Page 20 - ABILITY Magazine - Best Practices Employment

In the interview these accommodations could be as simple as providing a sign-language interpreter for someone who is deaf or hearing impaired. It could be giving more time for someone to complete a test if they have a learning disability, or assisting someone to fill out an application if they have cerebral palsy and can- not do it on their own.
On the job, an accommodation could be changing the work schedule for someone who needs medical treat- ments, acquiring equipment such as a blinking tele- phone or TDD for someone who is deaf or hearing impaired, or changing the way that work is traditional- ly done, while making sure that it does get done.
You should study what the ADA says about reasonable accommodation. One important thing to remember is that an employer may be obligated to provide an accommodation only if it is not an undue hardship on the business to do so. Reducing performance standards below that of other employees is not considered to be a reasonable accommodation. If an accommodation will not allow you to perform the essential functions of a job, then you are not qualified for the position.
QUESTION: How can I determine if I need a reason- able accommodation?
ANSWER: You should consider these two things:
1: What are the essential duties of the job for which I am applying?
2: Does my disability interfere with my ability to per form these functions satisfactorily?
Your job counselor or placement professional should be able to tell you the essential functions of the job to which he or she is referring you. Essential functions are those that are important and fundamental to the job, not those which are incidental.
If the person placing you does not know the job’s essential functions, then you and your counselor may be able to speculate based on general knowledge of the field or vocation. In this way, you may be better pre- pared. But keep in mind that each employer may want a job performed differently, and a job’s description can change from employer to employer, and even from department to department within the same company.
When in doubt, ask what the essential functions of the job are. You may have to decide if any accommodations will be needed and when would be the best time to dis- cuss them. Working with the placement organization, you should be able to determine exactly which accom- modations you would need.
Applicants who inform employers that they will need a
reasonable accommodation do themselves and the employer a favor.
QUESTION: What if I cannot do one of the “marginal” functions of the job?
ANSWER: If you cannot do a marginal function because of your disability, then the employer has the option of accommodating you so that you can do it, or “forgiving” you the function, which means not requiring you to do it. The employer may not consid- er your inability to perform the marginal function in the hiring decision.
However, if your inability to perform the marginal func- tion has nothing to do with your disability, then the employer can consider it as part of your qualifications, and evaluate your inability to do it as he or she would with any other applicant.
Example: If being able to drive a car was a marginal function of a job and an applicant could not drive because he or she had epilepsy, then the employer could not hold it against the applicant. If the applicant could not drive simply because he or she never learned to drive, then the employer could consider it as a concern for evaluation in the hiring decision.
Therefore, when it comes up in an interview that you cannot do a marginal function of a job because of your disability, it is important that you make it clear that the inability is disability related, so the employer will not hold it against you in the employment decision.
QUESTION: What if I feel that the employer does not have a right to know about my disability?
ANSWER: An employer is prohibited from making disability or medical inquiries or examinations of an applicant in an interview. They may not ask about cur- rent or past medical conditions and, unless a job is offered, may not have an applicant submit to a medical examination unless all applicants who receive a condi- tional job offer for that position are required to have the same examination.
You should keep in mind that there is a difference between your “disability” and any disability-related work limitations. Information about your disability includes: its definition, how you acquired it, how it affects your life, its prognoses, any medical treatments, etc. Employers generally have neither the right nor the need to know these things.
Disability-related job limitations and your need for accommodation is another issue. If you request a rea- sonable accommodation, or if the employer cannot evaluate how you can perform the functions of the job with your disability, then that information might be