Commission to Meet Tuesday on Employment of  People with Mental Disabilities

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) will hold a public meeting on employment of people with mental disabilities on Tuesday, March 15, at 1:00 p.m. (Eastern Time), at agency headquarters, 131 M Street, N.E. In accordance with the Sunshine Act, the meeting is open for public observation of the Commission's deliberations.

The Commission will hear from invited panelists on the employment rates of people with intellectual disabilities and psychiatric disabilities and the challenges they face in the workplace, as well as why it makes good business sense to employ people with disabilities. The meeting agenda includes:

Panel 1: Employment Rates of People with Mental Disabilities

• Sharon Lewis, Commissioner, Administration on Developmental Disabilities, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• Dr. William Kiernan, Director, Institute for Community Inclusion
• Dr. Gary Bond, Professor of Psychiatry, Dartmouth Psychiatric Research Center
• Ruby Moore, Executive Director, The Georgia Advocacy Office, and Founder, New England Business Associates

Panel 2: Requirements of the ADA, Strategies to Comply and Outcomes for People with Mental Disabilities

• Samuel Bagenstos, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division
• Jack Eaton, Manager, Giant Supermarket
• Tenesha Abbott, Employee, Giant Supermarket
• Anupa Iyer, EEOC Intern, Law Student, Seattle University

Panel 3: Litigation to Enforce the Rights of People with Mental Disabilities

• Markus Penzel, EEOC Senior Trial Attorney
• Donna Malone, Plaintiff, EEOC v. Land Air Express

A brief question-and-answer session with EEOC Commissioners will follow each panel discussion.

Seating is limited and it is suggested that visitors arrive 30 minutes before the meeting in order to be processed through security and escorted to the meeting room.

The Commission agenda is subject to revision. Additional information about the hearing, when available, will be posted at http://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/meetings/index.cfm.

The EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. Further information about the EEOC is available on its web site at www.eeoc.gov.