DISABILITY
Myths and Stereotypes About Mental Disabilities Greatest Barrier to Employment
he greatest barrier to employment for people with intellectual and psychiatric disabilities are employers’ myths and fears about their condition, not the disabilities themselves, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Com- mission (EEOC) learned at recent hear- ing. The hearing focused on a group whose rate of unemployment and un- deremployment far exceeds the nation- al average. “We want job seekers, workers,
T
and employers to understand the re- quirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act and be well equipped
to comply with them,” said EEOC Chair Jacqueline A. Berrien. “To- day’s Commission meeting provided an important opportunity to dispel myths and learn about effective ways to dismantle barriers to employ- ment for people with disabilities.” Sharon Lewis, Commissioner of the Administration on Developmental Disabilities, U.S. Department of Health And Human Services, underscored the need to dismantle barriers for people with intellectual disabilities, noting that “the proportion of the population of people with disabilities who are em-
ployed is estimated to be 17 percent, compared to 63 percent for people without disabilities.” As Ruby Moore, Executive Director
of the Georgia Advocacy Office, the designated Protection and Advocacy System for People with Disabilities in Georgia, told the Commission, “one of the biggest obstacles to employment is consciously and unconsciously-held beliefs about people with psychiatric, cognitive or intellectual disabilities.” She further testified that most of the ac- commodations individuals with men- tal disabilities require can be provided in a well-managed, flexible workplace often without any out-of-pocket costs to the employer. She stated that these flexibilities have the effect of aiding all employees, not just those with disabili- ties.
Chief among the misapprehensions
surrounding the employment of people with psychiatric disabilities is that they are violent. In fact, psychologist Dr. Gary R. Bond of the Dartmouth Psy- chiatric Research Center of Dartmouth Medical School, told the Commission, “violence is exceedingly rare among people with mental illness . . . [and] be- ing employed significantly reduces the possibility of violence even further.” The employment rate for individu-
als with psychiatric disabilities is not only low compared to the general population, it is also half the employ- ment rate for people with other sorts of disabilities. The lack of employ- ment has a particular impact on indi- viduals with psychiatric disabilities for whom work is “a crucial element in the recovery process,” according to Dr. Bond. Samuel R. Bagenstos, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the U. S. Department of Justice echoed this point: “Work commands respect, and it represents agency, responsibility, and indepen-
36 HISPANIC NETWORK MAGAZINE Celebrating 19 Years of Diversity
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