Americans with Disabilities Act

The Americans with Disabilities Act was passed in 1990 to halt the systemic exclusion of persons with disabilities from the benefits and services available to most citizens. The act applies to education, employment, transportation, communications and public accommodations.

Human Resources serves as the coordinator for employment requests for reasonable accommodations and works with employees, with qualifying disabilities, who may need some type of reasonable accommodation to be successful in their work assignment.

Reasonable Accommodations

According to the ADA, an employer must provide a reasonable accommodation for the known limitations of a qualified applicant or employee with a disability, unless the employer can show that the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the business, or no accommodation exists that would eliminate a direct threat that the limitation poses to the health or safety of the person or others.

Declining to Provide Accommodations

The Human Resource Office may decline to provide an accommodation if such accommodation is an "undue hardship" or "direct threat". If an employee feels that an accommodation has been declined inappropriately, they have the right to file a complaint with the Affirmative Action Office. (507-389-2986)

What you need to know...

• "Reasonable Accommodation" is any change or adjustment to the job, the work environment, or the way work is customarily done which permits a qualified applicant or employee with a disability to perform the essential functions.
• A disability is a physical or mental impairment that limits one or more major life activity.
• "Disability" is established on a case by case, based upon the affect it has on the life of the individual.
• Employees and applicants currently engaging in the illegal use of drugs are not covered by the ADA.
• Employers may hold illegal drug users and alcoholics to the same performance standards as other employees.