Reasonable Accommodations for Disabilities

Employers in New York and New Jersey must provide reasonable accommodations to their disabled employees. A reasonable accommodation is a way to allow an employee who has a disability to perform the essential functions of his or her job.

Depending on the circumstances, a reasonable accommodation for a disability can include modifications to the way a task is performed, using special equipment or technology, or allowing time off from work.

For example, depending on the specific facts, the following can be a reasonable accommodation for a disability:

• Allowing you to work from home;
• Permitting you to work a modified or part-time schedule;
• Allowing you to take an unpaid medical leave;
• Removing marginal (non-essential) job responsibilities;
• Changing how or when you perform certain tasks;
• Providing you with assistance to perform certain tasks;
  
• Reassigning you to another open job;
• Providing you special equipment or devices; or
  
• Changing workplace policies

While the law requires employers to provide a reasonable accommodation, it does not require them to provide an accommodation if it is unreasonable.

Generally, an accommodation is reasonable as long as its cost does not outweigh its benefit. In addition, your employer is not required to provide an accommodation that would eliminate or waive an essential function of your job.

In determining whether an accommodation is reasonable, the context matters. Since affordability is a factor, larger and more profitable companies are likely to be required to provide more costly accommodations to their employees.

Likewise, proportionality between the cost of the accommodation and the overall cost of the employee to the company, including salary and benefits, can be relevant. For example, while it probably is unreasonable to require a company to provide an accommodation that costs $20,000 per year to an employee making minimum wage, it might be reasonable to provide the same accommodation to an employee making $250,000 per year.

The duration of the accommodation also can be important. While certain accommodations can be reasonable even if they are necessary for as long as the employee remains in the job, other accommodations might be reasonable only for a relatively short and predictable period.

If you have a disability, our New Jersey reasonable accommodation attorneys can help you request an appropriate accommodation. You can contact our employment law firm at (201) 777-2250.

If you request an accommodation, your employer must engage in an "interactive process" with you to discuss how it can accommodate you. During this process, the employer should try to learn your limitations and work with you to determine how it can accommodate you. You and your employer need to communicate with each other, and you need to respond to your employer's reasonable requests for additional information.

While the employer is not necessarily required to provide you with the accommodation you requested, it must provide one that will allow you to perform the essential function of your job if one exists. 

Failing to provide a reasonable accommodation is a form of disability discrimination and is legally actionable. See our article: New Jersey Court finds Adverse Action Not Required for Failure to Accommodate Claim.

Under both New Jersey and New York law, employees are entitled to reasonable accommodations for pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding, whether or not the employee has a disability. Please see our reasonable accommodations for pregnancy page for details. Or, you may want to read one of the following articles written by our New Jersey reasonable accommodation lawyers:

• New Jersey Passes Law Prohibiting Pregnancy Discrimination
• New Rights for Pregnant Employees in NYC

As with disabilities, employees also are entitled to reasonable accommodations for their religious beliefs. More information is available on our reasonable accommodations for religious beliefs page.

If you have been denied an accommodation for your disability at your job in either New Jersey or New York, one of our New Jersey reasonable accommodation attorneys can help.

We have helped employees obtain accommodations so they can remain employed. Likewise, we have represented clients who were fired or forced to resign because their employer refused to comply with its legal obligation to provide one. Please feel free to contact us online, or to call us at (201) 777-2250, to schedule a meeting with one of our employment lawyers.