Figure 5. Employment is lowest for people with mobility impairments; mental disability ranks second.

 

 

Figure 6. How is work limitation associated with race and ethnicity?

Native Americans report the highest rates of work limitation

 

Recently, U.S. President Clinton has taken new action to increase employment opportunities for people with disabilities. This includes creating a task force in 1998 to coordinate national policy for increasing employment of people with disabilities in all sectors of the economy; establishing new regulations in February 1999 to make work pay for people with disabilities receiving SSDI and SSI, by allowing them to earn more and still receive critical cash and medical benefits; issuing an executive order in June 1999 to expand hiring opportunities for people with psychiatric disabilities; and including in the 1999 federal budget a $2 billion initiative to provide a $1,000 tax credit for work-related expenses for people with disabilities.¹⁹

The Policy and Legislative Framework

There is a group of laws which reflect national policy and provide the legislative framework for effectively managing the impact of depressive disorders on the workplace. These laws do not focus specifically on depression but operate from the larger framework of all disabilities (as in the ADA), injuries (as in Workers' Compensation), and mandated leave provisions (as in the Family and Medical Leave Act).