Society for Pharmacists with Disabilities

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

Here's an interesting story (an interview from 2002) about a pharmacist who suffered an injury and became quadriplegic. Instead of pursuing a career in pharmacy, he chose to go to law school. It sounds like he really wasn't that satisfied with the thought of working as a pharmacist, so it sounds like law school was a better fit. Click here to read the story.

There are some interesting stories from disabled pharmacists. It's called, "Nonprofits Don't Aid Disabled Pharmacist." Click here to read those stories.

Join the Society of Disabled Pharmacists. The Society of Disabled Pharmacists is a group within the Society of Disabled Healthcare Professionals (SDHP). Learn more about the SDHP by visiting: http://www.DisabledHealthProfessionals.org

Here's a good book to read this summer. "Health Insurance Resource Manual: Options for People with a Chronic Disease or Disability." Product Description Information on a wide variety of options for the uninsured or those with questions about insurance. The book opens with an overview of health insurance plans: * Social Security * Medicare * Medicaid * federal legislation affecting health insurance coverage The second section includes directories and resources to assist in researching health insurance options, and a final section is an insurance planning workbook for people with chronic disabilities Health insurance is one of society's most pressing issues. With the uninsured are millions with inadequate health insurance to meet their medical needs such as medications, home care, rehabilitation services such as physical and occupational therapy, durable medical equipment, and mental health treatment. This problem is especially difficult for those with chronic disea

Most pharmacy schools have resources and support for students who have documented disabilities. For example, here are some segments from the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy website: Any UIC College of Pharmacy student who has a documented disability, as defined by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, will be referred to the campus Office of Disability (ODS). The College will make accommodations on a case by case basis with advice from the ODS. Students with disabilities who require accommodations for full access and participation must be registered with the Office of Disability Services. As reflected in the University of Illinois' Nondiscrimination Statement and the UIC Chancellor's Statement of Commitment to Persons with Disabilities, UIC strives to maintain a barrier-free environment so that students with disabilities can fully access classes, programs, services and other campus activi

This is a sad story of a pharmacy student who literally took things into his own hands. A pharmacy student was sentenced today to six years in state prison for strangling and killing his mother after becoming angry that she disapproved of his pharmacy studies and wanted him to become a physician. Son Richard Lam Nguyen, 31, Garden Grove, was convicted by a jury March 23, 2010, of one felony count of voluntary manslaughter. The defendant is a graduate of the University of California, Irvine with a Bachelor of Science in biology. At the time of the crime, he was a first-year student at Ross University in Dominica, located in the Caribbean, studying to be a pharmacist.   To read about this case, click here .

There's an interesting article published in the 2006  Am J Pharm Educ . titled, "Factors That Affect Academic Performance Among Pharmacy Students." Here's what the authors found: Results Academic performance was significantly associated with factors such as academic competence and test competence. Students with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or greater significantly differed in their level of test competence than those with a GPA of less than 3.0. Students enrolled in their experiential year differed from students enrolled in their second year of curriculum on factors such as test anxiety, academic competence, test competence, and time management skills. Conclusion Test competence was an important factor to distinguish students with low vs. high academic performance. Factors such as academic competence, test competence, test anxiety and time management improve as students' progress in their experiential year. Some pharmacy students have learning disabilities and ot

There's an article in the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education titled, "Students with Disabilities: Implications for Pharmaceutical Education." This paper was published in 2001 by Virgil Van Dusen. Here's a brief summary: The Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 requires the provision of “reasonable accommodations” to those qualified individuals with disabilities by providing equal, nondiscriminatory program access in the academic setting which includes professional pharmacy education. This article explores the issues surrounding the disabled student and the corresponding responsibilities of the institution to provide reasonable accommodations. Eligibility for services, including documentation, and the need for the student to self-identify disabilities are discussed. “Reasonable modifications” are reviewed from both a legislative point-of-view and from relevant case law. Also discussed in this article are exception

GettingHired is committed to helping people with disabilities reach their full potential in the workplace, and increasing their visibility to prospective employers. If you are a disabled pharmacist, you might be able to find a job that will allow you to remain productive in the workplace. More than 23 million disabled individuals are either unemployed or underemployed, despite their education, skills, and professional qualifications.

What are some appropriate jobs for disabled pharmacists? Probably depends on the type of disability. If you have a physical disability, you may still be able to work in the retail setting. The hospital environment may be more difficult if your mobility is restricted. How about the corporate environment? Would you want to find employment in a pharmaceutical company? Some pharmacists end up working for professional societies or in the medical writing industry. Others work in the legal field and get involved developing policies. Some end up in the medical affairs department and even achieve the title of "medical director." Search for various medical affairs pharmacy jobs here .

Almost one year ago, a shocking story broke out in this country about a disabled pharmacist who fatally shot a 16-year-old who was attempting to rob his pharmacy. Jerome Ersland is a disabled veteran and a pharmacist. His story was all over the news in May 2009 because of an attempted robbery of Reliable Discount Pharmacy that led to the fatal shooting of 16-year-old Antwun Parker. Now, Ersland is faced with a first-degree murder charge and this story has created a significant amount of controversy. http://www.kfor.com/news/specialreports/pharmacy/ http://www.koco.com/news/19508256/detail.html http://www.uspharmacist.com/content/t/pharmacy_law/c/14094/ http://www.news9.com/global/story.asp?s=10456733 http://www.jeromeersland.com/

If you look on the Internet, you won't find many resources for pharmacists and pharmacy students who get disabled. Where do these individuals go? Forums? Generic disability websites? Blogs? Government websites? We were surprised when we found no significant resource for disabled pharmacists. Therefore, our hope is to build an online community around this website so that we can provide a comprehensive resource for disabled pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and students. Please share your experiences and help others who may be encountering similar circumstances.

Welcome to the Society of Disabled Pharmacists