(ASAN) Washington Times: Don't Hire Lawyers with Disabilities

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from ASAN ...

- H.

On August 22nd, 2012, The Washington Times published an editorial entitled,

" Holder's 'Severe Mental Deficiency' " , attacking affirmative action for people

with disabilities seeking to enter the federal workforce. In response, the

Autistic Self Advocacy Network has issued the following statement:

The Washington Times' recent editorial attacking efforts by the federal

government to act as a " model employer " for people with disabilities is full of

both blatant factual inaccuracies and statements calculated to denigrate the

contributions of workers with disabilities. Not only does the Times ignore the

reality of widespread discrimination against disabled people – it also accepts

such discrimination as natural and desirable. To the Times' Editorial Board,

" most employers would balk at even minor mental disabilities in hiring a

lawyer, " and federal disability hiring initiatives propose to employ " those who

are teetering on the edge of sanity. " This attitude ignores the legacies of

pioneering disabled attorneys like and Evan Kemp, both of

whom faced down prejudice and dedicated their careers to advocating on behalf of

the disabled community. Today's generation of lawyers with disabilities deserve

no less respect.

According to The Washington Times, disabled people are hopelessly damaged goods:

we are automatically unqualified or poorly qualified for positions within the

Justice Department, and inherently incapable of providing taxpayers with a

" superior level of public service. " The author ignores the long-standing and

deeply entrenched ableism that pervades hiring processes in the public and

private sectors. Along with perpetuating damaging stereotypes about disabled

people—particularly those of us with developmental and psychiatric

disabilities—the author makes bold assertions based on factual inaccuracies.

Despite the author's protestations about " special treatment " and the potential

for abuse, Schedule A requires extensive documentation and has nothing to do

with Standard Form 256-which asks only those who have been hired to voluntarily

self-identify as disabled for statistical purposes. Schedule A also does not

allow for the hiring of unqualified employees.

Although the Times' editorial evinces a tone of shocked indignation, as if the

idea of regarding disabled people as a minority subject to historical and

ongoing injustice is novel and outrageous, such affirmative action policies are

neither new nor unique to the Justice Department. The initiative to provide

disabled applicants with opportunities within the federal government dates back

decades, and the Obama administration's executive order has simply increased the

effective implementation of a long-standing policy across federal departments.

Ultimately, The Washington Times grossly mischaracterizes a policy that is

delivering meaningful employment opportunities to qualified candidates with

disabilities, thereby improving the diversity and talent within the federal

workforce. American taxpayers are themselves an incredibly diverse population,

and they deserve to be served by public employees who reflect that diversity.

That such an editorial was published at all demonstrates how sorely such

policies are needed, and how far we have to go to attain equality and inclusion

for the disabled community.

Media Contact:

Melody Latimer

Director of Community Engagement

Autistic Self Advocacy Network

mlatimer@...

(202)630-7477