Wrapping up the 2008 Panel Meeting on Work-Family Issues for Employed Parents of Children with Disabilities

Judi Casey January 2nd, 2009

As 2008 ends, it’s time to wrap up our efforts on work-family issues for employed parents caring for children with disabilities. We are thrilled by a recent article (part 1 of 2) in the Boston Globe highlighting these issues,and a recent letter to the editor that poignantly highlights the struggles of a working parent with three special needs children. Part 2 of this article focuses on creative employer initiatives to enhance success at home and at work for employees caring for children with disabilities.

We’ve created a number of resources to provide high-quality credible information on this topic including our Executive Summary from the meeting, a Work and Family Encyclopedia entry on Disabilities and Work-Family Challenges: Parents Having Children with Special Health Care Needs, a Topic Page on Parents Caring for Children with Disabilities, an issue of the Effective Workplace Series on Employed Parents Caring for Children with Disabilities, a Fact Sheet on Parents Caring for Children with Disabilities and several blog entries: 1, 2, and 3.

Lastly, the December 2008 issue of the Network News features an interview with Eileen Brennan and Julie Rosenzweig of Portland State University on working parents caring for children with mental health disorders.

For 2009, the panel meeting will focus on Intended and Unintended Consequences of Work-Family Policy: Lessons through International Comparison. We will identify the intended and unintended outcomes of global work-family policy and consider four questions:

What explains the variations in the configuration of work-family policies at various levels of government?
What impact have these policies had on employees and their families?
What has been the effect of these policies on employers?
Given these observations and what we’ve learned to date, is there “one best model (or models)” from which to craft future state- and national-level work-family policy initiatives?

Child Care , New on the Network , Policy , Research , Workplace

2 Responses to “Wrapping up the 2008 Panel Meeting on Work-Family Issues for Employed Parents of Children with Disabilities”

# Marie Manuelon 23 Apr 2009 at 6:55 pm

Is it a family responsibility discrimination when my new boss stated ” I need you to punch in at 11PM”, when it was explained to her that my lateness was a pre-arranged situation since I started working due to my son’s disability. His behavior is unpredictable and had episodes of elopement when I am leaving for work. But my new boss stated, “don’t you have a spouse to take care of him?”. I explained that my husband also works evening and there’s a space between our work hrs and the only one left to look after my child are my elderly parents. I needed to make sure he is settled or asleep before I go to work @ 11PM. That hurts me, because no matter what, mothers takes the load of assuring the children’s safety. Please advise if this is a case of discrimination. Thank you.
# Julie Weberon 04 May 2009 at 3:54 pm

Hi Marie,

Thanks so much for your question. We do not provide legal counsel at the Sloan Network, and thus, you should not rely on this information as such. Still, my sense is that while the comments your manager made are unsettling, there has yet been no adverse employment action. You have not lost your job, you have not been demoted, etc. If there is some adverse action, please contact WorkLife Law for more information. They have a Hotline that can be reached by sending an email to hotline@worklifelaw.org, or by calling 1-800-981-9495 or 202-680-8964.

According to the WorkLife Law website:

“The WorkLife Law Hotline is a free service designed to help parents and other family caregivers who may be facing employment discrimination because of their family responsibilities. Hotline lawyers discuss work situations with employees and help them assess whether they have been discriminated against, provide information about the applicable laws and, if necessary, pair them with attorneys who are experienced in this relatively new area of employment law.

Thanks!