REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

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REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION FOR PEOPLE WITH
DISABILITIES
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What is reasonable accommodation?

• Reasonable accommodation is an adjustment or
  alteration that enables a qualified person w/a
  disability to apply for a job, perform job
  duties, or enjoy equal benefits and privileges of
  employment.

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Who is eligible for reasonable accommodation?

• An individual w/a disability is one who
• Has a physical or mental impairment that
  substantially limits one or more major life
  activities
• Has a record of such an impairment or
• Is regarded as having such an impairment.

4
When and where is reasonable accommodation
appropriate?

• Reasonable accommodation applies to all aspects
  of employment, including recruitment, work
  location and schedule, training, promotion,
  reassignment, and developmental assignments.

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Why do we need reasonable accommodation?

• As advances occur, new employment opportunities
  are becoming plentiful. However, the majority of
  working-age individuals have not shared in this
  prosperity.
• People w/significant disabilities (partial
  paralysis, deafness, convulsive disorders, mental
  illness, mental retardation, blindness, etc.)
  share to a even lesser degree in prosperity.

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When is reasonable accommodation not appropriate?

• An accommodation does not have to be provided if
  it will cause significant difficulty or expense,
  i.e., the nature of the cost, and/or impact of
  the accommodation will adversely affect the
  operations of the Air Force.

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How does an employee request reasonable
accommodation?

• The request may be in writing or orally.
• Note request must be reduced to writing if made
  orally.
• The request does not have to use any special
  words, such as, reasonable accommodation,
  disability, or Rehabilitation Act.
• A designee by the requestor can also present a
  request.

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Who is the request made to?

• Requests can be made to the employees
  supervisor, a manager in the employees chain of
  command, an HR specialist, Disability Program
  Manager, Special Emphasis Program Manager, etc.

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What happens after the request is made?

• Request is forwarded to HR specialist
  immediately.
• HR specialist will get with deciding official
  within 5 business days.

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Who is the deciding official?

• Immediate supervisor will receive, process and
  approve all requests within their area of
  responsibility.
• Requests beyond their approval will be forwarded
  to appropriate authority within 5 workdays
  unless extenuating circumstances exist.

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Who is the deciding official? (Cont.)

• HR specialists, Disability Program Managers, or
  Special Emphasis Program Managers typically
  coordinate decisions for
• Adaptive equipment
• Requests for staff assistance (reader, sign
  language interpreter, etc.)
• Removal of architectural barriers
• Reconfiguration of work space
• Materials in alternative formats (e.g. Braille,
  large print)
• Requests for reassignment

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Who is the deciding official? (Cont.)

• When practical, decisions and implementation
  should be made within 20 days of request.

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Is medical documentation required?

• Supervisors make the decision if medical is
  required.
• If it is, the information may be requested orally
  or in writing.
• Only enough medical can be requested to
  substantiate disability and the need for
  reasonable accommodation.
• If disability is obvious, medical documentation
  should not be requested.

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What happens when a request is denied?

• Denials of reasonable accommodation must be in
  writing and include specific reasons for denial
  and the employee or office that made the
  decision.
• The denial must state the employee has a right to
  file an EEO complaint and the procedures for
  doing such and explain any other informal dispute
  resolutions available.

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Where can I find reasonable accommodation
resources?

• Americans with Disability Act (ADA) Disability
  and Business Technical Assistance Centers (DBTAC)
  - Tel [phone] - The DBTACs consist of 10
  federally funded regional centers that provide
  information, training, and technical assistance
  on the ADA. Each center works with local
  business, disability, governmental,
  rehabilitation, and other professional networks
  to provide current ADA information and
  assistance, and places special emphasis on
  meeting the needs of small businesses. The
  DBTACs can make referrals to local sources of
  expertise in reasonable accommodations.

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Where can I find reasonable accommodation
resources? (Cont.)

• Job Accommodation Network (JAN)
  http//janweb.icdi.wvu.edu/ Tel [phone]
  - A service of the Presidents committee on
  Employment of People with Disabilities. JAN can
  provide information, free of charge, about many
  types of reasonable accommodations.
• Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf Tel
  [phone] (Voice/TT) - the Registry offers
  information on locating and using interpreters
  and transliteration services.
• RESNA Technical Assistance Project
  http//www.resna.org Tel [phone] (Voice)
  - RESNA, the Rehabilitation Engineering and
  Assistive Technology Society of North America,
  can refer individuals to projects in all 50
  states and the six territories offering technical
  assistance on technology-related services for
  individuals with disabilities. Services may
  include

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Where can I find reasonable accommodation
resources? (Cont.)

• Information and referral centers to help
  determine what devices may assist a person with a
  disability (including access to large data bases
  containing information on thousands of
  commercially available assistive technology
  products)
• Centers where individuals can try out devices and
  equipment
• Assistance in obtaining funding for and repairing
  devices
• Equipment exchange and recycling programs
• U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
  http//www.eeoc.gov Tel [phone] (voice)
  (800) 800- 3302 (TT) - The following may be
  helpful In addition to the guidance and documents
  cited earlier

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Where can I find reasonable accommodation
resources? (Cont.)

• Enforcement Guidance Preemployment
  Disability-Related Questions and Medical
  Examinations - http//www.eeoc.gov/docs/preemp.htm
  l
• Enforcement Guidance Workers Compensation and
  the ADA - http//www.eeoc.gov/docs/workcomp.html
• Enforcement Guidance The Americans with
  Disabilities Act and Psychiatric Disabilities -
  http//www.eeoc.gov/docs/psych.html
• Enforcement Guidance Disability-Related
  Inquiries and Medical Examinations of Employees
  Under the Americans with Disabilities Act -
  http//www.eeoc.gov/docs/guidance-inquiries.html

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What is the first thing I should do if I get a
request for reasonable accommodation?

• CONTACT YOUR SERVICING HUMAN RESOURCES SPECIALIST
  (EMPLOYEE - MANAGEMENT RELATIONS) AT DSN
  480-2008!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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QUESTIONS?