URI Homepage
Date: August 1990
Rev. July 2024
REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION FOR EMPLOYEES WITH DISABILITIES
I. PURPOSE:
To establish a procedure for soliciting voluntary indications of disability status and requests for accommodation under the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 and Sections 503 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended, and all other federal and state disability rights laws.
II. APPLICABLE TO:
All University job applicants and employees.
III. Policy:
The University of Rhode Island will provide reasonable accommodation in a timely and cost-effective manner for qualified employees and applicants for employment upon certification of need. Reasonable accommodation is an adaptation of the workplace, the equipment, or the job itself which enables an employee with disabilities 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 employees and applicants for employment with disabilities unless it presents an undue hardship on the University, pursuant to section 503 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended, and the ADA of 1990 and all other federal and state disability rights laws.
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.
IV. PROCEDURE
Requests for Accommodations
Employees and Applicants for employment seeking accommodations can make requests at any time.
Workplace accommodations are approved following an interactive process with an employee. Employee failure to participate in the interactive process may result in a delay or denial of a reasonable accommodation.
An employee may voluntarily declare his or her disability 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).
Requests for work accommodation must be made in writing to the ADA Section 503 Coordinator, Director of Personnel Services in the Office of Human Resource Administration, using the Reasonable Accommodation Request Form. The University ADA 503 Coordinator, Director of Personnel Services will consult with appropriate officials to consider the request.
Applicants with disabilities may request reasonable accommodations. Accommodations are available to help applicants complete application materials and are also available during the interview and hiring process. An applicant who requires reasonable accommodation should submit a request to the ADA 503 Coordinator, Director of Personnel Services in the Office of Human Resource Administration. An applicant’s request for accommodation does not impact employment decisions which are determined by evaluating how the applicant’s qualifications meet the stated required qualifications of the position.
The University ADA Section 503 Coordinator shall respond and provide the requesting party with a copy of this University procedure on Reasonable Accommodations for Persons with Disabilities.
The University ADA Section 503 Coordinator shall meet with the employee/applicant to review any medical information needed to document that the individual is “A qualified individual with a disability” in relation to the employment being accommodated. The individual’s collective bargaining agent or other persons of their choosing may assist the individual during this meeting. The state’s rehabilitation/disability services experts may assist the University ADA Section 503 Coordinator during this meeting.
Medical information provided in the reasonable accommodation process will be considered confidential and will only be shared on a need-to-know basis within the University of Rhode Island. Only medical information needed to document that the individual is a “qualified individual with a disability” and the need for accommodation may be requested and retained, in a confidential file separate from the individual’s personnel or application record.
In the event an appeal is submitted following the ADA Section 503 Coordinator’s decision regarding a reasonable accommodation, medical information will also be shared with the University’s ADA Section 504 Coordinator in the Office of Equal Opportunity. A hiring manager or an employee’s supervisor will only be informed of functional job limits for the purpose of determining or implementing an accommodation.
Preparing an Accommodation Plan
If the requested accommodation is for an applicant for a vacancy at the University, and is easy to provide, the ADA Section 503 Coordinator shall consult with the requesting party and shall give primary consideration to the request of the individual in determining the type of accommodation provided. The ADA Section 503 Coordinator may seek documentation of the need for the accommodation before providing it unless the delay caused in seeing such documentation would cause the individual to be denied the opportunity to participate in the application process.
When all necessary medical documents have been received, the University’s ADA Section 503 Coordinator shall convene a meeting of the individual, the employee’s supervisor, any technical assistance providers if necessary, and the employee’s collective bargaining agent if appropriate, to discuss the essential functions of the job, specific limitations, identify potential accommodations and assess how effective each would be in enabling the individual to perform the essential functions of their job.
Rejecting a Reasonable Accommodation Request
The University ADA Section 503 Coordinator may reject an individual’s request for a reasonable accommodation for the following reasons:
- The individual is not an individual with a disability;
- The individual is able without an accommodation to:
- Perform the essential functions of the job or;
- Participate in the application process in an equally effective manner as individuals without disabilities;
- The individual’s request for a reasonable accommodation is primarily for the personal benefit of that individual; or
- The individual’s request for a reasonable accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the operations of the agency and there is no alternative reasonable accommodation; or
- The individual making the request for accommodation fails to participate in the interactive process.
Requests for Appeals
If a reasonable accommodation request is not approved, an employee or applicant may file an appeal with the ADA Section 504 Coordinator in the Office of Equal Opportunity following the University of Rhode Island Policy on Nondiscrimination.
Follow this link to access the URI Policy and Procedure on Nondiscrimination: https://web.uri.edu/policies/find/?_sf_s=Nondiscrimination
The Office of Equal Opportunity provides information regarding ADA Compliance.
V. RESPONSIBILITY:
Employees. Employees seeking an accommodation must submit a Reasonable Accommodation Request form and provide appropriate documentation certifying their disability status to initiate a request for workplace accommodation.
Applicants. Applicants seeking a reasonable accommodation must contact the URI ADA Section 503 Coordinator, Director of Personnel Services in the Office of Human Resource Administration to initiate a request for accommodation.
URI Office of Human Resource Administration. The ADA Section 503 Coordinator, Director of Personnel Services will review and provide a decision regarding the determination of eligibility and reasonable action, as well as monitor qualified disability status, in consultation with the Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity, Assistant Dean, Disability, Access, and Inclusion for Disability Services (Student Affairs), the Office of General Counsel, and the appropriate vice president/provost and/or department head.
URI REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION REQUEST FORM
