A verbal reasonable accommodation request starts the reasonable accommodation process
The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, in conjunction with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), requires federal agencies to provide reasonable accommodation to qualified Individuals or applicants with disabilities, unless to do so would cause undue hardship. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission states, “A reasonable accommodation is any change in the workplace, or the way things are customarily done that provides an equal employment opportunity to an individual with a disability. While there are some things that are not considered reasonable accommodations (e.g., removal of an essential job function or personal use items such as a hearing aid that is needed on and off the job), reasonable accommodations can cover most things that enable an individual to apply for a job, perform a job, or have equal access to the workplace and employee benefits such as kitchens, parking lots, and office events.” Some common types of accommodations include, but are not limited to, sit-to-stand desk, telework, assistive technology and software.” DoDEA is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. Reasonable accommodations are provided to remove barriers that prevent individual with disabilities from applying for jobs, performing the essential functions of the position held or desired, gaining access to the workplace, or enjoying equal benefits and privileges of employment as individual without disabilities. If you would like to make a reasonable accommodation request, please use the RA templates below and return them to your first line supervisor and/or your headquarters or regional disability program manager If a requester chooses not to use the Templates provided to request reasonable accommodation, all required information must be provided by some other means. If you believe you need a reasonable accommodation, you should do the following:
The Reasonable Accommodation Templates are used to assist EEOP staff with processing Reasonable Accommodation (RA) requests from employees and applicants. You may be asked to provide medical documentation with the diagnosis, prognosis and recommended accommodation from your attending physician using the Medical Documentation Template. In some instances, requesters may also need to complete a Medical Release Template when clarification is needed on the medical information provided. This template authorizes the Disability Program Manager to communicate with your provider, when necessary.
If you are interested in Personal Assistance Services (PAS), please visit PAS.
Resolution OptionsAn employee who disagrees with the resolution of his/her request may ask the Disability Program Manager (DPM), to reconsider that decision within 10 business days of receiving this memorandum and/or the “Deciding Official Documentation.” Note that requesting reconsideration does not extend the time limits for initiating a complaint of discrimination. If you are dissatisfied with the resolution and wish to pursue either an administrative claim or file a grievance under the applicable collective-bargaining agreement, you may select one of the following steps:
Please contact your regional Disability Program Manager with questions about the reasonable accommodation process.
Reasonable Accommodation Laws
Guidance and Regulations
Accommodation Resources
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