"Initially prepared for the Glass Ceiling Commission, US Department of Labor"--Page iii

The Americans with Disabilities Act was heralded by its congressional sponsors as an emancipation proclamation for people with disabilities and as the most important civil rights legislation passed in a generation. This book offers an assessment of what has actually occurred since the ADA's enactment in 1990. In empirically based articles, contributors from the fields of law, health policy, government, and business reveal the unsoundness of charges from the right that the ADA will bankrupt industry, and assumptions on the left that the ADA will prove ineffective in helping people with disabilities enter and remain in the workforce.

Hundreds of millions of people with disabilities around the world are out of work or underemployed. This book documents what can be done to improve the employment situation of people with disabilities globally

Identifies and analyses societal, governmental and internal business barriers to the advancement of women and minority ethnic groups to positions of senior management. Describes characteristics of successful programmes aimed at eliminating these barriers and presents case studies of initiatives in a number of companies. Examines perceptions of corporate leaders and women and ethnic minorities in the private sector and compares them with quantitative data.

The Federal Glass Ceiling Commission gathered information on barriers, opportunities, policies, perceptions, & practices as they affect five target groups that have been underrepresented in top-level management -- women of all races, & African American, American Indian, Asian & Pacific Islander, & Hispanic American men.

The book describes how education in particular helps make persons with disabilities achieve economic independence and social inclusion.