(Note: This handout is in a 6 point font in the corresponding Microsoft Word document.) A Process for Identifying a Reasonable Accommodation. Recommendations from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission 1. Look at the particular job involved. Determine its purpose and its essential functions. 2. Consult with the individual with a disability to find out his or her specific physical or mental abilities and limitations as they relate to the essential job functions. Identify the barriers to job performance and assess how these barriers could be overcome with an accommodation. 3. In consultation with the individual, identify potential accommodations and assess how effective each would be in enabling the individual to perform essential job functions. If this consultation does not identify an appropriate accommodation, technical assistance is available from a number of sources, many without cost. There are also financial resources to help with accommodation costs. 4. If there are several effective accommodations that would provide an equal employment opportunity, consider the preference of the individual with a disability and select the accommodation that best serves the needs of the individual and the employer. (Note: This handout is in a 12 point font in the corresponding Microsoft Word document.) A Process for Identifying a Reasonable Accommodation. Recommendations from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission 1. Look at the particular job involved. Determine its purpose and its essential functions. 2. Consult with the individual with a disability to find out his or her specific physical or mental abilities and limitations as they relate to the essential job functions. Identify the barriers to job performance and assess how these barriers could be overcome with an accommodation. 3. In consultation with the individual, identify potential accommodations and assess how effective each would be in enabling the individual to perform essential job functions. If this consultation does not identify an appropriate accommodation, technical assistance is available from a number of sources, many without cost. There are also financial resources to help with accommodation costs. 4. If there are several effective accommodations that would provide an equal employment opportunity, consider the preference of the individual with a disability and select the accommodation that best serves the needs of the individual and the employer. (Note: This handout is in an 18 point font in the corresponding Microsoft Word document.) A Process for Identifying a Reasonable Accommodation. Recommendations from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission 1. Look at the particular job involved. Determine its purpose and its essential functions. 2. Consult with the individual with a disability to find out his or her specific physical or mental abilities and limitations as they relate to the essential job functions. Identify the barriers to job performance and assess how these barriers could be overcome with an accommodation. 3. In consultation with the individual, identify potential accommodations and assess how effective each would be in enabling the individual to perform essential job functions. If this consultation does not identify an appropriate accommodation, technical assistance is available from a number of sources, many without cost. There are also financial resources to help with accommodation costs. 4. If there are several effective accommodations that would provide an equal employment opportunity, consider the preference of the individual with a disability and select the accommodation that best serves the needs of the individual and the employer. FAMOUS PEOPLE QUIZ: The following famous personalities are individuals with hidden disabilities. Identify the paragraph that describes each person. Write the number next to the person’s name on the blank to the left of the paragraph. 1. Thomas Edison 2. Vincent van Gogh 3. Albert Einstein 4. Winston Churchill 5. Abraham Lincoln 6. Patty Duke 7. Tom Cruise 8. Walt Disney 9. Leonardo DaVinci 10. Harriett Tubman 11. Earvin “Magic” Johnson a. I am currently a very popular movie star. Some of the movies I have starred in are “Top Gun,” “Rain Man,” “A Few Good Men,” and “Jerry Maguire.” I learn my lines by listening to a tape because I have dyslexia. b. I struggled through grade school and lived with bipolar disorder. I later served as the Prime Minister of England. c. I was slow in school and had a hard time doing my work. I didn’t do anything well until I realized a real strength of mine was drawing. I became a well-known cartoonist and movie producer. Some famous amusement parks have my name. d. In the 1960s, I starred in a television show bearing my own name. I’m also an academy award winner. I co-authored a book and made for TV movie about my bipolar disorder. e. As a child, an overseer struck me. The blow fractured my skull causing me to have narcolepsy for the rest of my life. I rescued hundreds of slaves through the Underground Railroad. f. As the sixteenth president of the United States, I contributed to the end of slavery. I also suffered from a severe and incapacitating depression, which often led to thoughts of suicide. g. I was a brilliant artist with several famous paintings, including my own self portrait. I had severe mental illnesses, including bipolar disorder. h. I played NBA basket for 13 years with the LA Lakers. I played in 12 NBA All-Star games and won three MVP awards. In the early 1990s, I was diagnosed with HIV. i. I always had trouble learning. My teachers said I was “obnoxious” and had “artistic talent.” During my lifetime my artistic talent was expressed through architecture, painting, sculpture, and engineering. One of my best-known paintings is the Mona Lisa. j. My teachers thought I was slow and a dreamer. I didn’t learn to read until I was nine. I couldn’t get into college until I spent an extra year in preparation. After many failed jobs, I developed the theory of relativity. k. Because my head was very large at birth, people thought I was abnormal. My mother took me out of school and taught me. As an adult, I invented the electric light bulb and the phonograph. Adapted from: 1. Everybody’s Different: Understanding and Changing our Reactions to Disabilities, Miller, Nancy B. and Sammons, Catherine C. (1999). 2. Original Source: Unknown. Reproduced from Take A Walk In My Shoes - A Guide Book for Youth on Diversity Awareness Activities. Also found on: www.ldonline.org/kidzone/inter_act/celebrity_quiz.html. Page last modified 2/22/05. Information retrieved 2/24/05. 3. With information from NAMI: People with Mental Illness Enrich Our Lives. www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Secti on=Helpline1&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=4858. Information retrieved 5/2/05. FAMOUS PEOPLE QUIZ: Answers a. 7 - Tom Cruise b. 4 - Winston Churchill c. 8 - Walt Disney d. 6 - Patty Duke e. 10 - Harriett Tubman f. 5 - Abraham Lincoln g. 2 - Vincent van Gogh h. 11 - Earvin “Magic” Johnson i. 9 - Leonardo DaVinci j. 3 - Albert Einstein k. 1 - Thomas Edison Famous People with Disabilities Jim Abbott, Lionel Aldridge, Chris Burke, Stephen Hawking, Henry Holden, Marlee Matlin, Terence Parkin, Itzhak Perlman, Christopher Reeve, Franklin Roosevelt, Marla Runyan, Mike Utley, Leo Tolstoy, Heather Whitestone, Virginia Woolf Jim Abbott: Jim Abbott has thrown a no-hitter, won Olympic gold in 1988, and been on “Letterman”. He is one of a handful of professional players who never once put on a minor-league uniform, jumping instead straight from college baseball to the big league. But those aren’t the only reasons we know Jim Abbott. He is the only player in major league baseball who was born with one hand. Abbott was able to reach the major league without having a right hand, and he quickly became one of the better pitchers in the game during the early 1990s. Lionel Aldridge: A defensive end for Vince Lombardi's legendary Green Bay Packers of the 1960s, Aldridge played in two Super Bowls. In the 1970s, he suffered from schizophrenia and was homeless for two and a half years. Until his death in 1998, he gave inspirational talks on his battle against paranoid schizophrenia. His story was featured in numerous newspaper articles. Chris Burke: Chris Burke, best known for the character Corky, played for four years on the television series, Life Goes On, and became one of America’s favorite personalities. Through his work, he was able to transform America’s image of people with disabilities. Ever since Chris spoke his first word, it became clear that he was a remarkable individual with many talents. Chris Burke was the first person with Down syndrome to star in a weekly television series. Currently, he serves as the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) Ambassador. Chris had the faith in his own abilities and the courage to face prejudice as he pursued his dream to become an actor. Today Chris travels all around the country delivering inspirational speeches to various groups of children, students, parents, and professionals. He not only serves as editor-in-chief of the NDSS magazine for teens and young adults with Down syndrome, but also writes a column and responds to readers and correspondence in a regular question-and-answer feature in the magazine. Stephen Hawking: Stephen Hawking knew what he wanted to do by the time he was eight years old. He did not want to study medicine, a career his parents hoped he would follow. Instead, Hawking decided to be a scientist and chose physics. Stephen was interested in studying the universe. He attended Oxford University in England as an undergraduate student. He received his PhD in 1966 from Cambridge University. By the time he was 35 years old, Hawking was Cambridge’s first Gravitational Physics professor and received the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics award. Stephen Hawking has also published a book called A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes. The book tries to explain many of Hawking’s physical and mathematical ideas and calculations without using math. The book became a best seller and was made into a movie. When Stephen Hawking was 21 years old, he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also know as Lou Gehrig’s disease. This disease attacks the nerves that control a body’s voluntary movements. It affects walking, speaking, breathing, swallowing, etc. At the time of his diagnosis, the doctors gave Hawking two years to live. Hawking has defied this time frame and is still working. Today, Stephen uses a wheelchair, cannot move much at all, has trouble holding his head up, and cannot speak. He now uses a special computer that displays the text he types and speaks what he types with an electronic voice. Henry Holden: From the time he was a young child, Henry Holden’s dream was that of becoming an actor. To date Henry has numerous acting credits to his name. He has made appearances on T. J. Hooker, M.A.S.H., AFTERmash, Hill Street Blues, Knots Landing, Hunter, Dear John, and Kids Incorporated. Henry also starred in a rock video, entitled, "I Got News for You." In addition to acting, Henry is an athlete, stand-up comic, and activist. Henry’s athletic accomplishments include downhill skiing, certified scuba diving, bowling a high score of 196 in league competition, flying gliders and single engine airplanes, riding at the National Horse Show at Madison Square Garden in New York City, and finishing in the Los Angeles Marathon. Finishing the New York City Marathon is on Henry’s "To Do" list! Henry Holden contracted polio during the 1952 epidemic. He was four years old at that time. His disability has never stopped him from pursuing a path of excellence in his life, even though he wears leg braces and uses crutches. In addition to his acting career he now speaks on the guest lecture circuit on college campuses across the country. Henry is a tireless advocate for the inclusion of people with disabilities in all forms of entertainment and media. He is the founder of Performers with Disabilities for the Screen Actors Guild, and recently, he was the recipient of the very first American Scene Award given by the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Arts for the rock video he starred in entitled "I Got News for You." Henry’s motto is "Attitudes are the Real Disability!" Marlee Matlin: Marlee Matlin is an actress. Some of her films include Dead Silence, It’s My Party, Hear No Evil, Bridge to Silence, Walker, and Children of a Lesser God. In 1987, she captivated the world by winning the Academy Award for Best Actress in the film Children of a Lesser God. Marlee Matlin became deaf in infancy due to Roseola infantum. However, deafness has not disabled her or her career. Terence Parkin: Many swimmers competed in multiple events during the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia. One of them was Terence Parkin of South Africa. Terence's events included the 200 and 400 meter individual medley, the 4x100 meter free relay, and the 100 and 200 meter breaststroke. He swam in a total of eight different qualifying and final races in five days during the Olympics. Terence finished fifth in the 400 meter individual medley. In the 200 meter breaststroke, he finished second to win the silver medal. What makes this 20-year-old Olympic swimmer somewhat unique is that he has never been able to hear a race starter's signal. Born deaf, Terence uses a strobe light similar to a camera flash to signal the beginning of the race. The Olympic competitor only began swimming at age 14. Now he holds three national records in South Africa and owns a silver medal from the Sydney Olympics. Itzhak Perlman: Perlman began his music career at the Academy of Music in Tel-Aviv, Israel. In 1958, at the age of 13, Itzhak Perlman won an Israeli talent competition. This win made it possible for Perlman to travel to the United States to tour and appear on television. He then stayed in the U.S. and continued his musical training at the Juilliard School in New York City. In 1964, Perlman won a contest among young musicians known as the Leventritt Competition. Winning this competition opened the door for young Perlman to perform his violin music all over the world. Itzhak, now one of the most acclaimed violinists of his generation, has performed with every major orchestra and in recitals and festivals the world over. In 1986, he received the nation’s Medal of Liberty from U.S. President Ronald Reagan. His joy in making music has captivated audiences and earned Perlman a great level of respect and admiration among people of many nations. Great violin concertos make up the core of Perlman’s recorded music, ranging from the baroque to the contemporary. Most recently, Perlman is featured in the hit new movie "Music of the Heart." Born (1945) in Tel Aviv, Israel, Itzhak Perlman contracted polio at age 4, permanently paralyzing his legs. He performs his music while seated and walks with crutches. Itzhak is a well known advocate for people with disabilities, actively promoting laws to ease access to buildings and transportation. Christopher Reeve: Christopher Reeve grew up in Princeton, New Jersey, with his mother and his stepfather. In 1977 Reeve was chosen from 200 hopefuls to star in Superman, for which he won the British Academy Award as best actor. During a cross-country event in May 1995, his horse balked at a rail jump, pitching Reeve forward where he landed head first. His injuries left the actor paralyzed, unable to use any of his limbs or even to breathe without the help of a respirator. Reeve dedicated much of his life to increasing public awareness about spinal cord injury and to raising money for research for a cure. He chaired the American Paralysis Association and served as vice chairman of the National Organization on Disability. Furthermore, Reeve founded the Christopher Reeve Foundation in 1996 to raise research money and provide grants to local agencies which focus on the quality of life of people with disabilities. Franklin Roosevelt: In 1928, Franklin Roosevelt was elected as the governor of New York. He then started campaigning for the presidency, and he became the 32nd president of the United States in 1932. Furthermore, by defeating Alfred Landon in 1936, Wendell Wilkie in 1940, and Thomas Dewey in 1944, he became the only American President to serve more than two terms. In 1921, Franklin Roosevelt contracted a near fatal case of polio that left him with limited physical mobility. He established a foundation at Warm Springs, Georgia to help other people who had polio, and he directed the March of Dimes Program that eventually funded an effective vaccine. As a result of polio, Roosevelt used a wheelchair and stood with the aid of steel leg braces. He tried numerous treatments, but was never able to walk on his own again. Marla Runyan: One of the women representing the United States in the 1500 meter track event at the 2000 Olympics was Marla Runyan. The American runner finished seventh in her preliminary heat and rose to sixth in the semifinals to qualify for the finals. During the final race, Marla lost track of the major competitors. She finished in eighth position, 3.20 seconds behind the gold medal winner. In 1996, Marla set several track and field records at the Paralympics in Atlanta, Georgia. Following that success, Marla wanted to compete in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney -- even though she is legally blind.  The 31-year-old runner has been diagnosed with Stargardt disease. This is a condition that leaves her with a limited ability to see what is in front of her. In Sydney, Marla became the first legally blind athlete to compete in an Olympics. Leo Tolstoy: Author of War and Peace, Tolstoy revealed the extent of his own mental illness in the memoir Confession. His experiences are also discussed in The Dynamics of Creation by Anthony Storr and The Inner World of Mental Illness: A Series of First Person Accounts of What It Was Like by Bert Kaplan. Mike Utley: Mike Utley was the greatest football player in the history of John F. Kennedy High School in Seattle, Washington. He became only the second player at Washington State University to earn consensus first team All American Honors. During the Rams game in November 1991, he fractured his 6th and 7th cervical vertebrae and became paralyzed. Through his own fight to walk again, Utley founded the Mike Utley Foundation in 1991. The Foundation is dedicated to supporting research to cure paralysis and to help all people with spinal cord injuries. Heather Whitestone: “The new Miss America for 1995 is...(drum roll)...Heather Whitestone of Birmingham, Alabama! There she is...Miss America.” But unlike other Miss America crown holders, Heather never actually heard those words in 1995 as she was crowned. Miss Whitestone was the first person with a disability ever to be selected as Miss America. Heather had been deaf since the age of 18 months. Doctors told Heather’s parents that she would never read beyond the third grade level, nor learn to speak. In response to the judges’ question about her aim in life, she replied that she would like to assist children from all backgrounds to reach their fullest potential in life, to set high goals, and achieve them, as she had done. Heather’s special talent for the Miss America talent portion of the contest was ballet. Heather Whitestone is currently the spokesperson for the Helen Keller Eye Research Foundation and the Starkey Hearing Aid Foundation. She has also authored a book entitled, Listening with My Heart. Ms. Whitestone is a motivational speaker who believes in and promotes following your dreams. Virginia Woolf: The British novelist who wrote To the Lighthouse and Orlando experienced the mood swings of bipolar disorder characterized by feverish periods of writing and weeks immersed in gloom. Her story is discussed in The Dynamics of Creation by Anthony Storr. If you are interested in information about other people with disabilities, check out the following resource: Hent, D. & Quinlan, K. A. 1996. Extraordinary People with Disabilities. Danbury, CT: Children's Press, a Division of Grolier Publishing. Adapted from Indiana Institute on Disability and Community: Center for Disability Information and Referral. “Famous People with Disabilities.” www.iidc.indiana.edu /cedir/kidsweb/fpwdinfo.html. Page last modified 7/29/02. Information retrieved 2/24/05. With information from NAMI: People with Mental Illness Enrich Our Lives. www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Secti on=Helpline1&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=4858. Information retrieved 5/2/05. Facts and Figures: From the choices below, fill in the appropriate answer to complete the statement. Anxiety Disorders, Arthritis, Asthma, Blind, Cancer, Chronic Kidney Disease, Diabetes, HIV / AIDS, Major Depression, Schizophrenia 1) _____________ is a chronic disease resulting from the inability of a body to efficiently use or create insulin. It usually manifests itself as one of two major types and about 800,000 new cases are diagnosed each year, or 2,200 per day. 2) This chronic pain condition called _________ affects more than 15 percent of the U.S. population—over 43 million persons—and more than 20 percent of the adult population, making it one of the most common conditions in the U.S. 3) ___________ is the second leading cause of death in the United States. During 2000, an estimated 1,220,100 persons were expected to be diagnosed with this. 4) Current estimates indicate approximately 10 million persons aged 12 years and older have some form of __________. Dialysis and transplantation are common treatments of this disease. 5) ________ has been reported in virtually every racial and ethnic population, every age group, and every socioeconomic group in every State and most large cities in the U.S. Estimates of the number of people with this disease in the U.S. range from 800,000 to 900,000. This infectious disease was first identified in the United States in 1981. 6) With modern treatments, increasing numbers of persons with __________ can and do view recovery as an achievable goal. More than 2 million people are affected by this disorder that is characterized by profound disruption in cognition and emotion. 7) _________affect as many as 19 million people in the U.S. annually. They encompass several discrete conditions, including panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and phobia. 8) About 6.5 percent of women and 3.3 percent of men will have _______ in any year. It differs both quantitatively and qualitatively from normal sadness or grief. 9) An estimated 14.9 million persons in the U.S. have _______. The worsening of this disease has been associated with exposure to tobacco smoke, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and acid aerosols. 10) An estimated 80 million people have potentially blinding eye diseases, 3 million have low vision, 1.1 million people are legally ______, and 200,000 are more severely visually impaired. Facts and Figures Answers 1) Diabetes 2) Arthritis 3) Cancer 4) Chronic Kidney Disease 5) HIV / AIDS 6) Schizophrenia 7) Anxiety Disorders 8) Major Depression 9) Asthma 10) Blind Compiled by the ADA & IT Information Center. Statistics from Center for Disease Control: Healthy People 2010. www.healthypeople.gov/document/html/volume1/toc.htm. Compiled December 2004. CROSSWORD PUZZLE (Note: This handout has a blank crossword puzzle with four vertical columns intersecting four horizontal columns. It does not look like a typical crossword puzzle; rather it looks like one big square divided into 16 smaller squares.) Clues: Across: 1. Mosquitoes do it. 2. Dogs do it. 3. Horses do it. 4. Children do it. Down: 1. Insects that sting. 2. Organs of vision. 3. Big brothers do it to little sisters. 4. Without effort (Note: This handout shows the completed crossword puzzle. It includes the same clues as a reminder. The clues for the across squares are: 1. Mosquitoes do it, 2. Dogs do it, 3. Horses do it, and 4. Children do it. The clues for the down squares are: 1. Insects that sting, 2. Organs of vision, 3. Big brothers do it to little sisters, and 4. Without effort. Each horizontal row spells out the same word, “BITE.” To this effect, the first vertical row contains four Bs, the second row contains four Is, the third four Ts, and the fourth four Es.) Reasonable Accommodation Worksheet: 1. Do you have enough information to determine a reasonable accommodation? 2. Potential barriers: 3. Three Potential Solutions: Physical Modifications, Managerial Action, Provision of Services. 4. Resources: Example Accommodation Solutions for Functional Limitations: Reading: 1. Books on tape (people with learning disabilities qualify for this service) 2. Tape-recorded directives, messages, materials 3. Reading machines 4. Screen reading software for computer use 5. Colored mylar templates for reading and scanning 6. Color-coded manuals, outlines, maps 7. Scanners, which allow the user to enter hard copies into the computer system Writing: 1. Personal computers/laptop computers 2. Voice output software that highlights and reads (via a speech synthesizer) what has been keyed into the computer. 3. Voice input software that recognizes the user's voice and converts it to text on the computer screen. 4. Locator dots for identification of letters/numbers on the keyboard 5. Word processing software 6. Spell checking software/electronic spell checkers 7. Software with highlighting capabilities 8. Grammar checking software 9. Word prediction software 10. Form producing software that computerizes order forms, claim forms, applications, credit histories, equation and formula fields 11. Carbonless notetaking systems Mathematics: 1. Fractional, decimal, statistical, scientific calculators 2. Talking calculators 3. Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) software for arithmetic/mathematics 4. Computer Assisted Design (CAD) software for architecture/engineering 5. Large display screens for calculators, adding machines 6. Colored mylar templates, colored coding for maintaining ledger columns Organizational Skills, Memory, and Time Management: 1. Day planners 2. Electronic organizers/schedulers 3. Software organizers with/without highlighting capabilities 4. LCD watches, data bank watches, timers, counters, alarms 5. Personal Information Managers (P.I.M.S.) 6. Use of electronic mail (E-mail) for memory deficits Managing the Physical Environment: 1. Room enclosures/cubicles to reduce auditory and visual distractions 2. A private office space 3. Use of "white noise" by using a sound soother/environmental sound machine 4. Use of colored files 5. Mapping of the workspace/office Working at full productivity: 1. A self-paced work load and flexible hours 2. Backup coverage for when the employee needs to take breaks 3. Time off for counseling 4. An environment that encourages supportive employment and job coaches 5. Work from home during part of the day or week Maintaining stamina: 1. A self-paced work load and flexible hours 2. Flexible scheduling 3. Longer or more frequent work breaks 4. Additional time to learn new responsibilities 5. Job sharing opportunities Working effectively with supervisors: 1. Establish written long term and short term goals 2. Recognize that a change in the office environment or of supervisors may be difficult 3. Maintain open channels of communication between the employee and the new and old supervisor in order to ensure an effective transition 4. Provide weekly or monthly meetings with the employee to discuss workplace issues and productions levels Interacting with coworkers: 1. Educating all employees on their rights to accommodations 2. Not mandating that employees attend work-related social functions 3. Encouraging all employees to move non-work related conversations out of work areas. Handling stress and emotions: 1. Provide praise and positive reinforcement 2. Refer to counseling and employee assistance programs 3. Allow telephone calls during work hours to doctors and others for needed support 4. Provide sensitivity training to coworkers Concentrating on work details: 1. Providing written job instructions when possible 2. Allowing periodic rest breaks to reorient 3. Minimizing distractions with sound absorption panels, cubicle walls and doors, and environmental sound machines 4. Moving to a private office or area with fewer distractions 5. Using watches and timers with prompts 6. Allowing employee to use headset to listen to music. Completing projects and meeting deadlines: 1. Make daily TO-DO lists and check items off as they are completed 2. Use several calendars to mark meetings and deadlines 3. Remind employee of important deadlines 4. Use electronic organizers 5. Divide large assignments into smaller tasks and steps Remembering tasks/sequences or maintaining daily information: 1. Allow the employee to tape record meetings 2. Provide type written minutes of each meeting 3. Provide written instructions 4. Allow additional training time 5. Provide written checklists From JAN (Job Accommodation Network) http://www.jan.wvu.edu Accommodation Examples for Hidden Disabilities 1. A computer programmer with a learning disability experienced difficulty with reading, mathematics, and spelling. As an accommodation, her employer provided a schematic chart which summarized procedures to assist with her tasks. The programmer was an “auditory learner” and had problems with visual discrimination, so her employer also provided tutorial readers and "talking back" tapes. The total cost of the accommodations was $30. 2. A clerk with a learning disability needed to maintain files, but had difficulty categorizing and sorting paperwork. As a result, the office was rearranged to eliminate visual distractions and task sequencing was utilized. The employer also provided reading templates, colored marker tabs, and incandescent lighting for the clerk. The total cost for these accommodations was $20. 3. A rehabilitation counselor for a state agency had Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). He had difficulty completing paperwork on time because he continually checked and rechecked it. The employer encouraged him to make a checklist for each report and to check off items as they are completed. This way, when the counselor felt the urge to recheck the report, he could do this quickly by using his checklist. Additionally, the counselor was allowed a certain amount of time away from the telephone each day to allow time to complete paperwork and file information. 4. An administrative assistant with a learning disability had difficulty taking notes. His employer provided him with a tape recorder to record meetings and allowed the tape to be transcribed at the assistant's own pace. The cost of the accommodation was $60 for the tape recorder. 5. A clerk/receptionist with a learning disability had difficulty typing from the printed original, as she often skipped lines. To avoid this problem, her employer provided an automatic “line guide” to avoid skipping lines. The total cost of the accommodation was $256 for the copyholder/line guide, and also for a lamp and magnified cursor. 6. An administrative assistant in a social service agency had bipolar disorder. Her duties included typing, word processing, filing, and answering the telephone. Her limitations included difficulties with concentration and short-term memory. Her employer provided her with assistance in organizing her work and a dual headset for her telephone that allowed her to listen to music when not talking on the telephone. This accommodation minimized distractions, increased concentration and helped her relax. Also, the employee and her supervisor held meetings once a week to discuss workplace issues. Each meeting was recorded so the employee could remember issues that are discussed and replay the information to improve her memory. 7. A typist with dyslexia was having trouble typing telephone numbers accurately. The typist was given verbal verification of the phone numbers and extra time to proofread letters. These accommodations were at no cost to the employer. 8. A clerk needed extra reinforcement when performing duties, which included answering the phone, distributing pamphlets, entering "leads" into the computer, and answering questions. His employer provided a job coach for two weeks, with follow-up as needed for reinforcement. This accommodation was at no cost to the employer. 9. A repairperson with severe depression needed to attend periodic work related seminars. The person had difficulty taking effective notes and paying attention in the meetings. The accommodation implemented was to provide a coworker with a notebook that made a carbon copy of each page written. At the end of the session, they would tear out the second copy of the notes and provide it to the repairperson. Since he was able to give full attention to the meetings, he was able to retain more of the information. 10. A record maintenance clerk with a learning disability and epilepsy was responsible for filing claims, searching for materials, and classifying material. The employee was provided a job trainer, and was re-trained on many aspects of the job. There was no cost to the employer for this accommodation. 11. An office manager who has been treated for stress and depression was unable to meet crucial deadlines. She had difficulty maintaining her concentration and staying focused when trying to complete assignments. She discussed her performance problems with her supervisor and accommodations were implemented that allowed her to organize her time. By scheduling "off" times during the week where she could work without interruptions. She was also provided a flexible schedule that gave her more time for counseling and exercise. The supervisor trained her coworkers on stress management and provided information about the company employee assistance program. Adapted from JAN (Job Accommodation Network) http://www.jan.wvu.edu Module 3 Handouts - Reasonable Accommodation Copyright © 2004 by TransCen, Inc. [Ver. 10/05]