“Just because a man lacks the use of his eyes doesn’t mean he lacks vision.” – Stevie Wonder***
An accommodation is an action or change that removes a barrier to learning or getting work done for individuals with a physical, mental or emotional disabilities. Accommodating disabilities can be inclusive good faith efforts or changes made to meet legal requirements.
When I say “good faith efforts” I am referring to actions taken by organizations and industries that are aimed at creating more accessibility to tools, equipment, resources and assistance without a special, individualized request or need. They do it to make things easier for some knowing that all or most others can also benefit from the change. In many cases the accommodations are or were originally aimed at persons with disabilities but they help others as well. Ultimately, the mindset we should embrace is that accommodations are good practice. They are inclusive and they help others succeed.
A few examples of this include
- Closed Caption or Subtitles. These were created for the deaf and hard of hearing but they help us to better understand movies and television shows in noisy environments, when the sound isn’t quite right or when watching programs where people speak a language we do not know.
- Voice Control. Methods of voice control were created for the visually impaired to be able to more easily navigate computer devices or phones using their voices. Now most of us utilize this artificial intelligence regularly with Google Assistant, Siri and Alexa.
- Interpersonal and Communication Supports. These can aid individuals with communication or language barriers as well as people who struggle with social interactions and business functions. The supports can obviously make everyone function more effectively. They include holding brief daily or weekly huddles to keep everyone on the team informed and focused on the same goals, prepare everyone for upcoming meetings by providing agendas and brief outlines ahead of time to allow contemplation and idea formulation before the meeting. Provide information in meetings and trainings in multiple formats, such as written form, through video as well as verbally, being careful to ensure the videos are closed captioned as well.
1. Identify the Barriers
When we think of accommodating individuals and removing barriers to success, we often think of physical disabilities and accommodations such as wheelchair accommodations, desk heights, room arrangements, computer screens and software etc. We do, however, need to be mindful and just as diligent with the accommodations of a wider array of disabilities such as learning disabilities and other… well… less stereotypic disabilities. These can be what we call a hidden or invisible disability. By this we mean, they are not easily identified unless the person reveals it. In such cases, what a supervisor or employees mistakenly perceives as poor work skills, a lack of productivity or even laziness may actually be a learning disability that needs a reasonable accommodation to help the individual be successful.
Hidden disabilities can include chronic illnesses such as renal failure, diabetes, and sleep disorders if those diseases significantly impair normal activities of daily living. It can also include chronic back conditions, fibromyalgia, ADHD, Asthma, Endometriosis and many more.
Invisible or visible, accommodations are real. To encourage individuals to step forward for the help they need and partnering with them to solve the challenges they face is a rewarding part of a leadership role.
Examples of things a person with a hidden disability might struggle with may be trouble with reading, writing, memory, hearing, organizing and spelling, some of which are categorized as executive functioning. Executive function is the combination of mental skills that include working memory, flexible thinking, and self-control. These are daily skills we need to learn, work, and manage daily life. Trouble with executive function can make it difficult for a person to focus, follow instruction, and handle frustrations and other emotions, among other things.
One example of an executive function challenge requiring an accommodation would be a person who has difficulty doing more than one task while managing interruptions from co-workers. A few possible accommodations might include:
- Hanging a “Do Not Disturb” sign outside their door or workstation when they need to avoid interruptions.
- Writing down what they were doing when interruptions occur, so that they can seamlessly pick up where they left off.
2. Do Not Make Assumptions About Needed Accommodations – Ask
The individual(s) in need of an accommodation can be one of our best resources for determining the best accommodations. After talking with the person about their disability, the designated company/school representatives should then discuss appropriate accommodations for each area of disability.
3. Know the Laws Impacting Disabilities At Work & School
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA) and the Rehabilitation Act.
ADA
The ADA, was passed in 1990. It prohibits discrimination on the basis of a disability in employment, state and local government, public accommodations, commercial facilities, transportation, telecommunications and the United States Congress. It provides protection to those who have a disability or a relationship or association with a person with a disability. It defines an individual with a disability to be a person with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a person who has a history or record of such an impairment, or a person who is perceived by others as having such an impairment. The ADA does not specifically name all of the impairments that it covers.
IDEA
IDEA requires public school systems to develop appropriate Individualized Education Programs (IEP’s) for each child with a disability. The specific special education needs and services outlined in each IEP reflect the individualized needs of the student. The objective of the IDEA is for public schools to make a free individually appropriate public education available to all eligible children with disabilities in the least restrictive environment.
Rehabilitation Act
The Rehabilitation Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in Federal employment, in the employment practices of federal contractors, programs conducted by Federal agencies and in programs receiving Federal financial assistance. The determination of employment discrimination under the Rehabilitation Act are the same as those used in title I of the ADA.
These laws require schools, workplaces and others to provide equal access to individuals with disabilities because they have a legal right to reasonable accommodations.
4. Do the Research to Find Solutions
Accommodations will not change the job duties that a person is responsible for nor will it change the material a student is required to learn in school. They do, however, change how people get their work done and how people learn.
Multiple resources are available to help identify appropriate, helpful accommodations for differing needs. The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) is a leading source of confidential guidance on job accommodations and employment issues related to disabilities. They provide free, expert consultants who can advise and support a business’ process of identifying effective accommodations.
We often think of Part of the research process can include investigating what others have done in other companies for the same disability.
5. Follow Up & Make Needed Adjustments
When putting accommodations in place for individuals make the concerted effort necessary to ensure that what has been decided upon for them
a) Has actually been put into place
b) Is actually being utilized as planned
c) Is working
If the answer to any of these is a “no” fix it and check again. If it is not working pull all the right players back to the table to identify exactly why it is not working. I recently had a discussion with a group that was working on accommodating a student. One of the accommodations seemed to be ineffective. After thought and discussion, it was clear that the accommodation was a good one but it was limited to one area of the student’s education but was needed for each class
6. Encourage Those in Need to Make Their Needs Known
Children and teens in need of accommodations in school are often hesitant to take advantage of accommodations or to speak up when they need these resources and assistance. Adults can experience the same hesitation in school and in the workplace. They may struggle with not wanting to be treated differently than their peers or not wanting to be viewed as “less than” in their capabilities and accomplishments.
Anyone in need of accommodations should be encouraged to seek assistance from leaders, administrators and educators to remove the barriers that exacerbate challenges at work or school. The ultimate goal of accommodating is to level the playing field for those who may fall behind due to no fault of their own.
Benefits of Accommodating Others
Though companies who implement accommodations for their employees, experience a number of direct and indirect benefits. According to a survey done by JAN in 2020 the most frequently mentioned direct benefits were: (1) the company was able to retain a valued employee, (2) it increased the employee’s productivity, and (3) the accommodation eliminated the costs of training a new employee. The survey also indicated that the most widely mentioned indirect benefits employers received were: (1) improved interactions with co-workers, (2) increased overall company morale, and (3) increased overall company productivity.
The majority of accommodations that companies make are no cost or low cost, with the median cost being $500.
Closing Thoughts
Problem solving for and with individuals to help them to be more effective is not only helpful in building success opportunities for them but it is also rewarding for everyone involved. Some shy away from the idea unless they are required by law to address it, however, there may be more people than we realize, under our leadership who live with hidden or invisible disabilities.
There may even be people in our homes and family who need to be given greater consideration, understanding and accommodation to be more successful and feel more love and acceptance. If we could extend more understanding and grace, we can move from compassion to action in helping achieve greater progress outside the home. When we stop expecting everyone to function at the same level or in the same way we perceive ourselves to be functioning, we might help our own communities or society as a whole, overcome our own barriers to advancement. We might very well be impeding the prosperity and success of one who can develop the cure for cancer, dementia… or Covid-19! Think about it.
Best Regards,
C.
Photo: pexels-tara-winstead-8378748