What is a reasonable accommodation?
When we are talking about something at work, this is a request to make some kind of change on the job. The change needs to allow someone with a disability to get the job done. If the disability makes work hard for you and a change will help get the job done. This is called a reasonable accommodation. Some examples include, but are not limited to the following. A new chair because of a back injury. A change in work schedule to go to regular medical appointments. Some time off work to recover from an injury/surgery. Some changes in parts of the job that are not major changes. The basic rule when we talk about a reasonable accommodation request is that some kind of change in the normal work environment is needed. As long as the change is needed for the worker to get the job done and is connected to someone’s disability. This should then result in both parties talking. This talk should be about can be done to help the worker. The employer doesn’t have to grant the change that the employee
Persons with a qualifying disability may request a reasonable accommodation from a housing provider, employer or government entity in order to participate in programs or events, or to occupy housing. The accommodation may involve a physical modification, such as a wheelchair ramp, or a programmatic or policy modification, such as a designated parking space or nonstandard communication protocol. The requested modification should realistically and effectively accommodate the individual’s particular disability (according to a professional third party familiar with the specific disability) and (under certain conditions) must not represent an undue financial or administrative burden.
If a Federal employee is found to be a qualified individual with a disability, his/her Agency is required to enter an “interactive process” to discuss a reasonable accommodation. In other words, the Agency is supposed to sit down with the federal employee and help to find a way to remove the barrier that prevents him or her from performing their work. This can include adjustments to the federal employee’s work environment, to the federal employee’s work itself, and/or to the federal employee’s work schedule. As long as the accommodation is reasonable, the Agency is required to provide it. If, however, the Agency feels that the accommodation creates an undue hardship on them, or the Agency feels like they have to alter the essential functions of the federal employee’s job, they are likely to resist accommodation. Just because the Agency resists accommodation doesn’t mean they are right. However, there are far more arguments supporting a denial of a reasonable accommodation than there ar
A reasonable accommodation is a modification or an adjustment to a job or the work environment that will enable a qualified applicant or employee with a disability to participate in the application process or to perform essential job functions. Reasonable accommodation also includes adjustments to assure that a qualified individual with a disability has equal benefits and privileges of employment enjoyed by other similarly situated employees without disabilities. See the Reasonable Accommodation fact sheet for additional information.
