Society for Pharmacists with Disabilities

Earlier this year, a story came out about an Oregon pharmacist who was accusing Walmart of firing him for his disability. The disability: substance abuse disorder. The suit notes that Doran was diagnosed in 2007 with a disabling medical condition: "Addiction is recognized as a serious health condition by the medical profession (Substance Abuse Disorder), and is a recognized disability under federal and state laws." David Shane Doran filed a federal lawsuit in Medford on Thursday that accuses Walmart of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act.   Read the story here .

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 (...

Pharmacists who have computer experience may want to consider jobs in pharmacy informatics . Some of the jobs are positions like: Manager Pharmacy Informatics Pharmacy Informatics Technician Pharmacist Informatics Clinical Informatics Pharmacist There are assistive technologies that can make it easier for people with disabilities to work on computers. Take a look at some of those Pharmacy Informatics jobs here . Jobs by Simply Hired

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 pharmacist 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 .

We Can't Wait: Obama Administration Announces New Initiatives to Get Veterans Back to Work Having served and defended our nation, veterans are well-trained, highly skilled and will add value to any company. But today’s veterans face unique challenges: As of October, over 850,000 veterans were unemployed and the jobless rate for post-9/11 veterans was 12.1 percent. And as we end the war in Iraq and wind down the war in Afghanistan, over one million servicemembers are projected to leave the military between 2011 and 2016. Accordingly, there is more work to do to ensure these men and women can find jobs at home when they return. On November 7, leading veterans’ organizations joined President Obama at the White House to announce their support for the Returning Heroes and Wounded Warrior Tax Credits, two provisions in the American Jobs Act Congress is scheduled to consider that will help create jobs and strengthen the economy. The Returning Heroes Tax Credit provides firms that ...

Store Fired Worker with Diabetes for Eating Chips to Stop Hypoglycemia Attack, Federal Agency Charges SAN FRANCISCO — Drugstore giant Walgreens violated federal law by firing a worker with diabetes instead of accommodating her, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission charged in a lawsuit filed today under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). According to the EEOC, Josefina Hernandez, a cashier at Walgreens’ South San Francisco store, was on duty when she opened a $1.39 bag of chips because she was suffering from an attack of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). Hernandez had worked for Walgreens for almost 18 years with no disciplinary record, and Walgreens knew of her diabetes. Nevertheless, Walgreens fired her after being informed that Hernandez had eaten the chips because her blood sugar was low, even though she paid for the chips when she came off cashier duty.

This case is from 2008, but it's an interesting story: "Wal-Mart Settles 14-Year Old Disability Lawsuit With Former Pharmacist" Wal-Mart pharmacist, Glenda Allen, was shot during a robbery at her second job. Doctors estimated her chance of survival as very poor. But survive she did. Doctors concluded she may never walk again. But walk she did. In the end, she suffered permanent injury to her spinal cord and required the use of a cane as a result of an abnormal gait caused by the shooting. When she sought to return to work, Wal-Mart fired her. More information about the story can be found here .

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Two years after her son was shot to death during an attempted robbery at an Oklahoma City pharmacy, the teenager's mother has filed a lawsuit alleging the shooting "was an act of gross negligence and deliberate indifference." Cleta Jennings filed the lawsuit against Jerome Ersland, 59, and the Reliable Discount Pharmacy over the May 19, 2009, shooting death of 16-year-old Antwun Parker. Jennings filed the lawsuit on Tuesday as jury selection was under way for Ersland's first-degree murder trial over Parker's death.

CIGNA Adds Pharmacist to Disability Management Clinical Team The pharmacist will focus on the role of medication impacts/effects in the disability management process Will identify prescription-related trends and strategies to help people stay at work or to be successful in returning to work from disability PHILADELPHIA, April 12, 2011 - Underscoring the importance of integrating clinical disciplines into the disability and absence management program, CIGNA announced today that it’s adding a pharmacist as a new member of CIGNA's disability management clinical team, focusing on the role of medication and medication adherence in disability management and stay at work and return to work strategies.

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.

There are a number of job opportunities for disabled pharmacists who can work on a computer. Those who have strong writing skills can get involved in a number of medical and scientific writing jobs. Other pharmacists also get involved in pharmacovigilance and drug safety. Make sure to brush up on your computer skills so that you can work efficiently.

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...

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...