Suggestions for Specific Accommodations

Many functional limitations and symptoms are common to many different types of disabilities.
Here is a list of common symptoms/limitations and suggested accommodations for each:

Attendance Issues

• Provide flexible leave for health problems
• Provide a self-paced work load and flexible hours
• Allow employee to work from home
• Provide part-time work schedule

Chemical sensitivity

• Provide sensitivity training to coworkers
• Provide air purification.
• Provide additional rest breaks for the individual to step out for fresh air.
• Create a smoke and fragrance-free work environment.
• Consider an alternative work arrangement such as work from home.
• Allow for alternative work arrangements when construction is taking place.
• Use alternative pest management practice that will not require the use of chemicals.
• Allow the individual to wear a respirator while working.
• Allow alternative communication patterns to allow the individual to avoid situations that create physical discomfort (e.g., e-mails versus face-to-face meetings)

Difficulty handling stress & emotions

• Develop strategies to deal with work problems before they arise
• Provide sensitivity training to coworkers
• Provide praise and positive reinforcement
• Refer to counseling and employee assistance programs
• Allow telephone calls during work hours to doctors and others for support
• Provide information on counseling and employee assistance programs
• Allow the employee to take a break to use stress management techniques to deal with frustration

Difficulty working effectively with supervisors

• Provide positive praise and reinforcement
• Provide written job instructions
• Write clear expectations of responsibilities and consequences of not meeting them
• Allow for open communication to managers and supervisors
• Provide written work agreements
• Develop a procedure to evaluate the effectiveness of the accommodation
• Establish written long term and short term goals
• Develop strategies to deal with problems before they arise

Difficulty Maintaining Concentration

• Reduce distractions clutter in the employee’s work area
• Provide space enclosures or a private office
• Allow for use of white noise or environmental sound machines
• Allow the employee to play soothing music using a cassette player and headset
• Increase natural lighting or provide full spectrum lighting
• Plan for uninterrupted work time

Difficulty Staying Organized and Meeting Deadlines

• Make daily TO-DO lists and check items off as they are completed
• Use several calendars to mark meetings and deadlines
• Remind employee of important deadlines via memos or e-mail or weekly supervision
• Use a watch or pager with timer capability
• Use electronic organizers
• Divide large assignments into smaller tasks and steps
• Assign a mentor to assist employee determining goals and provide daily guidance
• Schedule weekly meetings with supervisor, manager or mentor to determine if goals are being met

Fatigue/Weakness

• Reduce or eliminate physical exertion and workplace stress
• Schedule periodic rest breaks away from the workstation
• Allow work from home
• Implement ergonomic workstation design
• Provide a scooter or other mobility aid if walking cannot be reduced
• Provide parking close to the work-site
• Install automatic door openers
• Make sure materials and equipment are within reach range
• Move workstation close to other work areas, office equipment, and break rooms
• Reduce noise with sound absorbent baffles/partitions, environmental sound machines, and headsets
• Provide alternate work space to reduce visual and auditory distractions
• Allow a flexible work schedule and flexible use of leave time

Fine Motor Impairment:

• Implement ergonomic workstation design
• Provide alternative computer access
• Provide alternative telephone access
• Provide arm supports
• Provide writing and grip aids
• Provide a page turner and a book holder
• Provide a note taker

Gross Motor Impairment:

• Modify the work-site to make it accessible
• Provide parking close to the work-site
• Provide an accessible entrance
• Install automatic door openers
• Provide an accessible restroom and break room
• Provide an accessible route of travel to other work areas used by the employee
• Modify the workstation to make it accessible
• Adjust desk height if wheelchair or scooter is used
• Make sure materials and equipment are within reach range
• Move workstation close to other work areas, office equipment, and break rooms

Hearing & Speech Impairments

• Provide a qualified interpreter for certain functions such as training sessions
• Provide close-captioned videos for training/instructional purposes
• Provide TDD equipment
• Provide sensitivity and etiquette training for coworkers
• Install visual alarms such as flashing lights
• Establish buddy system so a hearing coworker can alert employee to an emergency
• Use alternative communications methods (e-mail, written notes, etc).
• Provide telephone amplifiers

Maintaining Stamina during the Workday

• Flexible scheduling
• Allow longer or more frequent work breaks
• Provide additional time to learn new responsibilities
• Provide self-paced workload
• Provide backup coverage for when the employee needs to take breaks
• Allow for time off for counseling
• Allow employee to work from home during part of the day
• Provide for job sharing opportunities
• Part time work schedules

Medical Treatment Allowances:

• Provide flexible schedules
• Provide flexible leave
• Allow employee to work from home
• Provide part-time work schedules
• Allow a self-paced workload with flexible hours

Memory Deficits

• Allow the employee to tape record meetings
• Provide type written minutes of each meeting
• Use notebooks, calendars, or sticky notes to record information for easy retrieval
• Provide written as well as verbal instructions
• Allow additional training time
• Provide written checklists
• Provide environmental cues to assist in memory for locations of items, such as labels, color coding, or bulletin boards
• Post instructions over all frequently used equipment

Photosensitivity (Sensitivity to light)

• Minimize outdoor activities between the peak hours of 10:00 am and 4:00 PM
• Avoid reflective surfaces such as sand, snow, and concrete
• Provide clothing to block UV rays
• Provide "waterproof" sun-protective agents such as sunblocks or sunscreens
• Install low wattage overhead lights
• Provide task lighting
• Replace fluorescent lighting with full spectrum or natural lighting
• Eliminate blinking and flickering lights
• Install adjustable window blinds and light filters

Physical Limitations

• Install ramps, handrails, and provide handicap parking spaces
• Install lever style door handles
• Clear pathways of travel of any unnecessary equipment and furniture
• Install wheelchair-accessible workstations
• Problem Solving Deficits
• Provide picture diagrams of problem solving techniques, i.e. flow charts
• Restructure the job to include only essential functions
• Assign a supervisor, manager or mentor to be available when the employee has questions

Respiratory Difficulties:

• Provide adjustable ventilation
• Keep work environment free from dust, smoke, odor, and fumes
• Implement a "fragrance-free" workplace policy and a "smoke free" building policy
• Avoid temperature extremes
• Use fan/air-conditioner or heater at the workstation
• Redirect air conditioning and heating vents

Seizures

• Flexibility in work schedule to allow use of public transportation
• Job restructuring (e.g., assign driving duties to coworker)
• Automatic cutoff switches on machinery
• Have a pillow available to support head during seizure
• Staff first aid training and first aid posters in workplace
• Eliminate strobe-type flashing lights
• Install safety shield around machinery
• Install soft carpet to cover hard flooring in work area

Skin Irritations:

• Avoid infectious agents and chemicals
• Provide protective clothing

Sleep Disorder:

• Allow flexible work hours
• Allow frequent breaks
• Allow work from home

Temperature Sensitivity:

• Modify work-site temperature
• Modify dress code
• Use fan/air-conditioner or heater at the workstation
• Allow flexible scheduling and flexible use of leave time
• Allow work from home during extremely hot or cold weather
• Maintain the ventilation system
• Redirect air conditioning and heating vents
• Provide an office with separate temperature control
• Provide a hand mister/sprayer that enables employee to cool off

Visual Problems

• Provide written information in large print
• Change fluorescent lights to high intensity, white lights
• Increase natural lighting
• Provide a glare guard for computer monitors
• Consult a vision specialist particularly with someone who has lost part of or all of their vision

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State of California Employment Development Department | Interwork Institute, San Diego State University Research Foundation