Hollow Promises: Employment Discrimination Against People with Mental Disabilities

Although passed into law with high expectations, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has mostly failed in enabling those with mental disabilities to fight discrimination in the workplace. Susan Stefan explores the reasons for this failure and points to how the courts, government and employers may finally make good the ADA's seemingly hollow promises. She identifies the difficulties that people with mental disabilities may have in finding and keeping employment and how the ADA has affected this problem. Those with mental illnesses, like most people, want to work to support themselves and find respect and personal fulfilment. But because of deep-rooted prejudices against those with disabilities, obtaining and holding a job can be an epic task. Featuring detailed descriptions of employment cases and sharp analysis of the law, this work should be useful to lawyers, employees, employers, therapists, people with mental disabilities, and all those seeking just employment practice.