ALCOHOLISM AND THE AMERICANS-WITH-DISABILITIES-ACT - OBLIGATIONS AND ACCOMMODATIONS

The passage of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA; 1990) has given employers the responsibility of ensuring that persons with disabilities are not subjected to employment discrimination. Because the law specifically exempts current illegal users of drugs from protection under the law, it is often assumed that persons with alcoholism are also excluded from the law's provisions (Institute for a Drug-Free Workplace, 1993). According to the ADA, however, illegal drug use and alcoholism are separate and distinct conditions, and the law mandates very different actions on the part of the employer in response to the two conditions. The specific requirements of the law regarding persons with alcoholism are reviewed and contrasted with those concerning current drug users. Barriers to the provision of accommodations to individuals with alcoholism are discussed, and suggestions concerning methods of providing reasonable accommodation to alcoholic employees and applicants are offered.