Federal, state, and local laws prevent discrimination in hiring and employment against qualified individuals with a disability.
An “individual with a disability” includes any person who:
Major life activities include but are not limited to, caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, seeing, hearing, eating, sleeping, walking, standing, lifting, bending, speaking, breathing, learning, reading, concentrating, thinking, communicating, and working.
Policy for Employing Individuals with Disabilities
It is the policy of the University to comply with federal, state, and local laws that forbid discrimination in employment against qualified individuals with disabilities and that require reasonable accommodation for qualified individuals with disabilities.
Procedure for Employing Individuals with Disabilities
The purpose of these procedures is to support equal opportunity in employment for all qualified individuals with disabilities and to reasonably accommodate qualified individuals with disabilities. In support of the University’s policy to comply fully with federal, state, and local laws that prohibit discrimination in employment against qualified individuals with disabilities, the Human Resources Office will use the following procedures:
Accommodation Procedures
Qualified applicants and employees with disabilities are encouraged to submit all requests for accommodation in writing. The request should contain the name, address, and telephone number of the person requesting the accommodation, and describe the requested accommodation and the reason for which the accommodation is being requested. If a request is made verbally to a supervisor, the supervisor shall put it in writing. All requests for accommodation must be referred to the Human Resources Office.
Upon receipt of an accommodation request, the Vice President of Human Resources or designee will meet with the applicant or employee requesting the accommodation to discuss and clarify the individual’s needs and to review potential accommodations that may meet those needs.
If necessary, the Vice President of Human Resources or designee will discuss potential accommodations with the individual’s supervisor or potential supervisor. Additionally, the Vice President of Human Resources or designee may contact outside agencies specializing in providing technical assistance for the disabled or consult with medical experts about potential accommodations.
In order to identify a reasonable accommodation, the Vice President of Human Resources or designee will undertake these activities:
In order to evaluate potential accommodations, the Vice President of Human Resources or designee may do one or more of the following:
The University is not required to make a reasonable accommodation if such accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the operation of the University. However, if a particular accommodation would impose an undue hardship, the University must consider whether there are alternative accommodations that would not impose such hardship.
An undue hardship is an action that requires significant difficulty or expense in relation to the size of the University, the resources available and the nature of the operation. The concept of undue hardship may include any action that meets one of these criteria:
The Vice President of Human Resources or designee shall determine whether an accommodation can be made without causing the University undue hardship. In choosing between multiple effective accommodations that would provide an equal employment opportunity, the University will consider the preference of the individual to be accommodated; however, the University ultimately has the authority to choose the accommodation to be provided.
Once the decision is reached as to whether an accommodation can be made without causing the University undue hardship or how an accommodation will be made, the Vice President of Human Resources or designee will inform the applicant or employee of the University’s decision regarding the accommodation.
Students with Disabilities
The policies, procedures and protocols regarding students with disabilities can be found on the policy website.
(Approved Feb. 2020)