Metro State University is committed to fostering an accessible and inclusive environment for all employees. Employees with disabilities or medical conditions may request reasonable accommodations when they experience barriers in the workplace or need modifications that enable them to perform the essential functions of their position and participate fully in university employment.
Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation
Employees seeking a workplace accommodation should begin the reasonable accommodation process by contacting Human Resources (HR). One way to initiate a request or ask questions about workplace accommodations is through the university’s Leave, FMLA, ADA, and Other Accommodation Questions service in TDX.
Requesting a reasonable accommodation is a voluntary process. Employees are encouraged to share information about the workplace barriers they are experiencing and the changes or supports that may provide effective access. Accommodation needs are considered individually because both employees and positions vary.
The interactive process
The interactive process is a collaborative exchange used to better understand an employee’s accommodation needs, identify relevant job functions and workplace barriers, and explore potential reasonable accommodations.
As part of this process, Human Resources may collaborate with the employee, the employee’s department or supervisor, the Center for Accessibility Resources (CAR), and other appropriate university partners, depending on the circumstances of the request. Information regarding the essential functions of the employee’s position and the work environment may be considered when evaluating potential accommodations.
CAR may serve as an accessibility resource during this process, providing consultation regarding disability access, barriers, and potential accommodation strategies when appropriate.
The goal of the interactive process is to identify an effective accommodation that provides equitable workplace access while allowing the essential functions of the position to be fulfilled. In some circumstances, a department may also be able to remove or reduce a workplace barrier through changes that benefit broader access, eliminating or reducing the need for an individual accommodation.
Reasonable accommodations
A reasonable accommodation is a modification or adjustment to the work environment, the manner or circumstances under which work is performed, or workplace policies or practices that enables a qualified individual with a disability to have equitable access to employment opportunities and perform the essential functions of their position.
Reasonable accommodations are individualized and depend on the employee’s disability-related needs, the essential functions of the position, and the circumstances of the workplace.
Examples of reasonable accommodations may include:
- Physical modifications: Changes to a workspace or physical environment to improve accessibility for an employee with a disability.
- Assistive technology and equipment: Specialized equipment, software, or workplace tools, such as screen readers, speech recognition software, or ergonomic equipment.
- Work schedule or location modifications: Adjustments to schedules, breaks, or work location when appropriate and consistent with the essential functions of the position.
- Job restructuring: Modifying how or when certain duties are performed or redistributing non-essential job duties while maintaining the essential functions of the position.
- Communication access: Providing sign language interpreters, captioning, assistive listening technology, or other forms of effective communication.
- Policy or procedure modifications: Modifying workplace policies or procedures when appropriate to provide disability-related access.
The examples above are not an exhaustive list, and a particular accommodation is not automatically reasonable or appropriate in every position. Accommodation requests are considered on a case-by-case basis through the interactive process.
Our commitment to workplace access
The purpose of reasonable accommodation is to provide employees with disabilities equitable access to employment and an opportunity to perform the essential functions of their positions.
Metro State University is committed to approaching workplace accessibility collaboratively. Human Resources coordinates the employee accommodation process, with CAR and other university partners available to provide accessibility expertise and support when appropriate.
Employees who would like to request an accommodation or have questions about the process can begin by contacting Human Resources or submitting an inquiry through the Leave, FMLA, ADA, and Other Accommodation Questions service in TDX.
Student employees
Student employees may have a unique experience with the reasonable accommodation process because they may already be connected with the Center for Accessibility Resources (CAR) for academic accommodations.
Student employees seeking a workplace accommodation should still begin the employee accommodation process with Human Resources (HR). When a student employee is already connected with CAR and has disability documentation on file, CAR and HR may work collaboratively, with the student employee’s permission, to support the process and reduce unnecessary duplication of information or documentation.
The intent of this collaboration is not to replace HR’s role in the employee accommodation process or to assume that an academic accommodation will automatically be appropriate in an employment setting. Rather, it recognizes that CAR may already have relevant disability-related information and can serve as a resource as HR and the student employee engage in the interactive process regarding the student’s employment.
Because the essential functions and circumstances of a student employment position may differ from the requirements of a student’s academic program or courses, workplace accommodations are considered separately from academic accommodations and are determined based on the individual employment situation.
This collaborative approach helps ensure that student employees have a clear path to workplace accommodations without being asked to unnecessarily repeat portions of a disability-access process they have already completed with the university.