What is a reasonable accommodation?

What are reasonable accommodations?
For existing employees, reasonable accommodations may include any of the following:

• Sick leave
• Unpaid additional leave
• Modifications or adjustments to the work environment (or to the manner or circumstances under which the position held or desired is customarily performed) that enable a qualified individual with a disability to perform the essential functions of the position
• Modifications or adjustments that enable an employee with a disability to enjoy equal benefits and privileges of employment as are enjoyed by other similarly situated employees without disabilities
• Leave of absence
• Part-time or modified work schedules
• Assistance in the performance of an essential job function
• Modifying equipment or devices
• Providing qualified readers or interpreters

What are unreasonable accommodations?
Examples of unreasonable accommodations include:

• Promoting an employee to a position for which they are not qualified
• Lowering quality or quantity standards
• Providing personal use items like glasses and hearing aids
• Creating a new position for an employee

What is a qualified employee?

The ADA and FEHA define a qualified employee as a person who:

1. Satisfies the requisite skill, experience, education, and other job-related requirements of their current job (or job to which they are applying)
2. Can perform the essential job functions (not including the marginal job functions), with or without reasonable accommodation.