REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION FOR HANDICAPPED EMPLOYEES

ORIGINATOR: Human Resource Administration

DATE: September, 1990

POLICY #91-1

PURPOSE:

To establish a procedure for soliciting voluntary indications of handicapped status and requests for accommodation.

APPLICABLE TO:

All employees.

RESPONSIBILITY:

Employee for providing appropriate documentation certifying his/her handicapped status and initiating any request for workplace accommodation.

Assistant Vice President for Human Resource Administration for approving and monitoring qualified handicapped status and requests for accommodation, and determining reasonable action upon consultation with the Director of Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity and Diversity, Assistant Director for Disability Services, and the appropriate Vice President or Provost.

POLICY:

The University of Rhode Island will provide reasonable accommodation in a timely and cost-effective manner for qualified handicapped employees upon certification of need. Reasonable accommodation is an adaptation of the workplace, the equipment, or the job itself which enables a handicapped employee to do a particular job for which she or he is qualified in training and abilities. Such accommodation may include making facilities accessible, adjusting work schedules and assignments, providing assistive devices or equipment, readers or interpreters. Reasonable accommodation will be made to qualified handicapped employees unless it presents an undue hardship on the University, pursuant to sections 503 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended.

Once an accommodation is made for an employee, its effectiveness will be periodically monitored by both the employee and the Office of Human Resource Administration.

If, at some point, the accommodation ceases to be effective in enabling the person to perform the job, or is no longer deemed to be necessary (upon medical documentation), alternative accommodation will be sought if appropriate.

PROCEDURE:

An employee may voluntarily declare his or her handicapped status by providing documentation from the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, Veterans' Administration or other appropriate medical certification. The Office of Human Resource Administration will enter this information in the employee's personnel file using a Personnel Action Form (CS-3). Subsequent requests for work accommodation must be made in writing to the Assistant Vice President for Human Resource Administration who will consult with appropriate officials to consider the request.