Awakening to the ADA: Sleep Disorders from the Perspective of Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act

Kenneth H. Ryesky

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DOI: 10.2190/LTE0-0EQ2-X171-0GKK

Abstract

The January 1993 Report to Congress by the National Commission on Sleep Disorders Research found sleep disorders to be a serious and growing health and economic crisis requiring major action. Individuals afflicted with sleep disorders have legal rights, including rights in the workplace under Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). As the health care and business communities address sleep disorders from public health and productivity perspectives, others must address the employment rights of individuals afflicted with sleep disorders. This article analyzes sleep disorders in individuals from the perspective of the ADA. Because the historical evolution of the legal and social rights of individuals having epilepsy provides interesting precedents for dealing with sleep and sleep disorders, this article also traces this process.

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