Picture a situation where you suffer a temporary or permanent disability that prevents you from discharging your duties as usual. In such a case, your employer is not supposed to discriminate against you based on your condition.
Under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), your employer is legally obligated to provide you with reasonable accommodation to ensure that you continue working or enhance your productivity despite your situation.
Examples of reasonable accommodation
Generally, reasonable accommodation entails any changes in the workspace or your work schedule that will assist you in doing your job. They include making physical modifications to accommodate your disability, such as installing ramps to improve accessibility or using assistive technologies like screen readers if the condition affects your eyesight.
Other changes your employer may make include reassigning you to lighter duties or adjusting your work schedule accordingly so that you can make your medical appointments. Any changes to the workplace which will not put undue stress on your employer financially or otherwise may be deemed reasonable accommodation.
You need to make your employer aware of your condition
If you have a condition that you believe requires reasonable accommodation, you should inform your employer about your situation. It is advisable to formally request such accommodation in writing so that you may have proof, just in case.
Should they deny your request, you may need to explore the other options at your disposal. For instance, you could file a discrimination charge against your employer for failing to accommodate your disability.
The law prohibits any form of workplace discrimination, and it is up to you to protect your legal rights. Everyone deserves an opportunity to maximize their potential, and a physical condition should not get in the way of that.