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It is worth noting that disability-related workplace accommodations are unique to each job applicant or employees . As
this article about workplace accommodations from the U.S. Department of Labor
points out, an accommodation for one person with a disability might not accommodate someone else with the same disability. Examples of workplace accommodations referenced in the article include an employee with visual impairment needing assistance to acquire information from a bulletin board and a job applicant who is deaf needing an interpreter during the job interview. Since job accommodations are so individualized and the variety of accommodations are vast, I will share two workplace accommodations which have been helpful to me during my years of employment.
As an individual who is totally blind, it became apparent during my days as a volunteer with the non-profit organization which I am currently employed by that utilization of a computer is necessary to complete tasks. At that time and continuing through my years of current employment with the organization, I have been permitted to install screen reader(s) on computers so that I can use the device and accomplish tasks. A screen reader, regardless of operating system, enables a person who is visually impaired to receive spoken and/or braille feedback about what is on-screen. It also became clear during my time as a volunteer that making the microwave accessible would enable me to heat up lunches. I was allowed to put braille labels on the microwave, which I still use today at my office. The remainder of this article provides some resources to learn more about workplace accommodations.
As mentioned in my previous article
Disability Disclosure and Reasonable Accommodations,
the
is an excellent resource to help identify beneficial workplace accommodations. For those with invisible disabilities,
this article about one person’s workplace accommodations
might be helpful. It provides accommodation examples which are sufficient for her, along with accommodation tips for employers. If technology is needed, another online tool for finding workplace accommodation examples is this
resources list from the New Jersey Assistive Technology Center.
The list provides links to a variety of assistive technology providers and resources. Their list is not limited to the U.S. state of New Jersey. Another method for finding useful technology is to perform an online search with your location and the words “assistive technology center”. For Example, as a resident of the U.S. state of Delaware, I suggest that residents who have disabilities consider contacting the
Delaware Assistive Technology Initiative
which Offers assistive technology demonstrations, along with other services. Bottom line: Although there is a variety of workplace accommodations in existence, resources can help with accommodation identification. Next month: I will be providing an article containing job interview tips.
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