conclusion
While the ADA promotes inclusivity and mandates reasonable accommodations, it also allows for the exclusion of applicants whose health conditions may hinder their ability to perform essential job functions safely and effectively. This balance is crucial in maintaining public safety while promoting equal employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities across various professions.
