Noting the Governor of Virginia's recent apology for his state's participation in eugenics, this article reviews the history of the sterilization of people with epilepsy and mental retardation in several states, and the importance of the Buck v. Bell (1927) Supreme Court decision in the promotion of eugenics. (Contains references.) (CR)

Librarians responsible for interviewing prospective employees need to be aware of guidelines in the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 which prohibit certain recruiting practices. This article gives examples of questions employers should and should not ask, reviews pre- and postemployee interview steps, and offers tips and background…

This article summarizes provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act in light of how they may affect children. It specifically addresses requirements for reasonable accommodations by employers and increased accessibility to public services. A "fact sheet" insert lists relevant phone numbers (enforcement agencies and information…

Analyzes briefly some of the compliance standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), using the evolution of disability discrimination law under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as a guide. Concludes that the ADA's compliance standards are more vaguely worded than the earlier legislation, possibly opening the door to a wave of…

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…

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)