Victoria L. Thomas, JD, and Lawrence O. Gostin, JD, write in the Journal of the American Medical Association that the new ADA Amendments Act “restores the promise” of the original landmark civil rights law and provides physicians with a “vital role” in safeguarding their patient’s rights.

Narrow court decisions on the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, they say, placed doctors in the “unacceptable position” of trying to explain that a patient was disabled enough to qualify for protection under the law and yet able enough to safely and effectively perform the job. Under the new ADA Amendments Act, physicians will instead be able to deliver clinical judgments using accurate medical terminology.

Increased employment protection under the ADA Amendments Act will also provide people with disabilities with greater access to health insurance and accommodations that will allow them to manage their health conditions more effectively, the authors say.

“The new law will allow physicians and patients to meet the dual goals of advancing health and making the United States a fairer place for people with disabilities.”

(Article available by subscription only.)

See earlier post here.

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 8th, 2009 at 1:56 pm and is filed under ADA, NOT2BEMISSED, discrimination, employment/jobs, law. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.  Email This Post