MGT3045 WK2 Project

Reasonable Accommodation © 2017 South University

ADA The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed in 1990, providing protection against discrimination on the basis of disability. ADA states: Equal employment opportunity must be available to anyone with a defined disability who can do the essential functions of the job, with or without reasonable accommodation. Disability: A person in a wheelchair is obviously disabled, but what about someone who has a finger missing, nearsightedness or deafness in one ear? According to the law, only disabilities that substantially limit one or more major life activities are covered. The Supreme Court limited the definition: a disability under ADA limits major work activities and not life activities. Essential Functions: Consider a deaf woman who was hired as a filing clerk. Although she was hired to do filing, she ended up handling many customer calls. She requested a special phone but was denied the request because the organization was not required to accommodate beyond the essential functions for which she was hired. HR must spell out essential functions in a job description so there’s no confusion about what an individual is hired to do. A strong job description states how the employee will be required to sit, stand, move, and lift objects; it should specify vision, hearing, and manual dexterity. Reasonable Accommodation involves making changes that are financially and physically feasible for the employer. A small, not-very-profitable firm is not required to install an elevator. However, if workspace is available on the first floor, it could be a reasonable accommodation to adapt the space for a disabled individual. If the employer would incur undue hardship (financial difficulties), it is safe to state no reasonable accommodation can be made. ADA cases are often decided in courts. The key to making reasonable accommodations is identifying the essential job functions and then determining which accommodations are reasonable so the individual can perform the core job duties. View the chart to learn more about how essential job functions are determined. Common

2 Reasonable Accommodation

Americans With Disabilities Act

means of reasonable accommodation are shown in the attached figure.

.

Page 2 of 2

Human Resource Management

©2017 South University