ADA Assistance
Under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), you have a disability if you have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity such as hearing, seeing, speaking, thinking, walking, breathing, or performing manual tasks. You also must be able to do the job you want or were hired to do, with or without a reasonable accommodation.
The ADA protects you from discrimination in all employment practices, including: job application procedures, hiring, firing, training, pay, promotion, benefits, and leave. You also have a right to be free from harassment because of your disability, and an employer may not fire or discipline you for asserting your rights under the ADA. Most importantly, you have a right to request a reasonable accommodation for the hiring process and on the job.
A reasonable accommodation is any change or adjustment to a job, the work environment, or the way things usually are done that would allow you to apply for a job, perform job functions, or enjoy equal access to benefits available to other individuals in the workplace. There are many types of things that may help people with disabilities work successfully. Some of the most common types of accommodations include:
• Time off for treatment of disability
• Physical changes such as a ramp into a building or a special computer screen
• Breaks scheduled to take medications
If you think you might need an accommodation for the application process or on the job, you have to request one. You may request a reasonable accommodation at any time during the application process or any time before or after you start working.
You simply must let your employer know that you need an adjustment or change because of your disability. You do not need to complete any special forms or use technical language to do this. For example, if the lighting around your work station can trigger a seizure, you should tell your supervisor. This is a request for a reasonable accommodation. A doctor’s note requesting time off due to a disability stating that you can work with certain restrictions is also a request for a reasonable accommodation.
Once you have made a request for a reasonable accommodation, your employer should discuss available options with you.
What is also important to consider is that you will need to be able to do the essential functions of your job in order to be hired OR to keep a current position. Some employers may try to find a comparable position for you, let’s say if an important piece of your job is to drive and you can no longer drive, but they are not obligated to do so, especially if your employer can prove that what you are requesting poses undue hardship on them.