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Protect People with Diabetes from Discrimination

Target: U.S. Congress
Sponsored by: American Diabetes Association

Stephen Orr, a pharmacist at a Wal-Mart in Nebraska, was fired for taking lunch breaks to manage his diabetes. Yet he was never able to remedy this injustice.

The reason?

Courts have been throwing out diabetes discrimination cases because of an absurd Catch 22, siding with employers who claim that a person with diabetes is "too disabled" to do the job, but not "disabled enough" to be protected by the laws!

That's what happened to Stephen.

The stakes are huge: if a person with diabetes isn’t covered by anti-disability discrimination law, then it's perfectly legal to fire or refuse to hire that person explicitly because of his or her diabetes.

It’s clear Congress intended to protect people with diabetes and other chronic diseases from discrimination when they passed the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990. But that’s not how the courts have interpreted the law.

Help make sure that women and men who should be protected from discrimination are indeed protected! Tell the Senate to support "The Americans with Disabilities Act Restoration Act."

deadline: Ongoing...
goal: 40,000

22,427
signatures!

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Dear Members of Congress,

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was created to protect people with disabilities, including a chronic illness like diabetes, from discrimination. And while the ADA has provided numerous benefits, a series of Supreme Court decisions have severely narrowed who is covered by the law such that many of those Congress meant to protect can no longer challenge unfair treatment based on their disability.

An absurd Catch-22 has developed where employers are allowed to say a person with a chronic illness like diabetes is "too disabled" to do the job, but not "disabled enough" to be protected by the laws. The case is thrown out and the person is never given the chance to prove he or she can safely and effectively do the work. Ironically, the better a worker does at managing his or her disease, the less likely he or she is to be protected from employment discrimination.

This isn't what Congress intended when the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed with bipartisan support in 1990, and now you have a chance to correct that.

I hope you will show your support for your constituents living with diabetes and other chronic diseases and co-sponsor the Americans with Disabilities Act Restoration Act (S. 1881/H.R. 3195). Doing so will help the ADA rightfully reclaim its place among our nation's great civil rights laws.

[Your comment here]

Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your address]

We signed the “Protect People with Diabetes from Discrimination” petition!

# 22,300:

10:08 am PDT, Apr 20, Victoria Salinas, California

# 22,299:

11:35 pm PDT, Apr 19, Nancy Okita, Illinois

# 22,298:

8:30 pm PDT, Apr 19, Melanie Doherty, New York

# 22,297:

7:16 pm PDT, Apr 19, Heather Gregory, North Carolina
This is disgusting and offensive. I have diabetes and I am very much NOT disabled and can perform my job very well. For someone to just fire another human being for having diabetes is discriminatory and violates their civil rights. Diabetes is nothing to joke around with, one MUST take care of it, which could mean lunch breaks to manage blood sugar, etc, and to penalize someone for that is disgusting. I never supported Wal-Mart to begin with, but now I most certainly will do my best to get people NOT to shop there at all.

# 22,296:

6:34 pm PDT, Apr 19, Cynthia Parker, Virginia

# 22,295:

10:11 am PDT, Apr 19, Diana Lungu, Romania

# 22,294:

11:38 pm PDT, Apr 18, Name not displayed, North Carolina

# 22,293:

6:37 pm PDT, Apr 17, Vanessa Garvy, Illinois

# 22,292:

9:11 am PDT, Apr 16, Name not displayed, Oregon

# 22,291:

6:58 am PDT, Apr 16, Avi Straus, Tennessee

# 22,290:

10:07 pm PDT, Apr 15, Jason L. avant, Florida
hello. i am 36 years old and have just been diagnosed with diabetes. i am currently working for wal-mart in my home town and i am having terrible issues managing my diabetes and working the midnight shift. i am afraid that i will lose my job soon because of missed days at work due to my sugar getting out of control. i am very worried about this because i need the health insurance to continue covering my doctors visits and medications for my diabetes. i am in a very uncomfortable situation. i feel that persons with diabetes should be covered in the americans with disabilities act so that we are allowed as much of a chance at a better life or more fair life just like anyone else with a disability.

# 22,289:

8:58 pm PDT, Apr 15, Travis Benthin, Oregon
I am a diabetic and have been so for 16 years. You will never know what it is like to be faced with the challenges a diabetic is faced with unless you are a diabetic or become one and I would not wish that upon any body. I just wish there were the same equal rights for everybody.

# 22,288:

1:59 pm PDT, Apr 15, Leah Searls, Oregon

# 22,287:

9:58 am PDT, Apr 15, Addys Delgado, Florida
Diabetes does not make a person less capable of performing task. It is just a condition that could be managed with some leniency and understanding from the employer - diabetics are just as much apt and able to perform many skills and be hard workers just as anyone else.

# 22,286:

9:01 am PDT, Apr 15, Name not displayed, Illinois

# 22,285:

7:36 pm PDT, Apr 14, Mike Benthin, Oregon

# 22,284:

3:57 pm PDT, Apr 14, Jeff Knight, Oregon

# 22,283:

1:03 pm PDT, Apr 14, Karen Zyp, Oregon

# 22,282:

11:45 am PDT, Apr 14, Dave W. Benthin, Oregon
Discrimination against of a person who been the victim of diabettes is immoral. I know what it is like to be discriminated against (Classified 4F by armed services for hearing problems - I tried joining 3 times for the Viet Nam war while so many were draft dodgers) and it should not be happening here the United States of America. Everyone and that includes you and me, everyone will be held accountable before God for embracing bias against those of less fortunate circumstances. Thank you for considering how to make this country a more favorable and fair country for those with disabilities.

# 22,281:

11:36 am PDT, Apr 14, Name not displayed, Alabama

# 22,280:

9:52 am PDT, Apr 14, Brice Tennant, Massachusetts

# 22,279:

9:17 am PDT, Apr 14, Name not displayed, Oregon

# 22,278:

9:19 pm PDT, Apr 13, Joanne Johnson, Virginia

# 22,277:

4:26 pm PDT, Apr 13, Deric Wieting, Maine

# 22,276:

2:50 pm PDT, Apr 13, Name not displayed, Ohio

# 22,275:

10:54 am PDT, Apr 13, Samantha Kinstle, Virginia

# 22,274:

11:06 pm PDT, Apr 12, Rhonda Zorn, Kentucky

# 22,273:

9:38 pm PDT, Apr 12, Rayjan Koehler, New York

# 22,272:

11:02 pm PDT, Apr 11, Pamela Berger, Wisconsin
I was unaware that such discrimination was legal. I am very concerned.

# 22,271:

9:32 pm PDT, Apr 10, Name not displayed, Texas

# 22,270:

2:39 pm PDT, Apr 10, Name not displayed, New Jersey
Please acknowledge individuals with diabetes. It is critical for them to check their sugar levels and eat regularly. Acknowledge this and be fair to those who do not have protection under the law.

# 22,269:

12:21 pm PDT, Apr 10, Evelyn Adams, Texas

# 22,268:

5:48 am PDT, Apr 10, Lyndsy Nichols, Michigan

# 22,267:

3:45 pm PDT, Apr 9, Iris Slone, California
I think it is unconscionable that our government pulled its support out from under the disabled citizens of our country. Therefore I beg you to support the restoration of those rights. Respectfully, and sincerely, Iris Slone

# 22,266:

8:40 am PDT, Apr 9, Juli L., Indiana

# 22,265:

9:01 pm PDT, Apr 8, Marcia A. Cooperman, Oregon

# 22,264:

1:33 pm PDT, Apr 8, Amy Lundy, Ohio

# 22,263:

12:47 pm PDT, Apr 8, Megan Brodie, Oregon

# 22,262:

6:44 am PDT, Apr 8, Penny Sinclair, North Carolina
Every person with a disability or chronic disease needs to be protected, whether you work for a small company or a large corporation

# 22,261:

6:14 am PDT, Apr 8, Chris Schulze, California

# 22,260:

3:00 am PDT, Apr 8, Edward Read, Texas

# 22,259:

12:48 pm PDT, Apr 7, Karinne Gott, New Hampshire

# 22,258:

8:43 am PDT, Apr 7, Name not displayed, New Mexico
We want to be contributing members of society and have a lot to offer. Diabetes is a growing epedemic in our country and should be dealt with proactively on all levels. We want to work! Take the money you pay illegal aliens to live and work here and put it to help and protect us Americans from ANY descrimination!

# 22,257:

5:53 am PDT, Apr 7, Elissa Weindling, New York
Allow people the dignity to work and help contribute to society. Support the rights of diabetics to work with conditions to stay healthy.

# 22,256:

2:13 pm PDT, Apr 6, Toni Chiara, Florida
if employers can say that individuals with diabetes are to ill to be employed then they may say that individuals with asthma, emphysema or bronchitis. A chronic disease can be managed. The Disability act is to cover all diseases. There should be NO WAY that employers should be able to discriminate on illness and if the court agrees then the government better anti-up and provide those individuals with disability payments comparable to the salary they would be making if allowed to work. The Justice system needs to STOP being hypecritics!!!!!

# 22,255:

10:02 am PDT, Apr 6, RAYMOND MCINDOE, Texas
We seem to worry so much about racial descrimination, but other genetic descrimination is OK?

# 22,254:

8:56 am PDT, Apr 6, Deborah Wen, New Jersey

# 22,253:

8:23 am PDT, Apr 6, Name not displayed, Pennsylvania

# 22,252:

4:41 pm PDT, Apr 5, Elisa DeLapa, New York

# 22,251:

4:59 am PDT, Apr 5, Carrie Schluter, Massachusetts

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