It is illegal for an employer to discriminate based on their disability. In many cases, employers need to make reasonable accommodations if they can do so without creating a hardship. There may be simple steps they can take to allow a worker who has suffered a disabling injury to continue in their capacity at the business.
Of course, this doesn’t apply to all positions. Someone who suffers a spinal cord injury may no longer be able to do the physical tasks they could do before. However, there are often ways that employers can alter roles and responsibilities, and they can make accommodations so that the worker doesn’t lose their job. What are some examples of reasonable accommodations?
Simple modifications
Often, all it takes is a simple modification to the person’s job duties. For instance, they may need a more flexible work schedule so that they can attend medical appointments or only work for shorter periods. They may need to be given less physically intense tasks to carry out, depending on the nature of their disability.
For instance, a worker at a grocery store may suffer from a disability that makes it impossible for them to stock shelves. They simply don’t have the strength or they have mobility issues that prevent them from doing so. But the employee can still work at a desk, answer phones, work as a cashier, move into customer service and much more.
In some cases, the employee may need to be provided with an alternative worksite. An employee with a disability may be given duties that they can do from home, for instance, while other workers are required to come to the office. Additionally, employers can use technological advancements to assist these workers. Someone with visual impairments could use a text-to-audio system to read their computer screen, for example.
Every situation is different, but it’s important to understand what rights disabled workers have and how reasonable accommodations apply.