What is a reasonable accommodation?
The Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act require institutions of higher education to provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with documented disabilities, provided that accommodation does not create an undue hardship. An undue hardship refers to any accommodation that would be unduly costly, expensive, substantial, disruptive, or that would fundamentally alter the nature of the business or program. Reasonable accommodation is provision of an auxiliary aid or modification to the course or program that will allow access to the educational program, material, activity or degree.
For existing employees, reasonable accommodations may include: sick leave, unpaid additional leave, modifications or adjustments to the work environment, or to the manner or circumstances under which the position held or desired is customarily performed, that enable a qualified individual with a disability to perform the essential functions of the position; or modifications or adjustments that enable an employee with a disability to enjoy equal benefits and privileges of employment as are enjoyed by other similarly situated employees without disabilities. Thus, a reasonable accommodation may include reassignment to a vacant position for which they are qualified, job restructuring (reallocating non-essential job functions), providing a leave of absence, part time or modified work schedules, providing assistance in the performance of an essential job function, modifying equipment or devices, providing qualified readers or interpreters.
A reasonable accommodation is any change or adjustment to a job or work environment that permits a qualified applicant or employee with a disability to participate in the job application process, to perform the essential functions of a job, or to enjoy benefits and privileges of employment equal to those enjoyed by employees without disabilities. For example, a reasonable accommodation may include: – acquiring or modifying equipment or devices, – job restructuring, – part-time or modified work schedules, – reassignment to a vacant position, – adjusting or modifying examinations, training materials, or policies, – providing readers and interpreters, and – making the workplace readily accessible to and usable by people with disabilities. Because the reasonableness of an accommodation involves an analysis of how the employee’s condition affects his or her ability to perform the essential (as distinguished from marginal) functions of the job, the departmental unit must, as an initial step,
A reasonable accommodation is a modification or adjustment to a course, program, service, job, activity, or facility that enables a qualified individual with a disability to have an equal opportunity to attain the same level of performance or to enjoy equal benefits and privileges as are available to an individual without a disability. Some common academic accommodations include extended time on tests, use of peer notetakers, use of computer with spellcheck, and provision of sign language interpreters. How does a student become eligible to receive accommodations? To become eligible, a student must have a documented disability and inform the College that he or she is requesting accommodations based on that disability.
