Mental Disorder Work Disability And The Law

A barrage of "handbooks" and "resource manuals" aimed at employers and legal practitioners on the employment rights of people with disabilities has begun to appear. Until now, however, there has been no serious book-length scholarly treatment of how mental disorder can affect work, how work can affect mental disorder, and the role of law in addressing employment discrimination based on mental rather than physical disability. In Mental Disorder, Work Disability and the Law, the editors bring together original work by leading scholars who have studied mental disorder and work disability from the fields of sociology, psychology, psychiatry, law, and economics. The authors' contributions build upon one another to create the first integrated account of the important policy issues at stake when law deals with the rights of mentally disordered citizens to work when they are able to, and to receive benefits when they are not. This book will be of great value to scholars in law and the mental health professions and to policy makers and the administrators of disability programs.

An evaluation of the current efforts under the ADA in the area of psychiatric disabilities & employment, & a review of the data that may assist future implementation. Conclusion is that the current level of guidance, technical assistance, & research activities are unlikely to optimally assist employers & people with psychiatric disabilities in exercising their rights & responsibilities under the law. Describes a variety of workplace accommodations that may be useful to people with psychiatric disabilities. Glossary. Illustrated.

This book describes clearly how legislation can be used to advance the rights and entitlements of people with mental health problems. Straightforward and practical, it provides useful information on how to address disabilities so these people may enjoy full citizenship. It presents the key issues succinctly and illustrates these with legislative examples from around the world. This book documents the role that law can play, at all levels, in combating such discrimination and abuse.

Examining the mistreatment of persons with mental disabilities around the world, Michael Perlin identifies universal factors that contaminate mental disability law, including lack of comprehensive legislation and of independent counsel; inadequate care; poor or nonexistent community programming; and inhumane forensic systems.

"Individuals with mental disabilities can be divided into two groups, each with its own experience of discrimination. Those who are part of mainstream America - successful actors, politicians, lawyers, and writers - report that other people minimize or refuse to believe their struggles and symptoms. Those who are publicly identified as "mentally ill" by being institutionalized or on public disability benefits report that they are considered totally incapable of any kind of achievement. In Unequal Rights, Susan Stefan takes a close look at how the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) addresses - or fails to address - these two worlds of discrimination. She examines hundreds of ADA cases in a variety of areas, from private insurance and professional discipline to disability benefits and institutionalization. The common thread underlying discrimination is the failure to recognize that mental disabilities involve a continuing struggle that can - and often does - coexist with achievement and success. Rich in descriptions of court cases and disability law, Unequal Rights also features compelling personal testimony from people with mental disabilities on the impact of discrimination on their lives. This bold and challenging book is an ideal resource for lawyers, people with mental disabilities, therapists, and anyone who seeks to understand the full impact of disability law."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved