DC government agencies are required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to provide reasonable accommodations for qualified employees and applicants with disabilities when necessary to allow them to perform the essential functions of their jobs, unless the accommodation would pose an undue financial or administrative burden or a direct threat to health or safety.
The DC Office of Disability Rights (ODR) is available to assist agencies and employees with disabilities with reasonable accommodations and other disability issues. ODR’s primary function is to provide technical assistance to agencies that may not have the necessary expertise to identify appropriate reasonable accommodations. ODR can assist agencies to identify and acquire equipment and services needed for reasonable accommodations.Most reasonable accommodations are low-cost or no-cost. However, ODR is also offering a pilot program to assist agencies with funding to pay for reasonable accommodations.
Taking into account the preference of the qualified individual, the agency’s ADA Coordinator or other appropriate staff must consult with the employee or applicant with a disability and determine the accommodation that best serves the needs of the qualified individual and the agency. The agency has the discretion to choose a less expensive accommodation, an accommodation that is easier to provide or an accommodation that is less disruptive to the overall operations of the program. However, the agency must ensure that the accommodation provided is effective. The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) can be contacted for assistance in making this assessment at 1-800-232-9675 (Voice/TTY) or http://janweb.icdi.wvu.edu/.
For more information on the reasonable accommodation process, see the DC Government Manual for Accommodating Employees with Disabilities at http://odr.dc.gov.
Contact Haydn Demas, ADA Compliance Specialist (Employment) at (202) 442-4692 or haydn.demas@dc.gov with inquiries or questions regarding the Reasonable Accommodations Funding Program.
Agency Request Procedure for Reasonable Accommodation Funding: