Even so, employers often can find reasonably priced alternatives. For example, a geologist with a hearing impairment who worked in remote areas needed to communicate with his office. In another case, a telephone consultant sustained a brain injury that caused short-term memory loss and auditory discrimination problems. In addition, she was provided with instructions and daily schedule reminders in writing. While the cost of accommodations may be quite low, the benefits can be dramatically high.
Inexpensive accommodations can help retain a productive employee.
In some cases, accommodations intended for people with disabilities are so beneficial that they are adopted for all workers. That was the case with a teacher in a home-based instruction program who had bipolar disorder. Her co-workers and supervisor helped her by developing a checklist that showed both the week's work and the following week's activities. The forms were adapted so they would be easy to complete, and structured steps were developed so paperwork could be completed at the end of each teaching session. The forms proved so effective that they were used for training new staff members.