Disabilities

The following articles were taken from the U.S. Department of Labor website at www.dol.gov

Accommodating Employees with Hidden Disabilities
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines “disability” as an impairment that “substantially limits one or more of the major life activities.” Although some disabilities, such as inability to walk, missing or impaired limbs or severely impaired vision, are easy to observe, many disabilities are not. Some examples of “hidden” disabilities are learning disabilities, mental illness, epilepsy, cancer, arthritis, mental retardation, traumatic brain injury, AIDS and asthma. Many people do not believe that hidden disabilities are bona fide disabilities needing accommodation. Hidden disabilities can result in functional limitations which substantially limit one or more of the major life activities, just like those which are visible. Accommodating hidden disabilities can keep valued employees on the job and open doors for new employees.

The ADA requires that reasonable accommodation be provided, if necessary, for all impairments that meet the definition of “disability,” whether hidden or visible. Reasonable accommodations must be determined on a case-by-case basis to ensure effective accommodations which will meet the needs of the employee and the employer. Accommodations can range from making existing facilities accessible for wheelchair users to job restructuring, acquiring or modifying equipment, developing flexible work schedules or modifying task protocols.

Accommodating qualified employees with disabilities sets up a win-win situation: employers gain a qualified, stable, diverse workforce; people with disabilities get jobs; and society saves money that previously funded public benefits and services for people with disabilities.

Listed below are examples of accommodations worked out through discussions between employees with disabilities and employers, in consultation with the Office of Disability Employment Policy's Job Accommodation Network (JAN). JAN is a toll-free service which provides advice to businesses and individuals on workplace accommodations and the employment provisions of the ADA. JAN can be reached by calling 800-526-7234 (V/TTY).

These are samples of accommodations that worked and do not represent the only possible solution to the accommodation situation. To receive guidance on specific accommodation questions, talk with the employee and give JAN a call.

Situation: A bowling alley worker with mental retardation and bi-manual motor and finger dexterity problems was having difficulty properly wiping the bowling shoes that had been returned by customers.
Solution: A local job coach service provider fabricated a device that allowed the individual to roll the shoes in front of a brush rather than run a brush over the shoes.Cost: no cost as scraps of wood that were left over from other projects were used to make the device.

Situation: A high school guidance counselor with attention deficit disorder was having difficulty concentrating due to the school noise.
Solution: The school replaced the bell on his phone with an electric light bulb device which lights up when the phone rings, sound-proofed his office and provided a floor fan for white noise. Cost: under $600.

Situation: A machine operator with arthritis had difficulty turning the machinery control switches.
Solution: The employer replaced the small machine tabs with larger cushioned knobs and provided the employee with non-slip dot gripping gloves which enabled him to grasp and turn the knobs more effectively and with less force. Cost: approximately $130.

Situation: A warehouse worker whose job involved maintaining and delivering supplies was having difficulty with the physical demands of his job due to fatigue from cancer treatment.
Solution: The employer provided the employee with a three-wheeled scooter to reduce walking. The employer also rearranged the layout of supplies in the warehouse to reduce climbing and reaching. Cost: $3,000.

Situation: Due to hot weather conditions, a worker with asthma was having difficulty working in an outside environment fueling airplanes and moving luggage.
Solution: The employer moved the individual to the midnight shift and to a position where the worker was both inside and outside the facility. Cost: $0.

Situation: A telephone consultant with traumatic brain injury was experiencing short-term memory loss and auditory discrimination problems which resulted in difficulties responding to telephone requests for information, entering information into her computer and following oral instructions.
Solution: The employer provided sound absorbing office partitions which reduced noise and distractions, and reprogrammed the telephone bell so that the employee could readily differentiate between her phone and others in the area. The employer added an anti-glare screen guard on the computer to reduce screen flicker and prevent dizziness and fatigue. Instructions, daily reminders of meetings and other scheduled activities were provided in writing. Cost: $345.

Situation: An office manager who had been treated for stress and depression was experiencing difficulty maintaining her concentration when trying to complete assignments and meet critical deadlines.
Solution: She discussed her performance problems with her supervisor. The employer implemented accommodations that allowed her to organize her time by scheduling “off” times during the week where she could work without interruptions. She was also placed on a flexible schedule that gave her more time for counseling and exercise. The supervisor trained the employee’s co-workers on stress management and provided the office manager information about the company’s employee assistance program. Cost: $0.

Situation: An insurance adjuster was allergic to rubber and the formaldehyde in the paper products used by his employer.
Solution: The employer provided the employee with cotton gloves for handling paper and switched to recycled, chlorine-free paper and soy-based ink products. Cost: paper and ink costs increased approximately $130 per year and the gloves cost $10.

Situation: A claims representative with lupus was sensitive to fluorescent light in his office and to the radiation emitted from his computer monitor.
Solution: The employer changed the overhead lights from fluorescent to broad-spectrum by using a special filter that fit onto the existing light fixture and provided the employee with a flicker-free monitor and a glare guard. Cost: approximately $1,065.

Situation: A part-time college instructor with Asperger’s Syndrome was experiencing auditory discrimination difficulties which prevented her from being able to make immediate decisions. This was causing problems for her during meetings and annual evaluations, and had prevented her from meeting time lines for projects.
Solution: The employee was permitted to take notes during staff meetings and to provide written responses to all attendees on the questions raised during the meeting within a time frame agreed upon by the meeting participants. The employee also received a copy of meeting agendas, annual evaluations and project expectations in advance of the face-to-face meetings and was thereby able to ask questions or provide follow-up responses in writing. Cost: $0.

Situation: A machine operator with HIV was experiencing difficulties remembering the steps involved in changing a part on his machine.
Solution: The employer provided the employee with a step-by-step check list and written instructions on how to change the part. Cost: $0.

Dispelling Myths about People with Disabilities
The major barriers to achievement by people with disabilities in our society continue to be attitudinal barriers, stereotypical thinking, and assumptions about what people can and can't do. The truth is that the range of ability of persons within any disability group is enormous. We need to get rid of our stereotypical images and view each individual as just that: "an individual." Listed below are the kinds of assumptions that can be barriers to employment for persons with disabilities.

Assumption: A person with mental retardation cannot be trained to perform a job as well as an employee without a disability.
Fact: Over two-thirds of the 4,000 participants in Pizza Hut, Inc.'s "Jobs Plus Program" are persons with mental retardation. The current turnover rate among these employees with disabilities is a modest 20% compared to the 150% turnover rate of employees without disabilities. This means a drop in recruitment and training costs.

Assumption: An individual with a psychiatric disability cannot work in a stressful environment where tight timelines have to be met.
Fact: All individuals perceive stress differently and their responses vary. Some individuals with psychiatric disabilities perform effectively in jobs that require specific timelines and structure.

Assumption: There is no way that a wheelchair racer can compete with the world's best marathon runners.
Fact: It takes a good runner over two hours to run a marathon. A competitive wheelchair racer can complete a marathon in less than one and a half hours.

Assumption: A person with a developmental disability and difficulty with fine motor control is unlikely to be able to handle complex operations on the production line of a manufacturing plant.
Fact: A person with this combination of functional limitations was hired for a production line job. The job involved labeling, filling, capping, and packing a liquid product. The only accommodation supplied for the worker was the creation of a plywood jig. The jig enabled the worker to hold the bottle steady for correct labeling.

Assumption: It is unbelievable that a person with a double amputation can compete with the world's fastest 100-meter dash runners.
Fact: The world record is 9.9 seconds. A runner who is a double amputee ran the dash in 11.76 seconds, just 1.8 seconds off the world mark.

Assumption: People with severe disabilities can't compete in heavy duty weight lifting activities.
Fact: A person with cerebral palsy has bench pressed weights in excess of 500 pounds.

Assumption: A person who is blind and has a missing right hand cannot perform a job as a machinist.
Fact: The applicant lost his vision and right hand in Vietnam. He persuaded a community college to train him as a machinist and was finally given a job on a trial basis. From the very first day, he broke production records and caused others to do the same. His only modification was to move a lever from the right side of the machine to the left.

Assumption: Downhill skiers with one leg cannot really compete against racers with two legs.
Fact: Top racers without disabilities have been clocked at 80-85 miles per hour; downhill skiers with one leg have been clocked at over 74 miles per hour.

Assumption: It is unlikely that a man whose right leg is amputated six inches above the knee can perform the duties of a warehouseman that require loading and unloading trucks, standing, lifting, bending, and delivering supplies to various sections as needed.
Fact: A person with this type of amputation was hired to work in a paper warehouse. He performed the job without any modification. He worked out so well that the company moved him to operating heavy equipment, a log stacker. The company did not have to make any accommodations . He was able to climb ladders and the heavy equipment without any problems.

> REGISTER TO ATTEND
   THE TUNNEL

MORE INFORMATION:

> SEXUAL VIOLENCE

> MENTAL HEALTH/
   SUICIDE

> DISABILITIES

> CLASS/
   HOMELESSNESS

> GLOBALIZATION/
   HUMAN RIGHTS

> BODY IMAGE