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Disability Inclusion Training
Anne E. Hirsh, MS, CPDM, CoDirector
Job Accommodation Network (JAN)
[email protected]
JAN is a service of the U.S. Department of Labor’s
Office of Disability Employment Policy.
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Consultation
 Job Accommodations
 All industries
 All job categories
 All impairments
 Employment Legislation
 Americans with Disabilities Act
 Rehabilitation Act
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Technical Assistance
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Free
National
Easy to Use
Audience Focused
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Employers
Individuals
Service Providers
Others
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Practical Guidance
 A to Z of Accommodations and Disabilities
 SOAR (Searchable Online Accommodation
Resource)
 Employers’ & Employees’ Practical Guides
 ADA & Rehabilitation Act Library
 Interactive Process
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Reasonable Accommodations:
 Can choose among effective accommodation options
 Do not have to provide accommodations unless
needed because of a disability
 Do not have to provide accommodations that pose an
undue hardship
 Do not have to provide personal use items needed in
accomplishing daily activities both on and off the job
 Do not have to make an accommodation for an
individual who is not otherwise qualified for a position
 Do not have to remove essential functions, create
new jobs, or lower production standards
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JAN’s Interactive Process
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Purchasing or Modifying Equipment and Products
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Example
A young worker in a nurses aid training program has
deficits in reading and writing as a result of a learning
disability.
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ACCOMMODATION:
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Electronic medical speller
Talking thermometer
Talking pill bottle
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Example
An applicant for automotive repair training has Attention
Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). As a result they
expect to be inattentive to detail at times and highly
distractible.
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ACCOMMODATION:
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Mechanics stool with organization shelf
Instructor loads with needed tools – nothing else
Increases productivity
Decreases time student
might waste looking for tools
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A call center employee with heart/circulatory problems
needs to take breaks to move around. Allowing more
breaks will interfere with the employer’s call routing
system.
How can we figure out what else might work?
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How can we figure out what else might work?
Call JAN!
 Under desk pedal device
 Meets employees needs without leaving her desk
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An member with a hearing impairment chose not to wear
hearing aids, but he asked his employer to purchase an
assistive listening device so that he could hear in
meetings.
Is this within the employer’s right to choose an
effective accommodation?
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Is this within the employer’s right to choose an
effective accommodation?
No.
 Hearing aid is a personal need item
 Cannot require employees to use personal need
items instead of accommodations
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Making Work-site Accessible
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Example
An office worker who worked
for a construction company was
sensitive to fragrances. The
employer found a filtering
mask, but the employee did not
want to wear a mask.
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ACCOMMODATION:
The employee was accommodated with her own
workspace outside of general office traffic, and
the employer purchased fragrance free cleaning
solutions. The cost was about $200.
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A federal employee with lupus works in a large room
with cubicles and asks the employer to remove or filter
all the overhead lights in her area.
How should the employer decide which
accommodation to choose?
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How can we figure out what else might work?
Call JAN!
 CubeShield
 Meets employee’s needs with a low cost solution
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Job Restructuring
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Example
An employee with autism works for a large
marketing firm. Though she is knowledgeable in
her field, she has difficulty participating in work
activities with her team.
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ACCOMMODATION:
The employee was allowed to communicate with
her team electronically, allowing her the social
distance she needed to be comfortable, yet also
provided the team with information needed to
move forward with marketing campaigns.
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Example
An individual worked at an airport as a line
service technician. He was required to lift and
carry a fuel hose and tow bar. Following a
shoulder injury he was unable to use his right
arm and the employer was concerned because
generally, employees would use both arms to
carry these heavy items.
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ACCOMMODATION:
The employee was able to use his right arm for
tasks that were within his restrictions and
demonstrated that he could carry the fuel line
and tow bar using only his left arm.
COST: $300
BENEFIT: Able to keep a great employee who
was great at his job.
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Example
An member at a non-profit
organization had bipolar
disorder and was having
performance problems
related to memory and
judgment deficits. Part of
her job involved counseling
clients and the rest was
documentation.
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ACCOMMODATION:
The non-profit gave the member a quieter area
to work in, changed her schedule to one that
worked better for her, and gave her more
structured access to her supervisor for regular
feedback.
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Modifying Schedule & Allowing Leave Time
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An member with sleep apnea asks to change her
schedule so she comes in 30 minutes later than other
members and then takes a shorter lunch to make up the
time. Other members notice this change and ask for a
schedule modification too.
What can you do?
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What can you do?
 Start allowing all members to have flexible
schedules?
 Deny the requests, but do not violate confidentiality
rules?
 Ask the member if she would like to tell her
coworkers?
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Modifying Policies
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Example
An employee with high blood pressure had
difficulty dealing with stress in the workplace.
She decided to train her own service dog to alert
her when she's reacting to stress and to help
calm her down.
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ACCOMMODATION:
The employer modified the “no animal” policy and
allowed the service dog in the workplace.
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Providing Readers and Interpreters
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Example
A large state employer held
periodic meetings to update
employees about agency
policies and safety issues. A
deaf employee had difficulty
benefitting from the meetings
and filed a complaint.
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ACCOMMODATION:
The employer decided to contract for an
interpreter service to provide interpreters for the
meetings.
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Example
A job applicant for a dog warden position for city
government had dyslexia and could not pass
a required written test.
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ACCOMMODATION:
A reader was provided for testing.
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Reassignment
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Example
A retired Army medic has difficulty managing
stress in the workplace due to her PTSD. Her
stress intolerance was intensified when she
heard the emergency medical helicopter arrive
and depart from the hospital where she worked
as a nurse.
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Accommodation
The nurse was reassigned to a
vacant position on a unit that
was far from the heli-pad so
she rarely heard the helicopter.
During times when the
helicopter staff would practice
maneuvers in her area she
was allowed to work a
flexible schedule.
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Contact
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(800)526-7234 (V) & (877)781-9403 (TTY)
AskJAN.org & [email protected]
(304)216-8189 via Text
janconsultants via Skype
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