Washington State Department of Services for the Blind

Reasonable Accommodation Under the Americans with Disabilities Act

Reasonable accommodations enhance the opportunity for qualified persons with disabilities to become or remain employed. Often times, such persons would not otherwise be considered for reasons unrelated to actual job requirements. The purpose of providing reasonable accommodations is to enable employers to hire or retain qualified job candidates, regardless of their disability, by eliminating barriers in the work place.

According to the Department of Justice Government-Wide Regulations, Section 41.53, entitled “Reasonable Accommodation”: A recipient shall make reasonable accommodation to the known physical or mental limitations of an otherwise qualified handicapped applicant or employee, unless the recipient can demonstrate that the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the operation of its program.

Inquiries made of an individual about limitations in job performance must be directly related to the prospective or existing position. Accommodations are tailored for a certain job or situation that an individual is hired to perform. The law requires that each person with a disability must be consulted prior to the planning and be involved in the implementation of an accommodation.

Types of accommodations include: assistive devices, reassignment, modified work schedules, job modifications, relocation, or a change in the physical plant. Examples of assistive devices often used in the work place include: Teletypewriters (TTYs), telephone amplifiers for persons with hearing impairments, wooden blocks to elevate desks and tables for wheelchair users, and large-type computer terminals and Braille printers to assist persons with visual impairments.

Decisions to implement an accommodation should meet the needs of the individual by minimizing limitations and enhancing her/his ability to perform job tasks, while serving the interests of the majority work force.