New Resource: Practical Strategies for Employers to Explore Effective Accommodations

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires covered employers to provide “reasonable accommodations to qualified disabilities unless doing so would cause an undue hardship.” Often, effective workplace accommodations are easy to identify and implement. At times, however, an employer is unable to provide an appropriate accommodation despite making a “good faith effort.” When this is the case, a new resource from the Job Accommodation Network (JAN) of the Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Programs (ODEP) explains options that can be considered. These include communicating further with the employee, reviewing accommodations that may have been tried, and requesting additional input. Another option is to explore outside resources, such as vocational rehabilitation a or job coach to assess the situation. Other possibilities can involve trial accommodations, job reassignment or creation, and more. JAN also provides “free, confidential technical assistance about job accommodations and the ADA” and can be contacted directly. For additional details, including “real-life example of accommodations made by JAN customers,” read the webpage on What Employers Can Do When They Cannot Identify an Effective Accommodation.