Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Issues Revised Publications on the Employment Rights of People With Specific Disabilities

The U.S. EEOC issued four revised documents on protection against
disability discrimination, pursuant to the goal of the agency's Strategic Plan
to provide up-to-date guidance on the requirements of anti-discrimination laws.

The documents address how the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA) applies to applicants and employees with cancer,
diabetes, epilepsy, and intellectual disabilities. In plain, easy-to-understand
language, the revised documents reflect the changes to the definition of
disability made by the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA) that make it easier to
conclude that individuals with a wide range of impairments, including cancer,
diabetes, epilepsy, and intellectual disabilities, are protected by the ADA.
Each of the documents also answers questions about topics such as: when an
employer may obtain medical information from applicants and employees; what
types of reasonable accommodations individuals with these particular
disabilities might need; how an employer should handle safety concerns; and
what an employer should do to prevent and correct disability-based harassment.