JAN Role-Play Training Series: Telework as an Accommodation

This video demonstrates that when an employee with a disability realizes benefits from teleworking that enable them to be productive, they may request this as an accommodation, even when a workplace policy or practice usually limits telework for employees without disabilities. Due to associated benefits to health, safety, and/or productivity from their experience teleworking, employees with various disabilities are now more willing to disclose a disability and to request to work at home as a reasonable accommodation.

The video shows that, when an exception to a telework policy/practice is requested due to a disability-related reason as a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), an employer may ask for personal health information to provide a flexible work arrangement that may not be available to others.

Points made:
• Employees with disabilities who never requested accommodations prior to teleworking may realize benefits from working at home that enhance productivity.
• A policy/practice exception may need to be considered as a reasonable accommodation under the ADA.
• This request necessitates a collaborative interactive process.
• Telework is a form of accommodation under the ADA.
• Medical/personal health information may be requested to support an ADA reasonable accommodation request, when appropriate.
• There are ADA confidentiality rules that restrict sharing disability-related information with coworkers.