22 DIVERSEability Magazine www.diverseabilitymagazine.com
CAREERS
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sking for job accommodations can be difficult, especially if you've never done it before or believe that your accommodation might be too cumbersome. Luckily, the ADA has protections in place that might al- low you to ask for more than you think. Heres what you need to know:
My Employer and the ADA:
The ADA is a federal civil rights law passed in 1990 and went into effect beginning in 1992. Its purpose is to protect people with dis- abilities from discrimination in employment, in the programs and activities offered by state and local governments and in accessing the goods and services offered in places like
The ADA has protections in place that might allow you to ask for more than you think."
The Employee's Practical Guide to Requesting Accommodations
stores, hotels, restaurants, football stadiums, doctors' offices, beauty parlors and so on. The focus of this guide is Title I of the ADA, which prohibits discrimination in em- ployment and requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations for employees with disabilities. Only covered entities must comply with Title I of the ADA. The term cov- ered entities includes private employers with 15 or more employees, state and local govern- ment employers, employment agencies, labor organizations and joint labor-management committees. Federal executive agencies are exempt from the ADA, but they must comply with the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which is almost identical to the ADA.
Requesting an Accommodation:
You can request an accommodation at any time during the application process or while you are employed. You can request an accom- modation even if you did not ask for one when applying for a job or after receiving a job of- fer. In general, you should request an accom- modation when you know that there is a work- place barrier that is preventing you, due to a disability, from competing for a job, perform- ing a job, or gaining equal access to a benefit of employment like an employee lunchroom or employee parking. As a practical matter, it is better to request an accommodation before your job performance suffers or conduct prob- lems occur because employers do not have to rescind discipline that occurred before they knew about your disability. According to the EEOC, you only have to let your employer know that you need an ad- justment or change at work for a reason relat- ed to a medical condition. You can use plain English to make your request, and you do not have to mention the ADA or use the phrase reasonable accommodation. Here are some examples: Example A: An employee tells her supervisor, Im having trouble getting to work at my scheduled starting time because of medical treatments Im undergoing. This is a request for a reasonable accommodation. Example B: An employee tells his supervisor, I need six weeks off to get treatment for a back problem. This is a request for a reasonable accommodation.
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