Reasonable accommodations and undue hardship under the ADA

People in Houston with a disability often still must earn an income to support their families. Moreover, having a job is a source of pride for many. However, in the past employers would not hire or would lay off a worker with a disability. For this reason, the federal American with Disabilities Act was enacted to prohibit employers from discriminating against those with disabilities, and generally must provide disabled workers with reasonable accommodations.

What are reasonable accommodations?

Under the ADA, reasonable accommodations are those that help disabled workers have equal rights in employment as workers who are not disabled. Reasonable accommodations may take the form of a job modification, a modification to the work environment or the way that the work is performed. Reasonable accommodations generally do not cost much. According to one source, 58% of accommodations can be done at no cost or around $500.

What is an undue hardship?

There is an exception to reasonable accommodations — undue hardship. Employers covered by the ADA do not have to provide reasonable accommodations if doing so would cause them an “undue hardship.” An undue hardship exists when providing the accommodation would be significantly difficult or expensive, given the size of the workplace, financial resources and the nature and structure of how the workplace operates.

Learn more about discrimination in the workplace

Disabled individuals who want to work should not be discriminated against if all it takes for them to perform their job is a reasonable accommodation. This post is for educational purposes only and does not contain legal advice. Those who want to learn more about disability discrimination in the workplace are encouraged to explore our firm’s website for further information.