Legal forum: Recent developments in ada case law and implications for spine professionals

This article presents case briefs from 1992 through 1994 involving back- and spine-related disabilities that introduces spine professionals to their role in helping incorporate people with back- and spine-related disabilities into the mainstream of society without expensive and prolonged litigation. The cases show how spine professionals can aid employers in making effective determinations regarding whether a patient’s condition “substantially limits” a major life activity and whether a patient can perform the “essential functions” of a job without endangering him or herself or others.