If the ADA says so....

"ABC News featured a controversial story about a reformed heroin addict who is banned from volunteering at her daughter's elementary school in Rhode Island."

Really? Apparently she had a problem when she was in her early twenties before her daughter was born, and had two convictions for possession. She has been clean for a long time, but still was banned from volunteering at the school. To me that just sounds silly. Why punish someone for the rest of their lives who has worked so hard to become clean? Why not give them the benefit of the doubt, but maybe do a drug test or something? It's not like she was convicted of child endangerment or something. She was just an addict.

"Use of heroin and crack, in particular, can be seen to come with a ‘stigma life sentence’ which is a crucial barrier to recovery and rejoining society."

But here's where it gets weird. "The American Civil Liberties Union took on the case and filed a lawsuit against the district, "charging that [the district's] volunteer policy violated Gianfrocco's equal protection rights and various state laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of disability. (Drug addiction is considered a disability.)"

Really? A disability? What do you think? A disability is defined as "'The term "disability" means, with respect to an individual –(a) a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities of such individual.'" According to the Americans with disabilities act, things like Alzheimer's and other mental conditions qualify. I know bipolar makes me eligible for ADA, but I never use it. You have to tell your employer, and I'm always worried about bias. But alcoholism? I'm not so sure about that.