Society for Nurses with Disabilities

The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh College of Nursing is seeking RNs for a research study. Are you a registered nurse who had a physical, sensory or learning disability while in nursing school? If so, please learn more about this research opportunity here (for members only, but it is free to sign up and join)

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing has a page listing resources for nursing students who have disabilities . As you find additional resources that may be beneficial for students, be sure to let the AACN know about them.

Last August, Jessica Wells, a former nursing student at the Cox College of Nursing, won a lawsuit against the Springfield, Missouri nursing school after she was dismissed two semesters into her program because she is deaf. Cox College of Nursing should have provided Jessica Wells with reasonable accommodations that would have allowed her to complete the program, the jury said Aug. 9. Online court records show Wells was awarded $50,000 in the case. The initial lawsuit was filed in 2009 accusing the school of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act. You can read more here .

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

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Executive Nurse Fellows 2013 Call for Applications Deadline: January 14, 2014, 3:00 p.m. ET The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Executive Nurse Fellows (ENF) program is a three-year advanced leadership program for nurses who aspire to lead and shape health care locally and nationally. Fellows strengthen and improve their leadership abilities related to improving health and health care. Learn more here .

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has charged Angel Medical Center, Inc. with disability discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The Franklin, NC-based hospital refused to accommodate a hospital employee who had cancer and fired her. According to the EEOC's lawsuit, Susan Williams worked for Angel Medical Center starting on Dec. 7, 2009 as a full-time registered nurse.  In December 2011, Williams returned to work following extensive treatment for cancer.  At the time she returned to work, she still had five chemotherapy treatments to undergo.  According to the suit, Williams sought an accommodation that would allow her to complete the needed chemotherapy treatments while remaining a full-time employee.  The EEOC alleges that the hospital refused to accommodate Williams and instead terminated her employment. This alleged conduct violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which protects employees from discrimin...

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...