Five Practical Tips For

Providing And Maintaining

Effective Job Accommodations

Fact Sheet Series
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JAN’S ACCOMMODATION FACT SHEET SERIES

FIVE PRACTICAL TIPS FOR PROVIDING AND MAINTAINING

EFFECTIVE JOB ACCOMMODATIONS

Why Provide Job Accommodations?

 Attract Good Employees

 Retain Experienced Workforce

 Comply with the ADA

There are many reasons for employers to provide job accommodations for all

employees. In times of labor shortages, employers can attract good employees by

offering accommodations such as flexible scheduling, work at home opportunities, job

sharing, and ergonomic workstations. Also, providing such accommodations can help

employers retain an experienced workforce by improving the overall morale of the

workplace. And finally, providing job accommodations allows employers to meet their

legal obligations under title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and similar

state laws.

A recent study conducted by JAN not only confirms the benefits of providing

accommodations, but also shows that providing accommodations is not costly. More

than half the employers surveyed reported that there was no cost for providing an

accommodation and the rest of the employers surveyed reported a typical cost of $500.

For additional information on the benefits and costs of accommodation view JAN's

Workplace Accommodations: Low Cost, High Impact at

http://askjan.org/media/LowCostHighImpact.doc

Although there are many benefits that result from providing job accommodations, some

employers are not sure how to do so. The following information provides some helpful

tips for employers who want to improve their ability to provide and maintain effective job

accommodations.

Tip 1. Develop Written Policies and Procedures

Why?

 Awareness

 Consistency

 Documentation

Employers should consider developing written accommodation policies and procedures.

Written policies and procedures can help make sure that all employees are aware of the

policies and procedures, help insure consistency when processing accommodation

requests, and help document employers’ efforts to provide effective accommodations.
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Some things to consider when developing written policies and procedures include:

 Try to Keep Them Flexible and Simple

If the goal is to make it easier to provide effective job accommodations, policies and

procedures that are overly rigid, technical, or complicated are not very useful.

Employers should try to develop flexible policies and simple procedures when possible.

 Be Sure to Appoint a Responsible Person or Persons

Often times employees request accommodations but no one acts on the request – it

gets passed around from one person to another with no one taking responsibility.

Employers should decide who will be responsible for implementing and overseeing

accommodation policies and procedures. It can be one responsible person, a team, or

even individual supervisors or managers – the right approach may vary from workplace

to workplace, but the important thing is to make someone responsible.

 Inform Everyone

Policies and procedures will not be effective unless everyone knows about them.

Employers should make sure to inform all employees, including supervisors, managers,

and staff, about them.

Resources:

For employers who want to develop written accommodation policies and procedures,

the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency that

enforces the ADA, provides some useful publications, including:

 Establishing Procedures to Facilitate the Provision of Reasonable

Accommodation at

http://www.eeoc.gov/policy/docs/accommodation_procedures.html

 EEOC's Internal Accommodation Procedures at

http://www.eeoc.gov/policy/docs/accommodation_procedures_eeoc.html

 Practical Advice for Drafting and Implementing Reasonable Accommodation

Procedures at http://www.eeoc.gov/federal/implementing_accommodation.html

Additional information can be obtained from JAN's Employers' Practical Guide to

Reasonable Accommodation Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) at

http://askjan.org/Erguide/index.htm
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Tip 2. Train All Managers and Supervisors How to Recognize and Respond

to an Accommodation Request

Why?

 ADA Compliance

 Effective Use of New Policies and Procedures

No matter who will actually be responsible for processing accommodation requests, all

managers and supervisors need to know how to recognize a request, especially from an

employee who might be protected by the ADA. One of the main reasons employees file

complaints under the ADA is that the employer did not respond to an accommodation

request. The problem is often that a supervisor or manager did not recognize the

request. Employers also need to let managers and supervisors know what to do once a

request is received to make sure the request is processed.

In addition to complying with the ADA, employers who want to benefit from providing

accommodations for all employees and who go to all the trouble of developing policies

and procedures, will want to make sure the policies and procedures are used

effectively. Training everyone how to recognize and respond to a request will help

accomplish this.

How?

So, how can supervisors or managers be trained to recognize and respond to

accommodation requests? When requesting an accommodation, employees only need

to use plain English and do not have to mention the ADA or use legal terminology such

as the phrase "reasonable accommodation." In general, all an employee needs to say

is that she needs “an adjustment or change at work for a reason related to a medical

condition.” So, any time an employee indicates that a medical condition is causing a

problem, a supervisor or manager should treat it as an accommodation request until a

definite determination is made. If there is any doubt about whether a request was made,

managers and supervisors should consult with the person or persons responsible for

accommodations.

In addition to recognizing a request for accommodation, employers should make sure

that all managers and supervisors know the policies and procedures for how

accommodation requests will be processed. If the employer appointed a responsible

person, that person should be notified immediately. If managers and supervisors are

responsible for processing accommodation requests, they should be trained how.

Employers should also remember that if some accommodations are available to all

employees as a matter of policy, employees with disabilities should not have to jump

through unnecessary hoops to get those accommodations, even if needed because of a

disability.
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Whatever policies and procedures are in place, employers should always respond

quickly to an accommodation request and keep employees informed about the status of

their requests.

Tip 3. Have a Process for Determining Effective Accommodations

Where to Begin?

 Employee

 Employee’s Medical Provider

 Other Resources

Employers may have difficulty figuring out how to determine effective accommodation

options for employees with disabilities. One of the best places to start the process is

with the employee who requested the accommodation. Often the employee knows what

is needed and can suggest effective options.

If the employee does not know what accommodation is needed or if the employer wants

to explore other options, another good resource is the employee’s medical provider.

With the employee’s permission, the medical provider may be able to provide useful

information about the employee’s limitations and effective accommodation options.

If neither the employee nor the employee’s medical provider can suggest effective

accommodations, employers can contact outside resources such as JAN or use the

sample process that begins on page seven of this document.

Tip 4. Monitor and Update Accommodations

Do Not Forget To:

 Monitor the Effectiveness of the Accommodation

 Update Periodically if Needed

 Keep the Lines of Communication Open

 Document Efforts

Once you have successfully determined and implemented an accommodation, some

accommodations may need to be monitored and periodically updated. For example, if

the accommodation involved equipment, the equipment may need periodic

maintenance. If the accommodation involved software that interfaces with an existing

system, the software may need to be updated as the overall system is updated. If the

accommodation involved a new method of doing things, the method may need to be

modified as the workplace changes.

One of the best ways to monitor accommodations is to keep the lines of communication

open with employees. Communication is important throughout the accommodation

process, including the monitoring stage. Employees need to know that they can revisit

an accommodation if needed before performance problems result.
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Finally, employers may want to document their accommodation efforts. Documentation

can be useful for new supervisors or managers or in case a dispute arises between the

employer and an employee. Keep in mind that all documentation that contains medical

information must be maintained in a confidential manner.

Tip 5. Train New Employees

Remember To:

 Train New Managers and Supervisors

 Train New Employees

Sometimes a new manager or supervisor decides to change the way things are done. If

they do not know about accommodations that are in place, they may make changes that

negatively affect these accommodations. While it is okay for a new manager or

supervisor to make changes, if an accommodation for an employee with a disability is

affected, a new accommodation may be necessary. New managers and supervisors

need to be trained on the policies and procedures for job accommodations before a

problem occurs.

In addition, employers need to remember to train new staff. Training new employees

helps insure that accommodation policies and procedures will continue to be effective.
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A SAMPLE PROCESS FOR DETERMINING EFFECTIVE ACCOMMODATION OPTIONS

Step 1: Determine Why the Employee Needs an Accommodation

When trying to determine effective accommodation options, employers first have to

determine why the employee needs an accommodation. For example, if an employee

says he is having difficulty using his computer because of a medical condition and

needs an accommodation, does the employer have enough information to know why

an accommodation is needed? No, the employee did not say why he cannot use his

computer. Is he having trouble typing because of a motor impairment? Is he having

trouble seeing the screen because of a vision impairment? Or is he having trouble

reading because of a learning disability? As you might guess, accommodation

options can be very different for a motor impairment versus a vision impairment

versus a learning disability. Before an employer can explore accommodation options,

the employer must determine why the employee needs an accommodation. Usually

the employee or the employee’s medical provider can explain why the

accommodation is needed.

Step 2: Explore Options

Once the employer determines why the accommodation is needed, the employer is

ready to explore accommodation options. Again, the employee, or the employee’s

medical provider, is often the best starting point. However, if the employee or the

employee's medical provider cannot suggest options, JAN offers several methods for

exploring accommodation options, including: One-on-one consultation, JAN’s

Accommodation and Compliance Series publications and fact sheets, and the

Searchable Online Accommodation Resource (SOAR). For more information, visit

JAN’s Website at http://askjan.org.

Step 3: Choose Option

Once the employer determines effective accommodation options, the employer is

ready to choose the accommodation that will be implemented. At this point, the

employer should discuss the options with the employee who requested the

accommodation. Although the employer is free to choose among effective

accommodation options, the EEOC recommends that employers consider the

preference of the employee. If the goal is to provide effective accommodations, it

makes sense to try to provide the accommodation that the employee prefers when

possible.

Step 4: Provide Effective Training

Once an accommodation option is chosen, an often overlooked step in the process is

to provide effective training if needed. In some cases, employees and their

supervisors or managers must learn how to use new equipment or new methods of

doing things. Without effective training, an accommodation may fail.
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Things to Keep in Mind Throughout the Accommodation Process:

 Do Not Delay

 Consider Trial Period if Needed

 Know ADA Rules

 Keep the Employee Informed

There are several important things that employers should keep in mind as

they go through this accommodation process. First, they should always

remember to process an accommodation request quickly; unnecessary

delays can result in a violation of the ADA.

Second, employers should keep in mind that they can use a trial period

when they are not sure whether an accommodation will work. Many times

employers cannot determine whether something will work unless they try it,

but they are afraid they will get locked into an accommodation once they

agree to it. A simple solution is to let the employee know that the

accommodation will be implemented for a trial period and if it does not work,

something else will be considered.

Third, although employers are free to do more than required under the ADA,

they should know the ADA rules regarding reasonable accommodation to

make sure they are doing at least what is required. The EEOC offers many

practical guides for employers regarding ADA compliance on its Website at

http://www.eeoc.gov.

Finally, it is very helpful to keep employees informed throughout the

accommodation process; employees who understand what steps the

employer is taking and why certain decisions are made, are more likely to

be satisfied with the outcome.

Updated 03/25/10.
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This document was developed by the Job Accommodation Network, funded by a

contract agreement from the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment

Policy (DOL079RP20426). The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the

position or policy of the U.S. Department of Labor. Nor does mention of trade names,

commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Department of

Labor.