Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (Title VII) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) require covered employers to accommodate an individual’s religious beliefs and practices and the various needs of disabled individuals.
Employers have a duty to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities. The ADA applies to “qualified individuals with a disability.” A qualified individual with a disability is one who satisfies the requisite skill, experience, education and other job-related requirements, and –– with or without reasonable accommodations – can perform the essential functions of the employment position that such individual holds or desires.
Since a person is considered qualified under the ADA if he or she can perform the essential functions with or without reasonable accommodations, the question then becomes what is a “reasonable accommodation.”
A reasonable accommodation is a modification or adjustment to a job, the work environment or the company’s normal routine that enables a qualified individual with a disability to enjoy equal employment opportunity.
Employers can identify the best possible reasonable accommodation by: