The U.S. workforce continues to grow and evolve as time passes. Companies need to be aware of the general makeup of their employees, so businesses can better accommodate their workers. It's not uncommon for organizations to have multiple people with disabilities on their roster. Yet, as the Americans with Disabilities Act alters its definitions of a disability and updates their requirements for employers, companies have to rise to meet the occasion.
Triton Benefits and HR Solutions has three ways business leaders can create an accessible workplace. But first, let's take a look at the requisites put forth by the ADA:
Defense against discrimination
The ADA was put into place to ensure citizens with disabilities didn't experience prejudice in the workplace, transportation, state and local government services, telecommunications and public accommodations. The law provides a definition of a disability as:
- A physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a person's major life activities, including walking, seeing and hearing, among others.
- Having a record of such an impairment.
- Being reported as having such an impairment.
Companies have to comply with the ADA or face penalties.Employers are required to provide reasonable accommodations to workers with disabilities. These changes to the workplace or job can take the form of position restructuring, modifying facilities to be more accessible and providing unpaid leave for people to receive necessary medical treatment, according to Nolo.
In addition to reasonable accommodations, there are several other actions employers can take to ensure their workers with disabilities are comfortable and protected in the workplace. Here are three examples:
"Reasonable accommodations are not one-size-fits-all fixes."
1. Approach each case separately
Every employee's needs are different and must be treated as such. Human resources leaders should be aware of the various ways they can be made aware of workers with disabilities who may potentially require reasonable accommodations. Although this information sometimes comes in the form of a written document, it doesn't have to be. Even a brief mention of how a condition makes it difficult for a person to complete their work-related duties could be called into question if supervisors don't take it seriously.
Once managers are cognizant of the potential for limitations resulting from a disability, they need to interact with employees to find a reasonable accommodation that suits the worker specifically. While some approaches may work for multiple employees with disabilities, more often than not company leaders should create a new strategy dependent on what the worker and the company believe is best for both parties, according to The Society for Human Resource Management.
2. Teach politically correct language
Over the years, there have been many questions relating to how to respectfully talk about disabilities. It can be a difficult topic, as business leaders and employees alike don't want to make an offensive remark without knowing they've committed an error. Here's a good rule of thumb: Put the person first. A disability is what someone has, not what someone is, according to Diversity Inc. Below is a helpful chart that shows the difference between common, but incorrect language and appropriate terminology, according to The HR Council:
|
Use This |
Not That |
| Person with a disability | Suffers from/ Victim of/ Disabled |
| Person with autism | Autistic |
| Person with a congenital disability/ disability since birth | Birth defect, congential defect |
| Person who is blind/ with a vision disability | Blind/ visually impaired |
| Person with a brain/ head injury | Brain damaged |
| Person who uses a wheelchair | Wheelchair bound |
| Person with a mental health disability | Crazy, insane, psycho, maniac, schizophrenic |
| Person who is deaf | Deaf/ hearing impaired |
| Non-visible disability | Hidden disability |
| Person with a learning disability | Learning disability |
| Person with an intellectual disability | Mentally retarded |
| Person with a development disability | Midget/ Dwarf |
| Person with a speech impairment | Stutterer |
| Person who is deaf without speech | Deaf mute |
| Person with a mobility impairment | Cripple/ Crippled |
The best way to change the language about disabilities is to share it with family and friends. Company leaders should educate all employees on the right way to speak about the disability community to ensure employees with disabilities feel supported in the workplace.
3. Ask for input
The goal of the ADA is to make sure people with disabilities feel included in every situation and environment possible. While taking the necessary legal steps to ensure this goal is accomplished is important, leaders need to make sure they're actually listening to the wants and needs of employees with disabilities. To do so, companies should frequently request input and insight from their workers. Whether through one-on-one meetings, town halls or public forums, organizational executives can learn a lot from the disability community to ensure the workplace is as supportive as possible. Business owners and HR generalists with further questions should contact Triton Benefits and HR Solutions for consultative advice.