New Training Video Released!

Program Updates

Education Update

People With Disabilities Foundation (PWDF) is pleased to announce the completion of our new video, Understanding Employees and Job Applicants with Psychiatric Disabilities. This ground breaking video uses real employees in real employment settings. These scenarios focus on the medical and vocational aspects associated with psychiatric disabilities in the workplace. The four vignettes involve people with paranoid schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and bipolar disorder.

R.S.V.P. for the premiere:

June 3, 2008 - 4:00-6:00 p.m. - Room 109

Mission Campus of City College of San Francisco

1125 Valencia Street, San Francisco, CA   94110

The video offers commentary from experts including: Jo Ellen Brainin-Rodriguez, M.D.,  Medical Director, Bridge to Wellness; Aaron Cohen, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist, Counseling and Psychological Services, University of California, Berkeley; and H. Joan Ehrlich, Former District Director, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

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Advocacy Update

PWDF's class action suit - on behalf of individuals with psychiatric impairments whose Social Security benefits were being unfairly terminated by SSA discriminating against people with mental disabilities in violation of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. PWDF has signed on two additional plaintiffs to add as named parties to the complaint. We are awaiting the Court's decision in our request to certify the class, which we estimate to consist of well over 1 million individuals.

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Case In Profile

PWDF advocates for and represents adults and children with invisible disabilities in Social Security disability benefits cases.  From time to time, PWDF will highlight individual client stories.  If you have a Social Security disability case in need of representation, please call PWDF for additional information.

Ghosts from Her Homeland

By Annie Hsia, Program Manager

Recently, PWDF represented Bailey Wong[1], an Asian-American woman, in her claim for Social Security disability benefits. Initially diagnosed with severe depression and a somatoform disorder, Mrs. Wong also talked about seeing ghosts that ridiculed her for not working, which, in traditional Chinese culture, may not necessarily be viewed as a symptom of a psychiatric illness. The Chinese culture reveres the family unit, where ancestors are believed to live on as spirits that protect family descendents. Stories of loved ones returning as ghosts abound, and seeing ghosts is often considered a blessing.

1 This is a fictitious name and will be used through the rest of the article to protect the identity of PWDF’s clients.

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Counselor's Corner

Psychiatric Disability in the Workplace

By Arcolina Panto, Staff Attorney

While most people know that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) applies to physical disabilities, very few know about disability based on mental health. The ADA is designed to promote equality and access for employees with disabilities; it balances the needs of disabled individuals against the needs of the employer. These competing interests are known as reasonable accommodations for the employee, versus undue hardship on the employer.

As opposed to physical disability, mental disability is not easily perceived and, therefore, is referred to as invisible. People With Disabilities Foundation (PWDF) focuses on individuals who might otherwise be ignored because their disability is invisible to the naked eye. PWDF is well aware that many who suffer from mental health issues frequently attempt to hide their condition, either as a result of the condition itself or for fear of retribution. Mental disability should never be a source of shame. Accommodations may be very easy and inexpensive on the part of an employer.

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PWDF Profile

Who We Are

People With Disabilities Foundation is an operating
501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, California, which focuses on the rights of the mentally disabled.

Services

Advocacy: PWDF advocates for Social Security claimant's disability benefits in eight Bay Area counties. We also provide services in disability rights, on issues regarding returning to work, and in ADA consultations, including areas of employment, health care, and education, among others. There is representation before all levels of federal court and U.S. Administrative Law Judges. No one is declined due to their inability to pay, and we offer a sliding scale for attorney's fees.

Education/Public Awareness: To help eliminate the stigma against people with mental disabilities in society, PWDF's educational program produces educational materials such as training videos, organizes workshops and public seminars, and provides guest speakers with backgrounds in mental health.

Continuing Education Provider: State Bar of California MCLE, California Board of Behavioral Sciences Continuing Education, and Commission of Rehabilitation Counselor Certification.