disability management literature, which covers employers and consumers, indicates that employers and society as a whole benefit from laws such as the ADA, mental health parity laws, family and medical leave bills, and workers' compensation statutes.⁴⁸ Some key benefits:

* People with disabilities win by gaining a better chance for productive employment. There is a large pool of qualified individuals with disabilities who desire to work. An estimated 66% of people with disabilities are of working age. Although approximately 67 % of this group report the desire to work, well over 60% are not working.⁴⁹

* Society wins because of reduced social security disability or other government aid payments and a corresponding increase in the number of employed taxpayers. Most workers with disabilities become disabled while employed, leading to the rapidly increasing costs of workers' compensation, medical insurance, and social security disability pay. The literature shows that companies taking an active role in managing and accommodating worker disabilities, i.e. the economic impact of depression, can substantially reduce the business costs of disability.⁵⁰

* Businesses win by finding a new source of qualified employees in times of a shrinking labor force. Shortages are emerging in the U.S. labor market. Employment openings are expected to have risen approximately 19% from 1989 to 2000. However, the low birth rate from 1965 to 1980 has resulted in only 1.5 million new workers entering the workplace at a time when the estimated need for new workers is between 2 and 3 million. Extending employment opportunities to people with disabilities is an important way of finding new, qualified workers.⁵¹

THE ROLE OF EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS (EAPs)

Employee assistance programs are company-sponsored programs designed to alleviate and assist in eliminating workplace problems caused by personal problems. These programs typically provide supportive, diagnostic, referral, and counseling or treatment services. Many EAPs began as occupational alcoholism programs and gradually evolved into broader-based efforts as employers recognized that alcoholism was not the only problem that could negatively affect job performance.

Although some EAPs continue to focus only on identifying and assisting workers who are substance abusers, most now offer a wide range of other services to help employees resolve personal and work-related problems. These services may include on-site, vendor-site, and telephone counselling; referral for psychological symptoms or mental health disorders (e.g. depression, stress, anxiety); marital or family-related issues; legal and financial problems; catastrophic medical problems (e.g. AIDS, cancer); eating disorders; pre-retirement planning needs, and career-related difficulties.⁵²

Employee Assistance Programs have been effected by changes in the legislative framework.⁵³As an employer develops programs to respond to federal and state policies as well as legislation, EAP work professionals^* have had to become knowledgeable about the statutes and how they impact their company's employees and policies.⁵⁴

For example:

* American with Disabilities Act. EAPs may have to make an individual aware of his or her right to request an accommodation. Other EAP roles related to the ADA include: prevention of disability through early identification and appropriate referral; prevention of depression as a