EEOC issues fact sheet

WASHINGTON - Monday Morning in Washington DC (Inclusion Research Institute of Washington, DC; www.inclusionresearch.org, 1-202-338-7153, Fax: 1-202-338-7216) disclosed a press release from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) which went with the observance of National Disability Employment Awareness Month. EEOC released a fact sheet on the application of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to persons with intellectual disabilities in the workplace.

The publication is available at www.eeoc.gov, and the term “intellectual disability” describes the condition once commonly referred to as “mental retardation.” Approximately 1% of the U.S. population, or 2.5 million people, have an intellectual disability. Estimates indicate only 31% of individuals with intellectual disabilities are employed, although many more want to work.

“More often than not, individuals with intellectual disabilities face barriers in the workplace posed not by mental impairments but by other people's attitudes,” said Commission Chair Cari M. Dominguez. “With this fact sheet, EEOC aims to break down myths, fears, and misperceptions that stand in the way of employment opportunities and sometimes even lead to harassment on the job. People with intellectual disabilities want to work and have a lot to contribute. Employers who aren’t tapping into this community are missing out.”

The fact sheet addresses such topics as:

• · when an intellectual impairment is covered by the ADA;
  · when an employer may ask an applicant or employee questions about his or her intellectual disability;
  · what types of reasonable accommodations employees with intellectual disabilities may need on the job;
  · how to address safety concerns and conduct issues in the workplace; and how an employer can prevent harassment of employees with intellectual disabilities.
  
  

This fact sheet helps to advance the full integration of people with disabilities into all aspects of American life and promote greater access to technology, education, employment opportunities, and community life for people with disabilities.

In addition to enforcing Title I of the ADA, which prohibits employment discrimination against people with disabilities in the private sector and state and local governments, and the Rehabilitation Act's prohibitions against disability discrimination in the federal government, EEOC enforces Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin; the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, which prohibits discrimination against individuals 40 years of age or older; the Equal Pay Act; and sections of the Civil Rights Act of 1991.

For more information, call Jennifer Kaplan, 1-202-663-7084; David Grinberg, 1-202) 663-4921, or (TTY)1-202-663-4494.