Groundbreaking Survey Examines Disability Laws in all 50 States

WASHINGTON, D.C., Jan. 6, 2005 – The American Bar Association Commission on Mental and Physical Disability Law today released a new survey of state disability discrimination laws. Written by John W. Parry, commission director, the Monograph on State Disability Discrimination Laws is the most comprehensive compilation of state disability discrimination laws in the 50 states and the District of Columbia ever published.

The Monograph on State Disability Discrimination Laws discusses disability law in as it relates to employment, public services offered by state and local governments, public accommodations and housing. For each area, there is a corresponding chart that sets forth the law in each state.

The employment chart, for example, examines key legal concepts in this area – who the law applies to, who it protects, who is excluded, what conduct constitutes discrimination and retaliation, what the employer’s duty to provide reasonable accommodations includes, what constitutes an undue burden, what remedies are available and how the law is enforced.

The charts, totaling about 130 pages, are discussed in the Monograph’s text, along with relevant case law and comparisons to applicable federal laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Fair Housing Amendments Act. Both the charts and text contain a multitude of footnotes citing relevant cases, statutes, regulations, books and articles in each area.

With more than 400,000 members, the American Bar Association is the largest voluntary professional membership organization in the world. As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law in a democratic society.