Background Social Structures and Disability Discrimination in the United States and Canada
Main Article Content
Keywords
social model of disability, employment law, comparative law – Canada and United States
Abstract
Several social structures deeply affect the equality of people with disabilities, but are not ordinarily considered when addressing attitudinal and environmental barriers that disadvantage disabled people. These structures, which relate to employment and the law that regulates it, are: (1) the legal doctrine of employment at will as opposed to notice or severance payment in lieu of notice; (2) unionization or its absence; and (3) government-sponsored social insurance programs. These structures differ from country to country, even between nations with a similar legal heritage. Drawing comparisons between Canada and the United States with regard to each social structure, this paper describes these arrangements and their impact, then discusses how their reform could enhance equality for people with disabilities.
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Statutes and Court Cases
Health Servs. & Support Facilities Subsector Bargaining Ass’n v. B.C., 2007), [2007] 2 S.C.R. 391 (Can.).
Nat’l Treasury Employees Union v. Fed. Labor Relations Auth., 793 F.2d 371 (D.C. Cir. 1986).
Tex. Dep’t of Cmty. Affairs v. Burdine, 450 U.S. 248 (1981).
Worker Adjustment Retraining and Notification Act, 29 U.S.C. §§ 2101-2109 (2006).
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Mark C. Weber, Vincent dePaul Professor of Law, DePaul University
Mark C. Weber, Vincent dePaul Professor of Law, DePaul University, is the author of Disability Harassment (NYU Press 2007) and Understanding Disability Law (Lexis-Nexis 2007). Correspondence should be addressed to Mark C. Weber, DePaul University, 25 E. Jackson, Chicago, IL 60604. Contact: [email protected].