Arranging Accommodations
In the interview process and in the workplace, persons with disabilities are entitled to access the same opportunities and benefits as those who don’t have disabilities. For some persons with disabilities, this means that certain adjustments need to be made in order for them to perform the duties of their job. Any such adjustment is known as an accommodation.
About accommodations
Employers have a legal “duty to accommodate” to ensure that those who are otherwise fit to work are not unjustly excluded where workplace adjustments can be made. You will be most productive when you are given the tools you need to do your job. Consider the following:
Responsibilities and Understanding Your Needs
Responsibilities
According to the Alberta Human Rights Commission, employers and employees have specific roles and responsibilities for the process of accommodation.
Typically, the employer does not have the right to your confidential information, unless the information clearly relates to the accommodation you are requesting or your needs are complex or unclear and more information is needed to make a proper assessment. They can ask questions about your ability to perform the functions of the job, but cannot ask for specific information about the disability such as the name or diagnosis.
Understanding your needs
If you’re starting co-op, a placement, or a new job, you might be asking yourself, “How do I know what accommodations I need?” Perhaps you have recently acquired a disability or are simply unaware of how your disability will impact your ability to do a job.
You will be the first to know what you need. A good starting place is to think about the academic accommodations you’ve received in the past to see how they might transfer to a workplace setting. You can also talk with your employer and come up with solutions together. Here are some resources with examples of potential accommodations:
Academic Accommodations Translated into Employment Settings (The University of Guelph)
The document is at the bottom of this page. It gives examples of the workplace equivalents of academic accommodations you may have received in post-secondary education.
A to Z of Disabilities and Accommodations (The Job Accommodation Network)
A comprehensive database of key accommodation examples by disability type, limitation, work-related functions and topic.
Mental Health Accommodations (Mental Health Works)
A detailed overview of likely accommodations for someone living with a mental health condition.
Examples of types of accommodations:
Restructuring work or daily tasks. E.g. larger tasks are divided into smaller ones
Acquiring or modifying equipment, software or devices needed to do the job. E.g. computer screen magnifier, voice input or speech recognition aids, ergonomic chair
Changing work locations. E.g. a quiet workspace, working from home
Creating flexible or modified work schedules. E.g. reduced or part-time hours, frequent breaks, self- paced workload
Offering retraining options or job reassignment. E.g. assigned to a new position
Changing workplace facilities to be more accessible. E.g. an accessible door opener, improved lighting
Providing assistance through a support service or person. E.g. an ASL interpreter
Sources
Responsibilities
According to the Alberta Human Rights Commission, employers and employees have specific roles and responsibilities for the process of accommodation.
What are the Employee Responsibilities?
Employees have a right to privacy regarding their personal medical information. The employee must work with the employer to keep the lines of communication and cooperation open. Therefore the employee has a responsibility to cooperate in the process by providing the medical information necessary to explain an absence or support an accommodation request.
An employee is usually expected to report an absence from work as soon as possible and, if at all possible before they are expected to show up for work. If requested, an employee is expected to make every reasonable attempt to get a medical note to explain the absence.
The employee usually supplies medical information from their own doctor as to whether they are fit to work or require accommodation at work
Alberta Human Rights Commission, Obtaining and Responding to Medical Information
What are the Employer Responsibilities?
Accommodation means making changes to certain rules, standards, policies, workplace cultures and physical environments to ensure that they don't have a negative effect on a person because of the person's mental or physical disability, religion, gender or any other protected ground. Accommodation is a way to balance the diverse needs of individuals and employers. For example, a person may be unable to work on a particular day because it conflicts with his or her religious beliefs. In such cases, the employer must try to resolve the conflict in a way that is agreeable to both parties. An employer's duty to accommodate is far-reaching.
What employers do not need to know.
Typically, the employer does not have the right to your confidential information, unless the information clearly relates to the accommodation you are requesting or your needs are complex or unclear and more information is needed to make a proper assessment. They can ask questions about your ability to perform the functions of the job, but cannot ask for specific information about the disability such as the name or diagnosis.
Attribution
Unless otherwise stated, the material in this guide is from the Learning Portal created by College Libraries Ontario. Content has been adapted for the NWP Learning Commons in June 2021. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons BY NC SA 4.0 International License.
All icons on these pages are from The Noun Project. See individual icons for creator attribution.