Posts Tagged ‘disability’

Close to 500 science writers gathered at Penn State this weekend for a mix of professional development, scientific briefings, and networking. Within this group, two talented professionals from NIH, Judith Lavelle and Hillary Hoffman, deal with highly stigmatized health conditions every day – HIV, infectious diseases, and immune disorders. But they wanted to do more […]

Late yesterday, we received a jolt of good news. The Supreme Court for the State of Washington ruled that employers cannot discriminate against qualified job candidates on account of obesity. That’s right. We now have one more state where job discrimination on account of obesity is illegal. Job Offer Revoked Because of Six Pounds Twelve […]

An objective look at the global burden of disease might lead you to conclude that the diabetes industrial complex is destined to dominate public health worldwide. It’s a bit of a good news, bad news story. Around the world, infectious diseases are being controlled, they are claiming fewer lives, and thus people are living longer. But as […]

About a month ago, the highest court of the European Union touched off a fierce debate about the relationship between obesity and disabilities. Today, all of the major organizations with expertise in obesity have stepped forward to clear up some of the silliness that came out of that debate. The Obesity Society, the Obesity Action Coalition, […]

Is obesity a disability? Do laws prohibiting discrimination against people with disabilities cover people with obesity? The answers to these questions are subtle and they are changing. A new ruling from the highest court in the European Union may mean that employers and business will have to do more to accommodate people with obesity. And it’s […]