Workplace Accommodations

     There are a great many conditions* that can make working more difficult, and companies are required to make reasonable accommodations to overcome or offset that difficulty. The possible accommodations come in many forms, including those for both mental and physical differences. Deciding whether or not an accommodation is granted may fall to a supervisor for something simple (such as not having to have a camera on during meetings if an individual experiences gender dysphoria when seeing a reflection), or a third-party company (Reliance Matrix) for accommodations that are more involved (such as ordering a specialized monitor for an individual with vision impairment).

     The Americans with Disabilities Act and its amendments (ADA) lay out the ground rules for what counts as a disability, and what accommodations businesses are required to provide. It is important to note that requests may be reviewed by the requestor’s immediate supervisor, and/or upper management, and/or a third-party company (Reliance Matrix), and/or the legal department; not all parties will be involved in every request. In some cases, medical evidence may be required, and the investigator may work with any medical providers involved in treatment of the condition causing the need for an accommodation. To receive approval, the accommodation must be both effective for overcoming difficulties and reasonable to implement (depending on factors such as cost, office space, or availability); those that do not meet those criteria may be denied as an undue hardship to the company.

     Additionally, the employer is not required to provide the exact accommodation requested in all cases and may instead negotiate an alternative option that is more reasonable to provide while providing the same, or similar, support. There is no defined time limit in which an employer must respond, only that it be done as quickly as possible, which varies on a case-by-case basis.

* Though outside the scope of this document, certain religious practices (such as praying at a specific time) may also be covered as reasonable accommodations.