Discrimination, affirmative action, and evaluation are legal issues that involve community college leadership. Prudent leaders must cultivate the required legal knowledge of these and other employment issues if they are to lead effectively.

With its definitions of individuals' and employers' rights and obligations, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a mandate and a statement of our moral and ethical values as a culture. Persons with disabilities and employers must apply ADA's "triple standard" of reasonable accommodations for performing essential job functions…