Disability Law and its Implications

Catalog description

In this survey course of federal disability law and policy, we will focus on federal laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act that prohibit disability-based discrimination in employment, access to public services and accommodations, education, health care, and decision making. The course will examine the implications of our disability rights laws and policies' what those laws and policies say about our conceptions of what it means to have a disability, their impact on the lives of people with and without disabilities and on the society in which we all live, and whether they achieve justice. The course will provide students with an introduction to the major legal issues in the field of disability rights law and the essential ethical and philosophical questions about if, and when, it is appropriate to treat persons with disabilities differently so that they are treated equally. In doing so, the course will explore ways in which disability rights laws differ from laws created for other protected groups.