Supportive Learning
ACCESS wants to build collaborative relationships with all faculty to provide support in the institutional goal of providing equal access for all SIUE students.
We can:
- Talk about an individual student's accommodations
- Help refer a student you suspect has a disability/diagnosis
- Troubleshoot any difficulty you are having with implementing accommodations
- Support and document your efforts in providing access
- Discuss the boundaries between characteristics or a diagnosis and student conduct
- Visit your department meeting to answer accommodations questions unique to your discipline
- Offer teaching strategies, tools or equipment that increase the accessibility in your curriculum
- Teach you how and provide resources to improve accessibility of classroom materials
Part of our job is to assist you in finding ways to remove unintentional barriers and identify accommodations that ensure diverse learners are able to fully access the courses and programming available at SIUE.
Course Accessibility Checklist
Faculty are encouraged to use the ACCESS Course Accessibility Checklist to ensure their courses have been designed in ways that are inclusive and accessible.
Event Accessibility Statement
"Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) encourages persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation, including alternate format media or have questions about the physical access provided, please call the office for Accessible Campus Community & Equitable Student Support (ACCESS) at 618.650.3726 or email myaccess@siue.edu in advance of your participation.”
Employee Accommodations with ACCESS
Faculty and Staff who wish to receive accommodations at SIUE need to identify themselves by registering with ACCESS through the Accommodate portal and submitting appropriate medical documentation validating the request. When choosing the "...role for which you are completing this request", select "Employee". Individuals who believe they have a diagnosis but do not yet have supporting documentation should still register using the link below, and ACCESS will discuss further assistance and/or appropriate referral at the time of your intake appointment.
Medical Inquiry and Authorization Form
In the event you are unable to obtain or upload medical documentation related to your accommodation request at the time of submission, please download and submit the Medical Release / Accommodation Verification Form to your profile via Accommodate. Once filled out this form can either be sent to a physician to craft more tailored documentation specific to the request or it can be submitted separately as a document granting permission to communicate with your physician(s) regarding the request and recommendations for moving forward. Either way, this will allow us to move one step further in the overall interactive process.
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Resources for Employee Accommodations
Employee Accommodations (FAQ)
Employee: How do I know whether I have a disability under the ADA and whether I'm entitled to workplace accommodations?
Under the ADA, you are entitled to accommodations if you meet the definition of disability, are qualified for the job, need an accommodation because of said disability, and work for an employer that has at least 15 employees. There is no defined list of medical conditions that meet the definition of disability, and each case is determined on a case by case basis through an individualized process based on the requesting party's specific limitations.
If you think you might meet the definition of disability, you can work through the ACCESS department employee accommodation process, or begin directly with your supervisor to discuss the accommodations you need to see if they will provide it.
Employee: How do I disclose my disability to my employer?
The ADA has no specific requirements for how to disclose a disability, and the best approach may depend on why you are disclosing. If you use the ACCESS accommodation request process, the office will begin that process for you and keep you involved in all future conversations with employers to find a reasonable accommodation should one exist.
Employee: Who all is involved in the accommodation discussion?
The process for achieving a workplace accommodation is an interactive one that involves the employee, the supervisor or department as the employer, your physician(s) for consultation, and ACCESS as the facilitator. The first step after registering will include a review of any medical documentation provided. Once medical documents and/or records are reviewed, the next conversation will be with the immediate supervisor to determine what accommodations may be available to assist in being able to perform the duties of the position while accommodating the functional limitations disclosed. This may include a review of a PDQ or faculty contract and associated job duties to determine which job functions are considered essential.
Please bear in mind that while the ADAAA and EEOC require an employer to provide reasonable accommodations, those accommodations do not have to be the specific accommodation requested. As such, any further communications between all parties will be to explore any and all strategies and options to allow you to perform the essential functions of your position more efficiently and comfortably.
Employee: What sorts of accommodations can I ask for?
There is no exhaustive list of what accommodations you can ask for under the ADA, but there are categories that include:
- providing or modifying equipment or devices,
- job restructuring
- part-time or modified work schedules,
- reassignment to a vacant position,
- adjusting or modifying examinations, training materials, or policies (i.e. remote work, service animals, leave and attendance)
- providing readers and interpreters, and
- making the workplace readily accessible for use by persons with disabilities.
Employers do not have to remove essential job functions, lower production standards, provide personal need items (i.e. hearing aids, wheelchairs, etc.) or provide any accommodation that creates an undue harship. It is also not required for employers to provide an employee's preferred accommodation so long as an effective accommodation is provided.
Employer: Can I discuss the accommodation with other employees if asked?
No. While it may be necessary to discuss shift assignments or alterations to duties, managers are encouraged to discuss only what’s necessary for business to proceed accordingly and focusing on job needs. I also understand that you may encounter issues such as questions from other employees, or even union questions which complicate the matter. It has been often suggested that directors simply affirm the right to privacy and confidentiality, however some also feel as though this is just enough information for co-workers to make an inference, even when vague and general.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) who enforces the employment provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the National Employment Law Institute (NELI) offer the following guidance:
The EEOC offers: “If employees ask questions about a coworker who has a disability, the employer must not disclose any medical information in response. An employer also may not tell employees whether it is providing a reasonable accommodation for a particular individual.”
Fram from NELI adds: “Some disability advocates have argued that disclosing that someone is receiving an ADA reasonable accommodation essentially reveals that the individual has a disability.”
The most concise and informative answer however comes from the Employer Assistance and Resource Network (EARN) webinar speaker, Susan W. Brecher, Esquire of Cornell University. She suggests managers say: “…we look and treat employees individually and make considerations based upon good business reasons which allows for privacy of each individual.”
This response provides just enough information without speaking directly to the specifics of the individual being accommodated.
Employer: Do I have to allow an employee with a disability to work at home as a reasonable accommodation?
An employer must modify its policy concerning where work is performed if such a change is needed as a reasonable accommodation, but only if this accommodation would be effective and would not cause an undue hardship. The reasonableness of an accommodation and whether it is effective will also depend on the essential functions of said position, and whether those functions can be performed at home. Some jobs can only be performed on site (i.e. cashier, food service, store maintenance), and as such allowing them to work from home would not be effective as it would not enable them to performed essential functions. Additional considerations such as the ability to adequately supervise an employee, the availability of certain equipment or tools in the home, etc. However, jobs whose essential functions are dependent mostly on access to a computer or internet (i.e. telemarketer, proofreader, etc.) those jobs can be performed remotely. An employer can deny a request to work at home or remotely if it can show either another accommodation would be just as effective or if it is determined that working from home would cause undue hardship.
Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA)
The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) was recently signed into law and takes effect on June 27, 2023. The new federal law aims to protect the rights of pregnant employees by requiring employers to treat known limitations resulting from pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions as conditions essentially equivalent to a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Similar to the ADA, the PWFA requires the university to engage in the interactive process to identify reasonable accommodations. Under the PWFA, reasonable accommodations are intended to enable an employee to remain in active work status.
It is also important to note that unlike the ADA, no disability is required for reasonable accommodations under the PWFA. The PWFA requires only that there be a known limitation related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical condition.
What is the PWFA accommodation process?
Once you’ve communicated a need for an accommodation to your human resources representative or supervisor, your HR representative or supervisor will notify Dominic Dorsey, Director of Accessible Campus Community & Equitable Student Support (ACCESS) at dodorse@siue.edu.
An assigned case manager will work with you to obtain medical documentation to identify and verify the known limitation(s).
Once medical documentation is obtained, ACCESS will coordinate the interactive process.
The interactive process is intended to identify reasonable accommodations that will enable you to continue working with the known limitation.
Examples of PWFA accommodations include but are not limited to:
- Ability to sit
- Ability to drink water while working
- Flexible work hours
- Appropriately sized uniforms and safety apparel
- Additional break time to eat, rest, or use the restroom
More information about the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act can be found on the
U.S Equal Employment Opportunity Commission website.
Accommodate for Faculty
Accommodate is the online system that ACCESS uses to coordinate with faculty and students to ensure the provision of accommodations, such as approving exams or receiving accommodation notices.
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