Date of Conferral

5-2-2025

Date of Award

May 2025

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Public Policy and Administration

Advisor

Lori Salgado

Abstract

Policy makers often lack information associated with the perspective of those living with mental illness as to whether Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act is working as intended. When considering requests for workplace accommodations, the research literature has focused on the perspective of employers, and the impact on those with physical disabilities, yet few studies considered the impact on individuals with mental illness. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to obtain the perspective of individuals with mental illness who have requested reasonable accommodations. Using a conceptual framework comprised of narrative policy framework and critical disability theory, the research question focused on the perspectives of individuals with bipolar disorder, anxiety, and/or depression regarding their experiences with and potential changes to the reasonable accommodation request process as supported by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008. Data from 16 semi-structured interviews were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s reflexive thematic analysis, and four themes and seven sub-themes emerged. Results indicated that individuals often had support from their managers but still found the reasonable request process complex, and that coworkers were often judgmental and discriminatory. Many participants felt that more awareness of mental illness in the workplace was needed. The implications for positive social change include the ability to improve the reasonable accommodation process through policy changes which would create a less complex, more accommodating, and more inclusive process and workplace for individuals with bipolar disorder, anxiety, and/or depression.

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