Reasonable Accommodations for Employees with Disabilities

When Congress enacted the Americans with Disabilities Act, part of the Act required that employers make reasonable accommodations for employees with disabilities. The Act says that if the changes needed to ensure that a person can work comfortably or even get to work are too extensive, the employer does not have to make them. So what is a reasonable accommodation?

A reasonable accommodation can mean an action taken that allows an employee or job applicant with a disability to perform his or her job responsibilities. The accommodation can be an accessible worksite, modified equipment, support services for those with hearing or vision impairments, or job restructuring to the point that an undue hardship is not imposed on the employer. An undue hardship can be imposed on an employer when the accommodation required for the employee requires significant expense or difficulty. This can include things like obstructing the safe or efficient operation of the workplace or violating a bona fide seniority system.

One way to look at a reasonable accommodation is to consider it as a minor change to the work environment that makes it possible for an employee with a disability to work. For instance, if an employee has a wheelchair, assigning a larger cubicle that allows clearance for the wheelchair to turn can be seen as an accommodation. Another easy thing to do that makes it possible for a disabled employee to work is to ensure that the space between rows of cubicles or hallways is wide enough for a wheelchair.

Contact a Houston Employment Attorney

If you have a disability and are employed by a company that has refused to make reasonable accommodations to ensure you can do your job, contact the Houston employment attorneys of the Ross Law Group at 713-482-6910 to learn more about your legal options.