EEOC final clarifcations on what is a disability

[Lily Kerns]

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) final regulations to implement the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA) are now available for public view on the Federal Register website at www.ofr.gov . The regulations will be published Friday. Like the law they implement, the regulations are designed to simplify the determination of who has a “disability” and make it easier for people to establish that they are protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Although this does not specifically deal with Segway usage, someone might encounter a situation that would make it useful....

[Lily Kerns]

Originally Posted by Lily Kerns

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) final regulations to implement the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA) are now available for public view on the Federal Register website at www.ofr.gov . The regulations will be published Friday. Like the law they implement, the regulations are designed to simplify the determination of who has a “disability” and make it easier for people to establish that they are protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Although this does not specifically deal with Segway usage, someone might encounter a situation that would make it useful....

Try this section for a summary of the definitions of disability:
http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text...0.26.3&idno=29

And the parent document for another section prohibiting discrimination on the basis of disability.

[Tarkus]

drug addiction and alcoholism.....


Be Big,
AMAC

[Bob.Kerns]

Originally Posted by Tarkus

drug addiction and alcoholism.....


Be Big,
AMAC

I have about 8 hits in the "physical or mental impairments" definition, but fortunately not those.

Walking and breathing are the only major life activities that I have a problem with. I don't need to add "thinking" to the list.

I do sympathize with the intent behind including these, despite the problems I have with including it here.

But their present behavior is involuntary in a way somewhat similar to a schizophrenic going off their meds.

The difference, for me, is that the schizophrenic didn't make an initial choice leading to schizophrenia. The alcoholic made a whole long series of them.

Still -- isn't the point here, that it's not the existence of the condition which should merit different treatment, but the actual behavior?

Ultimately, I don't care if the reason someone makes threatening remarks to their supervisor is because they're drunk, suffering from schizophrenia, or just a mean SOB.

A drunk who doesn't drink, and a schizophrenic who controls his condition adequately with meds (there are still identifiable impairments, unfortunately), are going to make much better employees than that mean SOB, who's still just a mean SOB.