Opinion ID: 811910
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Plaintiff

Text: McElwee is a man in his mid-thirties with a neurodevelopmental disorder formally classified as Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) and informally called an autism spectrum disorder. He has an IQ of 79, placing him in the eighth percentile of intellectual functioning. He lives with his -3- mother, has never held a job, and likely will always require assistance in managing money and completing nonroutine tasks. In 1996, McElwee began participating in a volunteer program at Valley View, where he performed janitorial and housekeeping duties and transported nursing home residents to religious and social events. McElwee competently performed these assigned tasks without hindrance from his alleged disability. Meanwhile, t he volunteer program improved his self-esteem by allowing him to associate with other people in the community and provide a service to the elderly and infirm.