Last week a jury decided that the FBI was discriminating against Jeff Kapche for having type 1 diabetes, instead of qualifying him on the merits of his ability to do the job. And today with the announcement from President Obama for his support of Judge Sonia Sotomayor, this begs the question, have we broken the glass ceiling? I think we are seeing improvement. Here is part of my blog on HealthCentral.
Last Thursday, a jury ruled that Jeff Kapche, a type 1 diabetic, had been discriminated against when the FBI refused to hire Jeff as a Special Agent because of his type 1 diabetes. Jeff Kapche was not a stranger to discrimination from law enforcement. In 1994 San Antonio police refused to hire him for the same reason. His argument was that he should be judged on his merits and not stereotyped for his diabetes.
Today, President Obama officially nominated for the Supreme Court, Judge Sonia Sotomayor, a type 1 diabetic. Judge Sotomayor has been serving as a judge for the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. During the Presidents nomination speech, he noted that as a child, Judge Sotomayor was inspired to become a detective like Nancy Drew, but was told that she could not join law enforcement because of her diabetes. The President’s comment could not have come at a better time! Thanks to the jury’s decision last Thursday, the answer now is she CAN decide what she wants to be without limitation!
Both of these stories are about the diabetes glass ceiling. Should we be barred from jobs that we qualify for because of type 1 diabetes? In regard to sitting on the Supreme Court, does this position fall under the American Disabilities Act? I would assume that it does. But isn’t the larger question, who is immune from potentially serious health problems? Is there a difference between Judge John Roberts, who is suspected of having epilepsy and Judge Bader Ginsberg who is recovering from cancer surgery and Judge Sotomayor?
To finish the blog click on the link in the first paragraph.