What are the Most Typical Accomodations Employers Need to Make Under the ADA?
The 1990 implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act and a subsequent amendment enacted in 2008 requires employers to make reasonable workplace accommodations for employees with documented disabilities. As defined in this law, a disability refers to any impairment, whether mental or physical, that substantially restricts a major life activity. Such a disability cannot be used to deny employment or advancement opportunities for a job candidate or current worker provided that the individual has the qualifications and skills to carry out essential job functions. As a result, employers and businesses have been tasked with finding ways to appropriately accommodate for limiting life conditions that fall under the scope of the ADA’s regulations.
Effects of Limiting Life Conditions
People often take what they can do each day for granted until something causes physical, cognitive or mental problems that affect their ability to function normally. These circumstances may result in difficulties with speech, hearing, sight, walking, breathing, concentrating, thinking, learning, motor skills, self-care routines or even sleep patterns. In turn, these difficulties can impair an individual’s stamina, strength and ability to perform expected job tasks without appropriate accommodations. The Americans with Disabilities Act strives to equalize the work environment by providing reasonable accommodations that help workers overcome barriers to performing their jobs. These accommodations may be made to the physical environment of the workplace or as modifications to the job’s structure.
Typical Accommodations for Mobility Conditions
Probably the most commonly recognized accommodations under the ADA are those relating to physically handicapping conditions that affect a person’s mobility. In these cases, accessibility is usually the issue for the employee. Typical accommodations include the following:
- installation of ramps
- wheelchair accessible doorways and elevators
- handicapped accessible bathrooms
- handrails in hallways
- work station modifications for seating or equipment adjustment
Accommodating Sensory Impairments
Common accommodations for those with sight issues include lighting adjustments, use of Braille markers for strategic locations, or print enlargement for computer applications and office documents. Visually-impaired individuals may also require stable configurations for placement of equipment or furniture in work spaces. For those with hearing impairments, a telecommunications device for the deaf or text telephone applications may need to be employed. Professional interpreting services may also be necessary for some office interactions such as seminars, training sessions or presentations.
Accommodations to the Job Itself
Other typical workplace accommodations are less obvious since they may not involve physical adjustments to equipment or the environment. These types of accommodations usually involve changing aspects of the job’s setup. Jobs might be restructured with regard to length of day, breaks, meeting schedules, access to co-workers and materials, or reassignment to a comparable position in a more amenable setting.
Regardless of the type of disability presented, employers and employees alike must work together to determine appropriate accommodations that allow an individual to perform job responsibilities. Employees bear the responsibility of providing employers with documentation of life-limiting conditions that affect their work productivity. Employers must respond according to ADA regulations by reasonably accommodating workers with disabilities in the workplace setting. Fortunately, many standard accommodations are easy for employers to implement through the Americans with Disabilities Act allowing them to help break down employment barriers for qualified workers with disabilities.
Related: What are the HR Manager’s Obligations Regarding Confidentiality?
