Work Accommodations
Reed College is committed to providing reasonable work accommodations to qualified applicants and employees with disabilities who need them in order to enjoy equal employment opportunities. Workplace accommodations are any change to the work environment or in the way tasks/work are customarily carried out that enables the employee with a disability to be considered for the position, to perform the essential functions of their positions, or to enjoy equal benefits of employment. Each request is assessed on a case-by-case basis. Human Resources will facilitate an interactive process, whereby you and your supervisor and HR work together to attempt to find reasonable accommodation options.
Reed College’s disability accommodation process is intended to be collaborative and interactive. The goal of the process is to remove barriers to the performance of the essential functions and requirements of the job. Essential functions are fundamental job duties or requirements of a position that you must be able to perform, with or without an accommodation.
Disability Work Accommodations Process
- Notify your direct manager/dean of your intention to request a reasonable accommodation.
- Complete and submit the Accommodation Request form in Etrieve.
- Human Resources will contact you to confirm receipt of the request and to schedule a meeting with you and your direct manager/dean within 5-7 business days, if not sooner.
- In most cases you will be required to complete an additional form that includes a statement from your healthcare provider in order to assess your functional limitations.
*Do not submit medical statements or information to your supervisor. At no time will you be required to disclose the nature of your disability with your supervisor or with other colleagues. In addition, you should not provide any genetic information such as your family medical history, results of genetic tests or genetic services.
Approval Steps
- Once the interactive process is initiated, HR will assess whether or not you have a disability based on the requirements outlined under the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) or related state law.
- Once accommodations are requested, HR will determine if they are reasonable and do not create an undue hardship to the College.
- Approved accommodation(s) will be identified by HR and documented in a letter to you and your manager/dean. This letter will include an anticipated start date and review date.
Confidentiality
Your medical information is kept confidential and separate from your employee file. During the interactive process supervisors are not informed of the nature of your disability. Supervisors are informed of the nature of the request and of what possible accommodations may be offered in order for you to perform the essential functions of your job.
Supervisor Responsibilities
- Contact Human Resources if an employee tells you about a health problem that could impact their ability to perform their job, even if they do not make a specific accommodation request. You can initiate a request on behalf of your employee by submitting this form to HR.
- If the employee notifies you that they do not wish to request an accommodation or engage in the process, it is still your responsibility to complete the request form and submit it to HR.
- If you receive documents containing medical information, immediately forward them in a confidential manner to Human Resources. Never keep medical information on any of your employees.
- Never ask your employee for personal medical information. If an employee starts to share information with you that includes personal medical information, make sure to let them know that you do not need to know this information.
- When discussing with an employee their accommodation request, always focus on the workplace requirements of the modification being requested, not on the disability itself.