“Current Events” in Accommodation
Linda Carter Batiste, J.D., Principal Consultant
Beth Loy, Ph.D., Principal Consultant
JAN is a service of the U.S. Department of Labor’s
Office of Disability Employment Policy.
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From JAN: Numbers
 47,000+ contacts per year
 50% electronic
 4 million+ Webpage requests per year
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From JAN: Training Modules
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All About JAN
ADA Amendments Act
The Interactive Process
Assistive Technology in the Workplace
All About JAN: Resources in Spanish
Ergonomics in the Workplace
Providing Reasonable Accommodations to Employees
with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
AskJAN.org/training/library.htm
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From JAN: Webcast Archives
 Monthly Series
 Current Trends in Job Accommodations
 Mental Health and Self-employment
 Assistive Technology
 Employment and Service Dogs
 ADA Update
 Personal Assistants as Workplace Accommodations
 Accommodating Employees with Chemical and
Fragrance Sensitivities
AskJAN.org/webcast/archive/
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From JAN: Quarterly ENews Archives
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Dress Codes and the ADA
Accommodating People with Eating Disorders
Recruiting Resources for Federal Contractors
ADA and Leave
Accommodating Social Anxiety
subscribe@askjan.org
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From ODEP
 Campaign for Disability Employment
 “Who I Am” Public Service Announcement
 “Ask Me Who I Am” Public Engagement Effort
www.WhatCanYouDoCampaign.org
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Costs / Benefits:
4 Surveys
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Employer
Professional
Self / Individual
Self-Employment
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Employer Follow-up Study
 1,182 employers interviewed between January, 2004,
and December, 2006
 945 employers interviewed between June 28, 2008,
and July 31, 2013
Total of 2,127 Employers
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Finding: Employers want to provide
accommodations so they can retain valued
and qualified employees.
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Results
 Of the employers who called JAN for accommodation
information and solutions, most were doing so to
retain or promote (82%) a current employee.
 On average (including those persons who had just
been given a job offer or who were newly hired), the
employees had been with the company about seven
years, with an average wage of about $15 for those
paid by the hour, or an average annual salary of about
$50,000.
 In addition, the individuals tended to be fairly welleducated, with 54% having a college degree or
higher.
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Situation: A computer systems analyst with an anxiety
disorder had difficulty coping with stress. The employee
told his employer that bringing his service animal to work
would help him manage his emotions effectively.
Solution: As a reasonable accommodation, the employer
opted to modify its no animal policy and allow the service
dog to come to work.
Reported Benefit: By making this accommodation the
employer retained a good employee.
Reported Cost: $0.
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Finding: Most employers report no cost or low
cost for accommodating employees with
disabilities.
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Results
 Over half of accommodations (57%) were made
at no cost.
 Of the 36% who experienced a one-time cost to
make an accommodation, the typical cost of
accommodating an employee was $500.
 Only 24 (4%) said the accommodation resulted in
an ongoing, annual cost to the company and 9
(1%) said the accommodation required a
combination of one-time and annual costs.
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Situation: An engineer with a food allergy and fragrance
sensitivity had difficulty working when certain spices
permeated her working area.
Solution: As a reasonable accommodation, the employer
purchased an air purifier.
Reported Benefit: The employee was very happy with the
accommodation, stating that it reduced her symptoms.
Reported Cost: $250.
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Finding: Employers report accommodations are
effective.
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Results
 Of those responding, 73% reported the
accommodations were either very effective or
extremely effective.
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Situation: A scientist with neuropathy experienced pain
when working at his workstation for long periods of time.
Solution: As a reasonable accommodation, the employer
purchased an adjustable desk and equipped the
workstation with a second monitor, ergonomic chair, and
multi-function mouse software.
Reported Benefit: The employer reported that the
changes were ergonomically beneficial to the employee
and improved productivity.
Reported Cost: $3,000
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The study results consistently showed that the
benefits employers receive from making
workplace accommodations far outweigh the
low cost.
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Stay Tuned @
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/costs.htm
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Legal: Americans with Disabilities Act
 ADA 25th Anniversary – July 26, 2015
 ADA Amendments Act Face Lift – September 25, 2008
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Legal: Americans with Disabilities Act
 Third Party Vendors
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Legal: Americans with Disabilities Act
 Third Party Vendors
 Pros
 Consistency
 Focused Attention
 Potentially Faster
 Cons
 Not as Familiar with the Workplace
 Does Not Know Employees
 Employees Do Not Know the Vendor
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Legal: Americans with Disabilities Act
 Third Party Vendors
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Make sure the vendor is knowledgeable about the ADA
Bring the vendor to the workplace to meet employees
Explain what the vendor will be doing and why
Stay involved in the process
Stay in communication with your employees
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Legal: Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA)
 EEOC Guidance
 Employers required to accommodate pregnant
women
 Some pregnant women
have disabilities under the
ADA
 Pending U.S. Supreme Court
case
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Stay Tuned @
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Memory Device: http://www.amazon.com/oc/echo
 Amazon Echo
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Memory Device: http://www.pryntcases.com
 Prynt Case (iOS & Android)
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Accessing Information: http://www.eyecanproject.org
 EyeCan+ “eye mouse”
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Accessing Information: http://www.rohinni.com
 Lightpaper
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Wearable Device: http://www.esighteyewear.com
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eSight Eyewear
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Wearable Device: http://www.hush.technology.com
 Hush Earplugs
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App: http://www.facebook.com/IndoorNavigator

PERCEPT App
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Mobility: http://world.Honda.com/UNI-CUB
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Honda UNI-CUB β Personal Mobility Device
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Mobility: http://www.carbonblacksystem.com

Carbon Black Wheelchair
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Mobility: http://www.gofreewheel.com
 FreeWheel Wheelchair Attachment
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Mobility: http://www.kenguru.com
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Kenguru
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Stay Tuned @
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Living: Disability and Work
 Emotional Support Animals
 Allergies and Work
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Living: Emotional Support Animals
Example: A receptionist in a medical billing office
experienced a personal tragedy and as a result
developed depression and anxiety. She asked her
employer if she could have her dog at work with her.
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Living: Emotional Support Animals
Issues:
 Title I is not the same as Titles II and III
 Title I is not clear cut
 What to do? Try it out!
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Living: Allergies and Work
Service Animals v. Animal Allergies:
 Don’t just say “no”
 May be able to accommodate both
 See JAN publication for ideas
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Living: Allergies and Work
Eating in the Office v. Food Allergies:
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Get information
May not be able, or required, to ban the food
May be able to accommodate another way
See JAN publications for ideas
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Living: Allergies and Work
Electromagnetic Sensitivity v. Technology:
 What is it?
 What can be done?
 New JAN publication coming soon!
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Stay Tuned @
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One Step Forward . . .
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Super Bowl Marketing: Commercial features
third-grader with Down syndrome as a customer
stunned to learn that McDonald’s will be asking for
nothing more than “lovin'” as a form of payment
from select diners through February 14th.
Disability-Focused Proms: 45 “Night to Shine”
proms sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation
expect to draw 7,000 people with disabilities, ages
16 and older.
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AskJAN.org & jan@askjan.org
(304)216-8189 via Text
janconsultants via Skype
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