1.3.3  Reasonable Accommodations for Participants

Disability/Impairment

Accommodation Description/Examples

1.     Medical condition requiring a modified environment

·        Air filters or purifiers

·        Respirator masks

2.     Mobility/manual impairment

·        Modified office equipment/work stations

·        Wheelchair/scooter

·        Stand/lean stool

·        Anti-fatigue matting

·        Writing aids

·        Voice recognition software

·        Alternative keypad/keyboard access

·        Telephone headsets

·        Money counters and bill and coin changers

·        Service animals individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including, but not limited to, providing minimal protection or rescue work, pulling a wheelchair, or fetching dropped items

3.     Fatigue/weakness management

·        Provide a goal-oriented workload

·        Reduce or eliminate physical exertion and workplace stress

·        Schedule periodic rest breaks away from the workstation

·        Allow a flexible work schedule and flexible use of leave time

·        Allow work from home

·        Implement ergonomic workstation design

·        Provide a scooter or other mobility aid if walking cannot be reduced

4.     Pain management

·        Implement ergonomic workstation design, i.e., ergonomic chair and adjustable workstation to alternate between sitting and standing

·        Reduce repetitive tasks or interrupt the tasks with other duties

·        Provide carts and lifting aids

·        Modify work-site temperature and/or dress code

·        Use fan/air-conditioner or heater at the workstation

·        Allow work from home during extremely hot or cold weather

·        Allow use of personal attendant and/or service animal at work

·        Make sure the facility is accessible

·        Move workstation closer to the restroom

·        Allow longer breaks

·        Refer to appropriate community services

·        Provide access to a refrigerator

5.     Stress management

·        Encourage use of stress management techniques to deal with frustration

·        Allow the presence of a support animal

·        Allow telephone calls during work hours to doctors and others for needed support

·        Use a mentor or supervisor to alert the participant when his/her behavior is becoming unprofessional or inappropriate

·        Assign a supervisor, manager, or mentor to answer the participant's questions

·        Restructure job to include only essential functions during times of stress

·        Refer to counseling, employee assistance programs (EAP)

·        Provide backup coverage for when the participant needs to take breaks

·        Allow flexible work environment:

o       Flexible scheduling

o       Modified break schedule

o       Leave for counseling

o       Work from home/Flexi-place

6.     Panic/anxiety

·        Allow the participant to take a break and go to a place where he or she feels comfortable to use relaxation techniques or contact a support person

·        Identify and remove environmental triggers such as particular smells or noises

·        Allow the presence of a support animal

7.     Working effectively with supervisor

·        Provide positive praise and reinforcement

·        Provide written job instructions

·        Write clear expectations of responsibilities and the consequences

·        Allow for open communication to managers and supervisors

·        Establish written long-term and short-term goals

·        Develop strategies to deal with problems before they arise

·        Provide written work agreements

·        Develop a procedure to evaluate the effectiveness of the accommodation

8.     Reading deficits

·        Audio-recorded directives, messages, and materials

·        Reading machines

·        Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic (http://www.rfbd.org)

·        Screen reading software for computer use

·        Colored Mylar templates (colored transparencies) for reading and scanning

·        Color-coded manuals, outlines, and maps

·        Scanners, which allow the user to enter hard copies into the computer system

·        Reading Pen

9.     Writing deficits

·        Personal computers/laptop computers

·        Voice output software that highlights and reads (via a speech synthesizer) what is keyed into the computer

·        Speech recognition software that recognizes the user's voice and changes it to text on the computer screen

·        Locator dots for identification of letters/numbers on the keyboard

·        Word processing software

·        Spell checking software/electronic spell checkers

·        Software with highlighting capabilities

·        Grammar checking software

·        Word prediction software

·        Form producing software that computerizes order forms, claim forms, applications, credit histories, equation and formula fields

·        Carbonless note taking systems

10.  Math deficits

·        Talking calculators

·        Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) software for arithmetic/mathematics

·        Fractional, decimal, statistical, and scientific calculators

·        Computer Assisted Design (CAD) software for architecture/engineering

·        Large display screens for calculators, adding machines

·        Colored Mylar templates, colored coding for maintaining ledger columns

11.  Concentration Deficits

·        Reduce distractions in the work area

·        Provide space enclosures or a private office

·        Allow for use of white noise or environmental sound machines

·        Allow the participant to play soothing music using a headset

·        Increase natural lighting or provide full-spectrum lighting

·        Reduce clutter in the participant's work environment

·        Plan for uninterrupted work time

·        Divide large assignments into smaller tasks and steps

·        Restructure job to include only essential functions

·        Provide memory aids such as schedulers, organizers, and/or apps

12.  Organizational deficits

·        Use daily, weekly, and monthly task lists

·        Use calendar with automated reminders to highlight meetings and deadlines

·        Use electronic organizers, mobile devices, and/or apps

·        Divide large assignments into smaller tasks and goals

·        Use a color coding scheme to prioritize tasks

·        Hire a job coach or a professional organizer

·        Assign a mentor to assist participant

13.  Problem solving deficits

·        Provide picture diagrams of problem solving techniques, e.g., flow charts

·        Restructure the job to include only essential functions

·        Assign a supervisor, manager, or mentor to be available when the employee has questions

14.  Memory deficits

·        Allow the participant to tape record meetings

·        Provide type written minutes of each meeting

·        Use notebooks, calendars, or sticky notes to record information for easy retrieval

·        Provide written as well as verbal instructions

·        Allow additional training time

·        Provide written checklists

·        Provide environmental cues to assist in memory for locations of items, such as labels, color coding, or bulletin boards

·        Post instructions over all frequently used equipment

15.  Time management/completing tasks

·        Make daily to-do lists and check items off as they are completed

·        Provide organizational tools such as electronic schedulers, recorders, software organizers, calendars, watches, and apps

·        Divide large assignments into smaller tasks and steps

·        Schedule weekly meetings with supervisor, manager, or mentor to determine if goals are being met

·        Remind employee of important deadlines

·        Assign a mentor to assist with determining goals, providing daily guidelines, reminding of important deadlines

·        Consider providing training on time management

16.  Sleep disorder

·        Allow for a flexible start time

·        Combine regularly scheduled short breaks into one longer break

·        Provide a place for employee to sleep during break

·        Allow the participant to work one consistent schedule

·        Provide a device such as Doze Alert or other alarms to keep the employee alert

·        Increase natural lighting or provide full-spectrum lighting

17.  Hearing impairment

·        TTY phone lines or keyboards

·        Sign language trainers or interpreters

·        Vibrating pagers

·        Captioned training tapes

·        Assistive listening devices

·        Telephones with video or text messaging options

·        Service animals individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including, but not limited to, alerting individuals with impaired hearing to intruders or sounds, or providing minimal protection or rescue work

18.  Vision impairment

·        Readers

·        Task lighting

·        Glare guards/light filters

·        Accessible computer equipment/software

·        Magnifiers

·        Large print

·        Braille

·        Talking calculators

·        Backup warning sensors

·        Service animals individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including, but not limited to, guiding individuals with impaired vision, or providing minimal protection or rescue work

19.  Safety planning

·        Consideration and flexibility given to the time of day, location, and on-sight supervision for each activity (see 5.6.3)