title: Public policy and employment of people with disabilities: exploring new paradigms.
abstract: A "sea change" in public attitudes, legislation, and political power at the end of the 20th century in the United States has helped set the stage in the early 21st century for the entry of people with disabilities into the labor force. Major pieces of federal legislation have altered national policy with the intention of maximizing the work force participation of people with disabilities. At the same time, a new theoretical paradigm of disability has emerged, which emphasizes community inclusion, accommodation, and protection of civil rights. This "New Paradigm" of disability can be applied in concert with rigorous behavioral science methodologies to shed light on the outcomes of recent federal policy changes regarding the labor force participation of people with disabilities. In so doing, social science can be used in more meaningful ways to understand both the intended and unintended consequences of federal policy.
authors.affiliation: National Research and Training Center on Psychiatric Disability, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, 104 South Michigan Avenue, Suite 900, Chicago, IL 60603, USA. cook@ripco.com
authors.forename: Judith A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Cook
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Burke
mesh_terms: D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D004522:Educational Status; D004651:Employment / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006298:Health Services Administration / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006801:Humans; D011640:Public Policy; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States; D014829:Vocational Education