A dispute between a professional basketball team and its most recent first-round draft pick illustrates just how difficult it can be for employers and workers to find reasonable accommodations for mental health issues in the workplace and highlights the need for meaningful collaboration.
Last year, as the star of the Iowa State men’s basketball team, Royce White was the only college basketball player in the country to lead his team in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocked shots. Many basketball analyst agree that, on talent alone, White was one of the top five players available in the 2012 National Basketball Association draft. His draft stock fell, however, when he disclosed that he suffers from a range of mental health conditions, including generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. White further disclosed that, as a result of these mental-health issues, he has an extreme fear of flying.
