ABSTRACT
What impact has anti-discrimination legislation had on the careers of disabled federal employees? Gregory B. Lewis and Cheryl Lynn Allee ask that question in light of the recent passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (1990). Disabled federal employees have had such protection since passage of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act. Using an annual sample drawn from OPM's Central Personnel Data File between 1977 and 1989, the authors focused their analysis on hiring patterns, grade level assignments, and promotions. Lewis and Allee found that disabled federal employees "made few gains in the federal workforce except in their numbers." While cautious in attributing these findings to discriminatory practices, the study's authors suggest that greater attention be paid to what happens to the career paths of disabled Americans.
