Course Syllabus: Disability Employment Policy
ILRLR 4023 (online) / 2 Credits
December 28, 2105 – January 23, 2016
Professor:
Thomas P. Golden
201h Dolgen Hall
607.255.2731 (office)
607.743.9925 (cell-preferred)
thomaspatrickgolden (skype)
tpg3@cornell.edu (email)
Office hours:
Online only (via cell or skype for appointment).
Course Website:
The course will be supported by Blackboard.
Please enroll at http://blackboard.cornell.edu
I. Course Description:
This course provides an overview of a range of public policies regarding the employment of people with
disabilities. It introduces you to the historical development of disability public policy and to
contemporary practices in implementing these policies at the state and organizational levels. You
explore the multiple areas of public policy relevant to persons with disabilities, including veterans
legislation, worker’s compensation, vocational rehabilitation, workforce development, social insurance,
and civil rights legislation such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Throughout we will
consider the relationship between disability employment policy and larger social and political
developments. We will also analyze how public policies have developed in practice, bridging the
divides between policy as written, policy as implemented, and policy as practiced.
II. Course Objectives:
After completing this course you will be able to:
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Describe the historical development of the major facets of disability public policy
Explain the major provisions of key pieces of disability legislation
Trace the funding mechanisms and enforcement agencies for key pieces of disability
legislation
Describe the connections between the public service mission of disability programs and
their actual operational successes and failures
Evaluate the success of disability policy in serving the needs of consumers
III. Course Requirements and Grading
1. Lecture viewing and online discussion is mandatory. Credit will be awarded for viewing course
lectures online and actively participating in online discussions. No regular classroom times will
be maintained. Online discussions for each lecture will be available on blackboard. Each student is
required to initially respond to the lecture question posed and provide at least one response to another
student’s posting for each lecture. Participation in online discussions will account for 20% of the course
grade. A timeline for online discussions is provided below.
2. Quizzes on required readings will be offered online via Blackboard. Quizzes will account for 20% of the
course grade. Quizzes will only be opened on Blackboard during specific periods related to specific
lectures (see timelines below). Quizzes not completed as required below will result in a grade of “0” for
each quiz not taken. All class readings required for the quizzes can be found on the course Blackboard
site. Questions regarding grading should be directed to the professor. Quizzes will open at 12:01 AM
and close at 11:59 PM as reflected in the schedule of lectures.
3. Disability issues in the news – the purpose of this exercise is to increase your awareness of current events
impacting the lives and experiences of individuals with disabilities in the national, state and local arena.
Throughout the course you will be required to identify and submit for instructor review four news-worthy
press articles focusing on and dealing with disability-related issues within the United States at the
national, state and/or local level. While current events are preferred, students can go back as far as 2012
to identify issues shaping disability policy. As with other written assignments, we would like you to
submit your documents by uploading via Blackboard (with the file name indicating “news” as well as a
“title for the article” combined with your last name). Be sure to include the actual article, as well as a
one-page, double-spaced commentary about how this article relates to the course, and your personal
reaction or reflection. Please include a link to the article when possible. If this is not possible, include a
full citation for the article.
Articles will be graded on a scale with up to 5 points per news article available. If you find a relevant
news article on disability issues that has the potential to add value to class discussion, is directly related to
topics being discussed in class, and provide a comprehensive reaction and reflection to the article, you
will receive full points. If you turn in an article that is only marginally related to disability issues,
tangentially related to class discussions, and do not provide a personal reaction and reflection, you will
receive 2.5 points. Failure to submit articles by the deadlines will result in no points being awarded. This
will account for 20% of the course grade. Articles are due by 11:59 PM on December 30th, January
6th, January 12th, and January 20th.
Although you may be able to find relevant articles using Google, you may also end up with too many hits.
We strongly recommend that you learn how to use some of the very powerful databases that the
ILR/Catherwood Library offers. With Lexis Nexis, for example, you can have disability-related articles to
be emailed to you on a weekly or even daily basis. Any reference librarian will be happy to show you
how to do this. As with other written assignments, we would like you to submit your documents by
uploading via Blackboard (with the file name indicating “news” as well as a “title for the article”
combined with your last name). Be sure to include the actual article, as well as a one-page, doublespaced commentary about how this article relates to the course and your personal reaction or reflection.
Please include a link to the article when possible. If this is not possible, include a full citation for the
article.
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4. Research paper. A 7-10-page, double-spaced research paper will count for 40% of the course
grade. All papers must be uploaded via Blackboard, and be written in APA format. The paper
is due on January 15th by 11:59 PM. Papers submitted after the due date and time will receive
point value deductions. A more in-depth scoring rubric for the paper is provided in Blackboard.
Track and report on a particular piece of US employment and disability legislation
Historical Development-7 points
Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the legislation in its implementation-7 points
Propose needed new legislation to address current gaps-7 points
Outside research-7 points
Paper covers both disabilities and employment (rather than one or other)-6 points
Writing flow and quality (whether they edited before turning it in)-6 points
The following scale will be used to issue end of semester grades:
98-100 =
95-97 =
91-94 =
88-90 =
85-87 =
82-84 =
78-81 =
74-77 =
70-73 =
67-69 =
64-66 =
60-63 =
Below 60 =
A+
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF
IV. Schedule, Topics of Lectures and Readings
While there are no formal scheduled classroom sessions for this course, it is expected that students will
comply with keeping up with class video lectures, online discussions, required readings, and quizzes
based on the following schedule. Readings, video lectures, quizzes and online discussions must be
completed prior to the next lectures date to ensure flow of the course and timely discussions. Failure to
meet these deadlines for completing quizzes and online discussion submissions will result in a score of
“0” for that requirement.
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Lecture 1: December 28, 2015 – via webinar (registration information will be forwarded)
Class Overview, History of Disability Policy, and the Policy Making Cycle
Lecture 2: December 28, 2015 – December 30, 2015
Civil Rights Legislation
READINGS
Silverstein, R., G. Julnes, and R. Nolan. 2005. "What Policymakers Need and Must Demand from
Research Regarding the Employment Rate of Persons with Disabilities". Behavioral Sciences & the
Law. 23 (3): 399-448.
National Council on Disability (2010).Equality of Opportunity:The Making of the ADA. Washington,
DC:NCD (pgs 5-38)
Samuel R. Bagenstos. Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Civil Rights Division United States
Department of Justice Remarks as Prepared for Delivery at the University of Cincinnati College of Law
March 3, 2010.
Thomas, V.L. & Gostin, L.O. (2009). The ADA: Shattered aspirations and new hope. Journal of the
American Medical Association, 301(1), (pgs. 95-97)
Lecture 3: December 31, 2015 - January 3, 2016
Worker’s Compensation
READINGS
Golden, T., Zeitzer, I., & Bruyère , S. (2007). New Approaches to Disability in Social Policy: The Case
of the United States. Ithaca NY: Employment and Disability Institute.
National Academy in Social Insurance,(2010). Workers Compensation: Benefits Coverage and Costs,
2008. Washington, DC:NASI (pgs. 1-13)
Burton, John. (2009). “Worker Compensation.” Labor and employment law and economics. DauSchmidt, Kenneth G., Seth D. Harris, and Orly Lobel Cheltenham (Eds), UK: Edward Elgar. Chapter 8.
Pages 235-278.
Lecture 4: January 4-7, 2016
Social Security and Ticket to Work Act
READINGS
Liu,S. & Stapleton, D.C. (2011). Longitudinal Statistics on Work Activity and Use of Employment
Supports for New Social Security Disability Insurance Beneficiaries. Social Security Bulletin,71(3),
(pgs. 35-59).
Stapleton, D., O’Day, B., Livermore, G., & Imparato, A. (2006). Dismantling the poverty trap:
Disability policy for the twenty-first century. The Milbank Quarterly, 84(4), 701-732.
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Lecture 5: January 8-12, 2016
Veterans Legislation & Innovations
READINGS
“Veterans Affairs, Benefits and Healthcare” NY Makes Works Pay. 2009.
Waterstone, M.E. (2010). Returning Veterans and Disability Law. Legal Studies Paper #2009-14. Los
Angeles, CA: Loyola Law School.
Lecture 6: January 13-16, 2016
Work Force Investment Act and Vocational Rehabilitation
READINGS
Hager, R. & Sheldon, J. (2006, March). State and federal vocational rehabilitation programs: Services
and supports to assist individuals with disabilities in preparing for, attaching to, and advancing in
employment (Work Incentive Support Center Policy and Practice Brief). Ithaca, NY: Cornell University.
Timmons, J., Boeltzig, H., Cohen Hall, A., Hammer, D. & Fesko, S. (2009). Collaborative
Relationships between VR and Other One Stop Partners. Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 20(2),
(pgs. 67-78).
Lecture 7: January 17-19, 2016
Disability Employment Policy in Practice: Nationally and Globally
“U.N. Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities”
READINGS
Blessing, C., Golden, T., & Bruyère, S., (2009). Evolution of U.S. employment and disability policies
and practices: Implications for global implementation of person-centered planning. In C. Marshall, E.
Kendall, M. Banks, & R. Gover (Eds.), Disability: Insights from Across Fields and Around the
World. Westport, CT: Praeger.
Bruyère, S . & Murray, B. “The Human Right of Workers with Disabilities”. (2009) Gross, James A.,
and Lance A. Compa. Human rights in labor and employment relations: international and domestic
perspectives. Champaign, IL: Labor and Employment Relations Association
Closing Lecture/Webinar: January 21, 2016 (registration information forthcoming)
Disability Employment Policy in Practice: Nationally and Globally
V. Academic Integrity
Each student in this course is expected to abide by the Cornell University Code of Academic Integrity
(http://cuinfo.cornell.edu/Academic/AIC.html).
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VI. Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
In compliance with the Cornell University policy and equal access laws, the instructors are available to
discuss appropriate academic accommodations that may be required by students with disabilities.
Requests for academic accommodations are to be made during the first three weeks of the semester,
except for unusual circumstances, so arrangements can be made. Students are encouraged to register
with Student Disability Services to verify their eligibility for appropriate accommodations.
VII. Plagarism Policy
Students agree that by taking this course all required papers may be subject to submission for textual
similarity review to Turnitin.com for the detection of plagiarism. All submitted papers will be included
as source documents in the Turnitin.com reference database solely for the purpose of detecting
plagiarism of such papers. Use of the Turnitin.com service is subject to the Usage Policy posted on the
Turnitin.com site.
VIII. Religious Holidays
Cornell is supportive of students who wish to practice their religious beliefs. A listing of religious
holidays which will be excused for this course upon request in advance are listed at
http://dos.cornell.edu/dos/cms/curw/Religious-Holidays.cfm
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