Disability and Aging Discrimination: Perspectives in Law and Psychology

Two things are certain in the contemporary workplace: the aging of employees, and negative attitudes toward them—especially those with disabilities—by younger colleagues and supervisors. Yet related phenomena seem less clear: how do negative stereotypes contribute to discrimination on the job? And how are these stereotypes perceived in legal proceedings? Bringing theoretical organization to an often unfocused literature, Disability and Aging Discrimination offers research in these areas at the same level of rigor as research into racial and gender discrimination. The book applies Social Analytic Jurisprudence, a framework for testing legal assumptions regarding behavior, and identifies controversies and knowledge gaps in age-discrimination and disability law. Chapters provide historical background or present-day context for the prevalence of age and disability prejudices, and shed light on the psychosocial concepts that must be understood, in addition to medical considerations, to make improvements in legal standards and workplace policy. Among the topics covered: • Applying Social Analytic Jurisprudence to age and disability discrimination. • The psychological origins and social pervasiveness of ageism. • Growing older, working more: the boomer generation on the job. • Limitations of the Americans with Disabilities Act. • Disability and procedural fairness in the workplace. • Cross-cultural perspectives on stigma. The first volume of its kind, Disability and Aging Discrimination is essential reading for researchers, forensic and rehabilitation psychologists/psychiatrists, and those involved in the well-being of older and disabled workers.