Balancing disability laws : an assessment of the Americans with Disabilities Act as it applies to mentally impaired individuals in the workplace
Abstract
From Congress's findings on Equal Opportunity for Individuals with Disabilities, "some 43,000,000 Americans have one or more physical or mental disabilities, and this number is increasing as the population as a whole is growing older" (ADA of 1990). One primary purpose of the Americans with Disabilities Act is to erase the fear that because someone has a mental illness, he or she is a threat. Employers sometimes hesitate, though, to hire individuals with mental illnesses. The ADA, as it is currently written, generally provides an effective guideline for eliminating discrimination against persons with physical and mental disabilities. It requires employers to make reasonable accommodations to meet the needs of otherwise qualified employees, without imposing an undue hardship upon the companies. However, reasonable accommodations for mentally ill individuals in the workplace are not clearly defined. The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate the ADA and to make recommendations, based on case law and other sources, for changes to the ADA to better meet the needs of mentally ill employees in the United States.
Notes
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Thesis Completion
2002
Semester
Fall
Advisor
Remis, Robert
Degree
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
College
College of Health and Public Affairs
Degree Program
Legal Studies
Subjects
Dissertations, Academic -- Health and Public Affairs;Health and Public Affairs -- Dissertations, Academic;People with disabilities -- Legal status, laws, etc;People with mental disabilities -- Employment -- Law and legislation
Format
Identifier
DP0021719
Language
English
Access Status
Open Access
Length of Campus-only Access
None
Document Type
Honors in the Major Thesis
Recommended Citation
Kelly, Shannan D., "Balancing disability laws : an assessment of the Americans with Disabilities Act as it applies to mentally impaired individuals in the workplace" (2002). HIM 1990-2015. 316.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/honorstheses1990-2015/316