Presents the discrimination experienced by students with psychiatric disabilities reentering higher education. Notes three examples of successful college support systems for such students and describes the misconceptions and stigma continuing to surround mental illness. Suggests reasonable accommodations--similar to those provided for other…

Examines the accessibility of Web sites belonging to 80 colleges of communications and schools of journalism by examining the hypertext markup language (HTML) used to format the pages. Suggests ways to revise the markup of pages to make them more accessible to students with vision, hearing, and mobility problems. Lists resources of the latest…

Examines the ways journalism textbooks instruct journalism students to approach disability-related stories and sources, presumably within a wider context of overall sensitivity to diversity issues. Finds that news reporting textbooks fare poorly when assessed against basic disability/diversity reporting guidelines. (SG)

A study involving police officers in Western Australia (n=138) and Pennsylvania (n=168) revealed that officers responded differently to crimes involving persons with mental retardation. In some cases, police were more tolerant of the disability, in others they were less tolerant. Response patterns were not different for Australian and Pennsylvania…

Addresses the phenomenon of children with disabilities who are maltreated. The higher risk for children with disabilities being victimized and maltreated because of their dependency and the higher reported incidence of abuse are discussed. Reasons for the higher incidence of abuse, including social devaluation, are provided. (CR)

This commentary discusses the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the success the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has had in enforcing the ADA for people with mental retardation. Cases the EEOC has won against discriminatory employers are described, and the need for ongoing efforts is emphasized. (CR)

This article describes federal and state laws that affect the opportunity of people with low vision to drive and to obtain driver's licenses. Discrimination against individuals with low vision is discussed in the context of equal protection and the Americans with Disabilities Act. A review of relevant case law and implications for drivers with low…

This paper examines the use of the Disability Discrimination Act (Commonwealth of Australia, 1992) by parents seeking access for their deaf children to native sign language in the classroom. It reviews a number of cases in which Australian parents have claimed indirect discrimination by educational authorities over their children's lack of access…

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is a civil rights law that applies to all school districts nationwide. Despite its wide coverage, there is a dearth of research on how the law is implemented. This study presents the results of an exploratory investigation of Section 504 practices with 154 special education directors in one…

This document consists of the first six issues of a newsletter, which discusses current knowledge about and concerns related to genetics and mental retardation. The second issue addresses the problem of genetic discrimination. The third issue considers genetic testing, screening, and counseling. The fourth issue addresses genetic privacy issues.…

The author presents guidelines for federal contractors in complying with the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, in view of stepped-up government enforcement activities. She describes provisions of the Act, some complaints filed under its affirmative action section, and personnel practices that contractors may use for creative compliance with federal law.…

The author discusses the difficulties inherent in testing procedures when used for classifying children as handicapped, and procedures which could be used to insure that such tests are applied, evaluated, and interpreted in a nondiscriminatory manner. (MB)

Examined the relationship between characteristics of nonhandicapped adolescents and their attitudes toward the handicapped. Characteristics which were significantly associated with acceptance of the handicapped included gender, ethnicity, chronological age, school achievement, moral development, popularity, and overall peer acceptance.…

In the context of civil rights, discusses laws to reduce discrimination and provide access for handicapped. Notes opposition from the Reagan administration to currently proposed legislation. (CMG)

Twenty years ago, a minuscule advisory body in the Department of Education (ED), known then as the National Council on the Handicapped, was elevated to the status of an independent federal agency. The legislation that made what is now called the National Council on Disability (NCD) independent also gave it an ambitious agenda that greatly exceeded…