What is the interactive process?
Once it is ascertained that a person is a qualified individual with a disability, the District and Colleges have an obligation to engage in a timely and interactive process with the employee to determine if the employee can perform the essential functions of his or her job with or without reasonable accommodations. Employees should inform HR or their supervisors of their need for reasonable accommodations. The timely part is relative to the circumstances of the injury or disability. The interactive part is a two-way street and requires both the employee and the employer to participate. This process also can include participation by the employee’s equity representative, the employee’s supervisor and other relevant parties.
