Eliminating barriers to employment
As an employer, your company plays a key role in eliminating barriers to work for people with disabilities. A job accommodation is the act of modifying a job, job site, or way in which a job is done so that a person can have equal access to all aspects of work.
Instituting reasonable accommodations is an essential part of creating a work environment suited to the needs of your employees with disabilities.
When the American Disabilities Act became law, many employers expressed concerns about the potential costs of accommodations, specifically for employees with disabilities. The fact is that accommodations often cost very little, or nothing at all, yet some businesses still may be reluctant to recruit qualified candidates.
The Americans with Disabilities Act defines reasonable accommodation as “any change in the work environment or the way things are usually done that gives an individual with a disability an equal employment opportunity.”
Workers with disabilities strive to be as productive as their peers and want to accomplish tasks with greater ease and independence. By making the appropriate modifications or adjustments, such as reasonable accommodations, employers can help facilitate their workers’ abilities to perform essential job functions.
Reasonable accommodations may also be applied to the hiring process, such as the accessibility of an online job application or interview location.
