Society for Nurses with Disabilities

Don't miss this perspective article written by Leslie Neal-Boylan, PhD, APRN titled, " End the DisabilityDebate in Nursing: Quality Care is Fact " The PDF of the article is hosted on the U.S. Department of Labor website:   http://www.dol.gov/odep/pdf/DisabilityDebate.pdf

This book was published last October: Nurses With Disabilities: Professional Issues and Job Retention by Leslie Neal-Boylan, PhD, RN, CRRN, APRN, FNP-BC "This book is a must for all healthcare managers, recruitment, occupational health, human resources and for all nurses working within the healthcare setting to gain a full understanding and dispel the myths and misconceptions surrounding disability. It should be on all student nurses reading lists."--Nursing Times "This book will provide nurses with the information to make objective and fact based assessments...Moreover, it will arm nursing professionals with an understanding of how the issue of disability is affecting workforce supply in nursing, how accommodations can provide assistance to individuals with disabilities, and how a balanced and thoughtful approach can allow nursing professionals to function to their fullest." Geraldine Polly Bednash, PhD, RN, FAAN Chief Executive Officer/Executive Director...

There is an article on Monster titled, " Nurses with Disabilities Find On-the-Job Support ." Don't forget about the Job Accommodation Network : This free consulting service provides information about job accommodations, the Americans with Disabilities Act and the employability of people with disabilities.

The Campaign for Disability Employment is a collaborative effort between several disability and business organizations that seek to promote positive employment outcomes for people with disabilities by encouraging employers and others to recognize the value and talent they bring to the workplace as well as the dividend to be realized by fully including people with disabilities at work. People with disabilities can and do make important contributions to America’s businesses every day. By implementing good workplace practices, like maintaining a flexible and inclusive work environment, businesses can capitalize on the talents of qualified people with disabilities, benefitting everyone. The Campaign is a collaborative effort between several organizations that are working to raise awareness and change attitudes about disability and employment, including: American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD); National Business and Disability Council (NBDC); Job Accommodation Network (...

Most nurses didn't go into nursing to work in medical billing . However, if they develop a physical disability, then it may be difficult or impossible to return to clinical work. Medical billing can be done on a computer and there are assistive technologies that can make it easier to use a computer. Take a look at some of the  medical billing jobs listed here .

The AAPD (American Association of People with Disabilities) and USBLN (US Business Leadership Network) are working together to produce a corporate benchmarking tool on workplace policies and practices regarding the employment of people with disabilities. The Disability Equality Index (DEI) will provide an objective way for companies to benchmark their progress and identify avenues for continued improvement. It will keep practitioners informed of best and emerging practices and point them toward peers in the employer community that are already demonstrating exemplary efforts. The DEI will become a unique tool that will focus on building relationships and consensus with executives in the private sector to advance employment opportunities for people with disabilities throughout the workforce. You can learn more about the DEI here .

What does the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) have to say about Health Care Workers and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)? You can read the EEOC’s Questions and Answers about Health Care Workers and the Americans with Disabilities Act here . You'll find answers to common questions like: When is a health care worker an individual with a disability under the ADA? Are health care applicants or employees who are alcoholics or who engage in illegal drug use considered to have a disability under the ADA? What determines if a health care worker is “qualified” to perform a job within the meaning of the ADA? What is a request for accommodation, and what should an employer and an individual with a disability do after a request for accommodation has been made? Will an employer’s “light duty” program satisfy its obligation to make reasonable accommodations under the ADA? and more Health care is the largest industry in the American economy, and has a high in...

If you're a nurse and you have a disability, you can share your story with others by joining the Society of Healthcare Professionals with Disabilities . Membership is complimentary and you can learn from others who have already started sharing their stories. You can read those stories here in the Forum Section .

Informational Video on FDA's upcoming Virtual Hiring Event on Thursday Nov 3rd 2011 Instructions on creating your Federal Resume, Navigating the NEW USAJOBS, and applying at HHS and FDA http://www.fda.gov/hiringevent

The history of NDEAM (National Disability Employment Awareness Month) began in 1945, with “National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week." It has since grown to a month long celebration of the contributions of workers with disabilities. "Return on investment means hiring the right talent. Workers with disabilities represent all skills sets and are ready to get the job done,” stated Kathleen Martinez, Assistant Secretary of Labor for Disability Employment Policy. This year’s theme, Profit by Investing in Workers with Disabilities, promotes the valuable contributions people with disabilities make to America’s workplaces and economy. In celebration of NDEAM, Disability.Blog will invite employers to share their best practices for recruiting, hiring and retaining individuals with disabilities. In addition, the photographs and profiles of the eight No Boundaries Photo Project participants will be shared on the blog. You can also read posts from last year's No Boundaries ...

Disability discrimination occurs when an employer or other entity covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act, as amended, or the Rehabilitation Act, as amended, treats a qualified individual with a disability who is an employee or applicant unfavorably because she has a disability. Disability discrimination also occurs when a covered employer or other entity treats an applicant or employee less favorably because she has a history of a disability (such as cancer that is controlled or in remission) or because she is believed to have a physical or mental impairment that is not transitory (lasting or expected to last six months or less) and minor (even if she does not have such an impairment). The law requires an employer to provide reasonable accommodation to an employee or job applicant with a disability, unless doing so would cause significant difficulty or expense for the employer ("undue hardship"). The law also protects people from discrimination based on their re...

The Campaign for Disability Employment is a collaborative effort to promote positive employment outcomes for people with disabilities by encouraging employers and others to recognize the value and talent they bring to the workplace.

I am writing this on behalf of someone who is looking specifically for resources for disabled nurses in Canada. If anyone is aware of such resources, please leave a comment or contact us . Thank you.

There's a story on eHow.com titled, "How to Write a Business Case for Hiring Disabled Nurses." Does your organization think about hiring disabled nurses? The author does a nice job pointing out some of the potential benefits and business implications of hiring nurses who may have a variety of disabilities. You'll certainly increase workplace diversity, but there are significant benefits that go beyond that. You may get valuable input from nurses who have physical disabilities. They may offer unique insights that other nurses may not offer. If you're interested in this topic, read more here .

Did you know that allnurses.com has a forum where nurses are discussing issues revolving around disability? You can find the "Nurses with Disabilities Forum" here:  http://allnurses.com/nurses-disabilities-forum/ Recent discussions have revolved around: Arthritis ADHD PTSD Tremors Seizures Mental illness and other health conditions

Depression can lead to mental disability in nurses and nursing students. Here's an abstract from a recent study titled, "A longitudinal study of stress and self-esteem in student nurses." Abstract INTRODUCTION: It is well recognised that nurse education/training can be a stressful experience and that self-esteem is an important predictor of stress. BACKGROUND/LITERATURE: While there are a significant number of studies showing levels and contributors to stress among students. There is little evidence of how these levels change over time. The aim of the study was to investigate nursing students' experiences of stress and levels of self-esteem during three years of their undergraduate nursing programme. METHODS: Participants completed the stress in nurse education questionnaire and the culture free self-esteem inventory at various time points in the study, and a demographic questionnaire at baseline. The students who took part in the study commenced their nurse t...

Is there a group out there called the Disabled Nurses Association? Perhaps at one time a group like that existed. I searched on the Internet and I was not able to find anything. Our group, the Society of Disabled Nurses, exists to provide support and resources for nurses who are disabled. If anyone has any information about a group called the Disabled Nurses Association, please make sure to provide that information to us.

Here's a great book you have to read: "Leave No Nurse Behind: Nurses Working with disAbilities" Here's a brief description: In the midst of a national nursing shortage, many nurses who can and want to work are being denied the opportunity. They are being pushed out of jobs and turned away from unfilled positions, all because they have disabilities. Eleven nurses who defied disability tell their personal stories of courage and determination in the face of stigma and discrimination, proving that nurses with disabilities have the ability to successfully fill the jobs that so desperately need filling. A car accident. A fall. A stroke. Depression. Disability can happen to anyone and at any time. By knowing the ins and outs of disability laws as they relate to those in the nursing profession and taking the measures outlined in this book, you can ensure that you will be prepared should disability ever happen to you. This book serves as both an inspiration and as a p...

What type of disability services does your nursing school provide? here's what Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing provides: Upon admission and prior to enrollment, students with a disability should provide a comprehensive evaluation of a specific disability from an appropriate qualified diagnostician that identifies the type of disability, describes the current level of functioning in an academic setting, and lists recommended accommodations. Dean Angell coordinates reasonable accommodation. Johns Hopkins University does not discriminate on the basis of gender, marital status, pregnancy, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status or other legally protected characteristic in any student program, activity administered by the University, admission or employment. A person with a disability is defined by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 as an individual who has a phy...

Here's an article that may interest you, especially if you work in the UK. It's titled, "Disability as an equal opportunity issue within nurse education in the UK." The author writes:  Whilst equal opportunity policies, related research and subsequent curricula changes over recent years may have begun to have a positive impact in some areas of nursing education and practice, 'disability' struggles for recognition as an equality issue. Disabled people, making up approximately six million of the UK population, experience discrimination as part of their daily lives and this is also evident in the nursing services they receive. Far from challenging discrimination, nursing education may simply sustain the negative dominant ideological view of disability. Drawing comparisons with 'race', which has an established equal opportunity dimension, this paper explores disability equality, which is relatively neglected in nursing curricula. From this review it is ...