Recent EEOC Disability Discrimination Lawsuits

FROM THE NRCA CAPITOL INSIDER-
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed two employment discrimination lawsuits under title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the US District Court for the Southern District of Texas in Houston. In the first lawsuit against ENGlobal Engineering, Inc., an energy engineering and professional services company, EEOC alleged the company fired an individual because it regarded him as having a disability. The employer insisted that the employee take a medical leave of absence when he began experiencing symptoms of multiple sclerosis even though he could still work. When the person returned to work with a doctor's clearance, ENGlobal falsely told him his position was no longer available. Three weeks later, the company hired someone else.

In the second employment discrimination lawsuit, EEOC alleged that DynMcDermott Petroleum Operations Company refused to hire someone who had previously worked for the company because his wife had cancer which the company felt would interfere with his ability to do his job. The company later hired someone with no experience for the position. Discrimination based on association with a person who has a disability is prohibited under title I of the ADA. See EEOC's press release at:
http://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/newsroom/release/8-26-10.cfm

Multiple Factors Increase SSA Disability Claims

WASHINGTON, DC— Multiple factors, including the ongoing economic recession and the growing number of baby boomers who are aging and acquiring disabilities, drive a surge in Social Security disability claim applications. The Center for Active Seniors reports an up tick in inquiries from 50 to 60-year-old workers who are reaching retirement, been injured at work, and who have been laid off without health insurance.

SSA estimates it will receive 3.3 million new disability claims in the next 12 months. But will SSA be able to handle the new cases while still dealing with the unprecedented number of backlogged cases? Some officials and pundits think not, especially since California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Ohio, Oregon, Maine, Michigan, New Jersey, Nevada, and Wisconsin have initiated furloughs of employees responsible for processing initial disability claims.

In the last six months, the number of people waiting to have their claim processed rose to just under 750, 000. The trend “…isn’t good”, says SSA Commissioner Michael Astrue. According to the Associated Press, “The disability program has been the fastest rising part of Social Security, with spending on disability benefits growing at almost twice the rate of spending on retirement benefits.”

SOURCES:
Social Security Claims Surge during Recession
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5guw84_hAq02tLZCuigFPyIZg_rKwD99PIG780 Social Security Disability Claims on the Rise
http://www.kwqc.com/Global/story.asp?S=10828239&nav=menu83_2
Long Disability Backlog Getting Worse
http://www.wcpo.com/news/local/story/I-Team-Long-Disability-Backlog-Getting-Worse/aQwDWUG8_0Wt6dZ2EhSBtw.cspx
Boomers Push up Disability Claims
http://www.examiner.com/x-654-Baby-Boomer-Examiner~y2009m7d31-Boomers-push-up-disability-claims
RELATED:
The Social Security Administration
http://www.ssa.gov/

Wikis as Disability Resources

ORIGINAL-- Wikis can be a great way to build disability and rehabilitation resources. A wiki is a collection of interlinked web pages and documents using server software to allow users to create, share, and edit content in a collaborative format.[1] Wikis are information databases, where users can work collaboratively, authoring new content, editing each other’s content through common web browsers, and linking to internal and external resources and data, all while tracking all the changes.[2]

Several disability-specific wikis are available such as Disability Wikia, a wiki focusing on general issues. Disability 911 is organized around emergency preparation for people with disabilities. AbilityNet uses a wiki to build and disseminate content about assistive technology and related topics. Wikipedia has many wikis related to disability, rehabilitation, and related topics, such as rehabilitation counseling and rehabilitation engineering.

[1] Bold, M. (2006). Use of wikis in graduate course work. Journal of Interactive Learning
Research, 17(1), 5-14.
[2] Coyle, J. E. Jr. (2007). Wikis in the college classroom: A comparative study of online and face- to-face group collaboration at a private liberal arts university. Dissertation Abstracts International Section A: Humanities and Social Sciences, 68(5-A), 1892. AND Cunningham, W. (n.d.) Why wiki works. Retrieved April 1, 2009 from http://c2.com/cgibin/wiki?WhyWikiWorks.

First Disability Inaugural Ball

National Disability Advocacy Group gathered in Washington DC on January 18th for the first Disability Power and Pride Inaugural Ball. The black-tie event celebrated President Barack Obama’s commitment to the disability community, and honored community members whose work has been influential in disability legislation and policy. The event’s spokesperson, Karen Lee says, “Obama has taken up their (people with disabilities) cause”, while Andrew Imparato, head of the American Association of People with Disabilities says, “Obama see us as part of the political landscape”. Hopes are high, and the party is on!

SOURCES
Balls for a Cause, Dresses for Less http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gBRuxctWyhmUQ1XhYtWGjXFQw3aA
Disability Community Holds First Ever Inaugural Ball http://news.prnewswire.com/DisplayReleaseContent.aspx?ACCT=ind_focus.story&STORY=/www/story/01-15-2009/0004955271&EDATE=
RELATED
Videos from the Ball, from Talk Radio News:
1. http://talkradionews.com/2009/01/author-of-the-americans-with-disabilities-act-appears-at-disability-pride-ball/
2. http://talkradionews.com/2009/01/disability-activists-host-inaugural-ball/http://talkradionews.com/2009/01/disability-activists-host-inaugural-ball/

Recent Books Consider Theology and Disability

Three recent books investigate disability from the perspective of Christian theology, according to The Christian Century. Theology and Down Syndrome: Reimagining Disability in Late Modernity (Baylor University Press), by Amos Yong; Vulnerable Communion: A Theology of Disability and Hospitality (Brazos), by Thomas E. Reynolds; and Spirit and the Politics of Disablement (Fortress), by Sharon V. Betcher all examine the theological implications of different types of disabilities from various perspective, both personal, professional, and pastoral.

Disability and spirituality has become an increasingly important topic in disability studies and rehabilitation counseling. Various authors have considered disability through the theological lenses of Judaism, such as Judith Z. Abrams’ “Judaism and Disability: Portrayals in Ancient Texts from the Tanach through the Bavli” and Islam, as in “Disability in Islamic Law”, by Vardit Rispler-Chaim, just to name two.

SOURCE:
Toward a Theology of Disability
http://www.christiancentury.org/article.lasso?id=5761
RELATED:
Disability in Asian Cultures and Beliefs: History and Service Development– Some Collected Papers by M. Miles
http://www.haworthpress.com/stor/toc/J095v06n02_TOC.pdf?sid=WMJKJR2TC31M9GHNGKCBKS4LXX6E8320&

Spotlight on VSA Arts

Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith founded VSA Arts as an international nonprofit organization in 1974 to create a society for people with disabilities to learn about, participate in and enjoy the arts. VSA Arts is affiliated with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. VSA Arts includes teaching support materials and an Artist’s Registry- a database of artists with disabilities.Location: 818 Connecticut Ave. N.W., Suite 600, Washington, D.C. 20006(P) 202-628-2800, 800-933-8721 (F) 202-429-0868 (TDD) 202-737-0645Online: http://www.vsarts.org/x11.xml
To view the online exhibit, “Art, Disability, and Expression”, visit:
http://www.vsarts.org/prebuilt/showcase/gallery/exhibits/disability/

Employing People with Disabilities: 5 Recommendations

USA-- DiversityInc, a leading publication on diversity and business, has publishes its annual list of top employers for people with disabilities. DiversityInc began in 1998 as a web-based publication with a print magazine added in 2002. DiversityInc.com has a large career center online. The organization makes the following five recommendations for employers to increase disability diversity in the workplace:

1. Make Inclusion part of the company's culture
2. Think globally in hiring, design, and accessibility
3. Provide support groups
4. Celebrate people with disabilities
5. Make the workplace accessible

About 49.7 million Americans have a disability and roughly 30.6 million are of working age, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

SOURCES:

http://www.diversityinc.com/public/4533.cfm

RELATED:

The 2008 DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for People With Disabilities

http://www.diversityinc.com/public/3573.cfm

The 2008 DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity

http://www.diversityinc.com/public/3272.cfm