ACCOMMODATING EMPLOYEES WITH HIDDEN DISABILITIES
Some disabilities, such as the inability to walk, missing limbs or severely limited vision, are easy to observe; however, many disabilities are not. Examples of some "hidden" disabilities are learning disabilities, mental illness, epilepsy, cancer, arthritis, mental retardation, traumatic brain injury, AIDS and asthma.
Many people have difficulty understanding the need for accommodations when the disability is not "observable." Hidden disabilities can result in functional limitations, which substantially limit one or more of the major life activities, similar to disabilities which are visible. Accommodating disabilities can keep valued employees on the job and open doors for new employees.
The ADA requires that reasonable accommodation be provided, if necessary, for all disabilities, whether hidden or visible. Reasonable accommodations must be determined on a case-by-case basis to ensure effective accommodations which will meet the needs of the employee and the employer. Accommodations can range from making existing facilities accessible for wheelchair users to job restructuring, acquiring or modifying equipment, developing flexible work schedules or modifying task protocols.
Accommodating qualified employees with disabilities sets up a win-win situation:
employers gain a qualified, stable, diverse workforce; people with disabilities get jobs;
and society saves money that previously funded public benefits and services for people
with disabilities.
For technical assistance about accommodation ideas, contact:
- The President’s Committee’s Job Accommodation Network (JAN), a toll-free
service which provides advice and guidance to businesses and individuals on workplace
accommodations and the employment provisions of the ADA – 1-800-526-7234 V/TTY, janweb.icdi.wvu.edu/.
- The Washington Assistive Technology Alliance (WATA), a consumer advocacy network that
provides information about assistive technology, local resource lists, and assistance with
identifying funding options. WATA’s statewide I & R Center is in Spokane at
1-800-214-8731 V/TTY, spokane@seals.org.
Listed below are examples of accommodations worked out through discussions
between employees with disabilities and employers, in consultation with JAN. These
effective accommodations do not represent the only possible solution to the accommodation
situation.
Situation: Due to hot weather conditions, a worker with asthma was having
difficulty working in an outside environment.
Solution: The employer moved the individual to the graveyard or third shift and
to a position where the worker was both inside and outside the facility. Cost: $0.
Situation: An office manager who had been treated for stress and depression was
experiencing difficulty maintaining her concentration when trying to complete assignments
and meet critical deadlines.
Solution: She discussed her performance problems with her supervisor. The
employer implemented accommodations that allowed her to organize her time by scheduling
"off" times during the week where she could work without interruptions. She was
also placed on a flexible schedule that gave her more time for counseling and exercise.
The supervisor trained the employee’s co-workers on stress management and provided
the office manager information about the company’s employee assistance program. Cost: $0.
Situation: An instructor with Asperger’s Syndrome was experiencing auditory
discrimination difficulties which prevented her from being able to make immediate
decisions. This was causing problems for her during meetings and annual evaluations, and
had prevented her from meeting time lines for projects.
Solution: The employee was permitted to take notes during staff meetings and to
provide written responses to all attendees on the questions raised during the meeting
within a time frame agreed upon by the meeting participants. The employee also received a
copy of meeting agendas, annual evaluations and project expectations in advance of the
face-to-face meetings and was thereby able to ask questions or provide follow-up responses
in writing. Cost: $0.
Situation: A machine operator with HIV was experiencing difficulties remembering
the steps involved in changing a part on his machine.
Solution: The employer provided the employee with a step-by-step check list and
written instructions on how to change the part. Cost: $0.
Situation: A machine operator with arthritis had difficulty turning the machinery control switches.
Solution: The employer replaced the small machine tabs with larger cushioned
knobs and provided the employee with non-slip dot gripping gloves which enabled him to
grasp and turn the knobs more effectively and with less force. Cost: approximately $130.
Situation: An office worker was allergic to rubber and the formaldehyde in the
paper products used by his employer.
Solution: The employer provided the employee with cotton gloves for handling
paper and switched to recycled, chlorine-free paper and soy-based ink products. Cost:
paper and ink costs increased approximately $130 per year and the gloves cost $10.
Situation: A telephone consultant with traumatic brain injury was experiencing
short-term memory loss and auditory discrimination problems which resulted in difficulties
responding to telephone requests for information, entering information into her computer
and following oral instructions.
Solution: The employer provided sound absorbing office partitions which reduced
noise and distractions, and reprogrammed the telephone bell so that the employee could
readily differentiate between her phone and others in the area. The employer added an
anti-glare screen guard on the computer to reduce screen flicker and prevent dizziness and
fatigue. Instructions, daily reminders of meetings and other scheduled activities were
provided in writing. Cost: $345.
Situation: A counselor with attention deficit disorder was having difficulty
concentrating due to noise in the workplace.
Solution: The employer replaced the bell on his phone with an electric light
bulb device which lights up when the phone rings, sound-proofed his office and provided a
floor fan for white noise. Cost: under $600.
Situation: A records worker with lupus was sensitive to fluorescent light in his
office and to the radiation emitted from his computer monitor.
Solution: The employer changed the overhead lights from fluorescent to
broad-spectrum by using a special filter that fit onto the existing light fixture and
provided the employee with a flicker-free monitor and a glare guard. Cost: approximately
$1,065.
Situation: A warehouse worker whose job involved maintaining and delivering
supplies was having difficulty with the physical demands of his job due to fatigue from
cancer treatment.
Solution: The employer provided the employee with a three-wheeled scooter to
reduce walking. The employer also rearranged the layout of supplies in the warehouse to
reduce climbing and reaching. Cost: $3,000.
Want to learn more about accommodating employees with disabilities? Check out these informational web pages by the Office of Disability Employment Policy (formerly the President’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities):
"Accommodations Get the Job Done" www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/fact/accomod.htm
"Attitudinal Barriers" www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/ek99/barriers.htm
"Disability and Cultural Diversity" www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/ek98/disabili.htm
"Disability Friendly Strategies for the Workplace" www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/ek00/friendlystrat.htm
"Diversity and Disability" www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/ek96/diverse.htm
"Employing People with Disabilities Q&A" www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/ek01/employ.htm
"Employment Checklist for Hiring People with Disabilities" www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/ek96/chcklist.htm
"Employment Rights: Who Has Them, Who Enforces Them" www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/fact/rights.htm
"Facts About the ADA" www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/fact/ada92fs.htm
"JAN: Opening Doors to Job Accommodation" www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/ek98/jan.htm
"Job Accommodations Come in Groups of One" www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/fact/groupof1.htm
"Making Management Decisions About Accommodations" www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/ek99/accom.htm
"On the Job: Employers and Employees in Their Own Words" www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/ek01/onthejob.htm
"People with Disabilities -- Temporary Employment Options" www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/ek99/temp.htm
"Recruiting Disabled Veterans -- A Primer" www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/ek98/recruitd.htm
"Recruitment! Recruitment! Recruitment!" www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/ek01/recruit.htm
"Small Business and Self-Employment" www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/ek00/small.htm
"Statistics About People with Disabilities and Employment" www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/ek01/stats.htm
"Tax Incentives for Business" www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/ek97/tax.htm
"Workplace Accommodation Process" www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/ek97/process.htm
"Ready, Willing and Available" www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/rwa00/toc.htm
Adapted from a July 2000 article by the President’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities.
Another interesting article on this topic:
"A Hard Look at Invisible Disability" by Cal Montgomery, Ragged Edge Magazine, Issue 2, 2001
If you have questions about disability laws and enforcement, contact the King County Office of Civil Rights at 206-296-7592 or 206-296-7596 TTY.
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Updated: Sept. 3, 2002 |
