Frequently Asked Questions

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including employment, public education, transportation, communication, including the internet, and places that are open to the general public, like businesses, theatres, stadiums, and classrooms. The purpose of the law is to make sure that people with disabilities have equal access and opportunities as everyone else.

In 2008, the (ADA) was amended and became the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA). This amendment clarified the definition of “disability,” ensuring the original intent of the law was clear. Learn more about the ADA.

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a disability is defined as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities. The ADA does not list every medical condition for determining whether a workplace accommodation may be appropriate, but instead broadly defines disability as:

1. A physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities (examples: working, talking, hearing, seeing, thinking, communicating, caring for one’s self, major bodily functions, etc.) or;
2. A record of such an impairment (example: cancer or a medical condition that is cyclical in nature) someone having recovered from a serious illness.
3. Being regarded as having a disability.

Learn more on the ADA website.

An accommodation is any change or adjustment to a process, policy, or practice in an academic or workplace environment, that allows an individual with a disability to equitable access to perform their job duties or meet their academic requirements. Accommodations may also be available to ensure equal access to the benefits, services, and resources offered to employees or students as part of their employment or academic programs.

Some examples of potential accommodations might include:

• Employment accommodations
• Student academic accommodations
• Parking accommodations

Workplace, academic, and event-related disability accommodations are available to students, faculty, staff, and campus visitors, including event attendees and patients.

Employees

• Employees seeking long term (more than six months) workplace accommodations can learn more about the Interactive Process: Determining Reasonable Workplace Accommodations for more information or use U-M Employees Accommodate Login to submit a request.
• Employees returning to work from a medical leave or employees seeking temporary (less than six months) accommodations should contact Work Connections.

Michigan Medicine Employees

• Michigan Medicine faculty can request workplace accommodations using the U-M Accommodate Employee Login to submit a request.
• Michigan Medicine staff members seeking workplace accommodations can contact the Michigan Medicine HR Solutions Center.

Students

• Students seeking academic and housing accommodations should contact Services for Students with Disabilities.

Campus Visitors

• Campus visitors, including those attending an event, should contact event organizers or venue management to arrange accommodations.

Patients

• Patients of Michigan Medicine are directed to contact their care provider or clinic to request accommodations prior to any appointments. The U-M Center for Disability Health and Wellness offers assistance for easy access to Michigan Medicine clinical facilities for people with disabilities.

Parking & Paratransit

For information related to accessible parking and paratransit services, please visit the Logistics, Transportation & Parking site.

If you experience any difficulty or have questions about submitting your request, please email [email protected]  or call 734-763-0235.

A reasonable accommodation is a modification or adjustment to job duties or the work environment that enables an otherwise qualified applicant or employee to perform the essential functions of the job. It is the employee’s responsibility to request the accommodation and to provide medical documentation when requested by the employer.

The request and medical documentation assist the employer in making a disability determination and ensure the employee is eligible for workplace accommodations. This is the first step in the interactive process.

An accommodation is considered unreasonable when it creates an “undue hardship”. Under the ADA, undue hardship means the accommodation is too costly, extensive, substantial, or disruptive, or it would fundamentally change the nature or operation of the business, organization, or unit. Factors used to determine whether an accommodation creates an undue hardship include the size of the employer, the employer’s financial resources, how many individuals perform the job tasks within the unit, the overall operational goals, and the nature and structure of the business or operation.

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a disability is a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, like concentrating, speaking, hearing, seeing, thinking, communicating, walking, lifting, etc., and limitations on major bodily functions like the endocrine, neurological and gastrointestinal functions.

The ADA does not provide a specific list of medical conditions. It also protects individuals who have a record of a disability (e.g. cancer) and those whose substantial limitations are cyclical or wax and wane (e.g. chronic pain conditions).

To qualify for reasonable workplace conditions, the substantial limitations caused by the medical condition must impact your ability to perform the essential functions of your job. If you’re not sure if your medical condition meets the criteria of a disability, contact our office for more information.

Information about work-related injuries and extended medical leave should contact their their unit HR representative, or Work Connections for more information.

Under the ADA, workplace accommodations are available only to the employee with a disability, not the family or household member of the employee. Please contact your unit HR representative for assistance with FMLA or other possible leave benefits questions or paperwork.

Employees may ask for reasonable accommodations at any time during their employment, however, accommodations are not retroactive. This means employees should request reasonable accommodations as soon as they know they need them and ideally before experiencing performance issues.

Yes. Applicants—whether internal or external—are entitled to request accommodations at any stage of the application and interview process. To ensure a smooth experience, it is recommended that applicants communicate their accommodation needs early, ideally when they receive an invitation to interview or when reviewing the application materials/job posting. Hiring managers and their teams should be prepared to respond and provide accommodations promptly.

The interactive process is the informal dialogue between an employer and an employee with a disability to determine effective, reasonable accommodations that enable the employee to perform essential job functions. The Disability Equity Office uses a four-step process. One key component of the interactive process is that all parties must engage in good faith.

What if I decide not to move forward with a workplace accommodation after step 1?

After meeting with an Accessibility Specialist, some employees decide to wait to pursue a workplace accommodation or determine that they are not ready to move forward at that time. In these cases, the employee’s request are not shared with their supervisor. If the employee decides to move forward in the future, they will move on to Step 3.

How is “good faith” defined?

Good faith – Good faith is defined as engaging in a sincere and reasonable effort to find an appropriate accommodation for a qualified individual with a disability. This involves an interactive process where employers and employees collaborate to identify and implement accommodations that enable the employee to perform the essential functions of their job. Examples of good faith include an employer responding promptly to an employee’s request, and an employee exploring and trialing alternative accommodations that may not be their preferred accommodation.

Navigators focus on relationship-building, navigation/referrals, unit-facing guidance and training, event accessibility support, liaison, and implementation follow-through.

Accessibility specialists focus on interactive process facilitation, disability determination and medical documentation review (as applicable), complex compliance consultation, and second-level review.

The Disability Equity Office will request from the employee medical documentation from a treating provider familiar with the employee’s condition, which contains the following information:

1. diagnosis
2. limitations, restrictions, or barriers
3. recommended accommodations or options
4. how long the condition is expected to last or how long the accommodations should be implemented

The Disability Equity Office has created the Accommodation Medical Request Form for employees to submit to their medical providers to assist with gathering this information.

No, this is not recommended. When working with the Disability Equity Office, we will collect any relevant medical documentation from you directly and store it in our secure database to ensure employee privacy.

For accommodation requests filed after January 1, 2024, U-M employees can access their Accommodate case file anytime at Accommodate Employee Login using their Uniqname and password/SSO. For accommodation requests filed prior to January 1, 2024, please email [email protected] with your Name, UniqID, and the approximate date you worked with the office, and we will do our best to assist you in locating these documents.

The Disability Equity Office can help with all disability-related travel accommodation requests. Employees should submit their accommodation request along with supporting medical documentation to our office through the Accommodate Employee Login. Once approved, we will provide special documentation that employees can attach to their expense reports when travel accommodations are needed for university business.

American Sign Language (ASL) is a language primarily used by individuals who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. It is expressed via movements of the hands and face. ASL is not a word-for-word translation of English.

Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) converts spoken words into visible text on a screen at the same time as the spoken words. It can be utilized by individuals who are deaf or hard-of-hearing attending in-person or virtual events, meetings, or conferences. Additionally, many individuals with cognitive, neurological, and speech processing disabilities utilize CART as well.

To learn more about our staff ASL Interpreters and our services, please visit our ASL & CART page.

CART is not an equally effective communication option for an individual who has requested ASL because ASL is its own language. Due to nationwide ASL Interpreter shortages, if ASL interpretation is not available, CART options should be explored. For additional information about requesting ASL or CART please contact our office. Both of these services can be requested through Disability Equity Office Accommodate Login.

If the need for the service animal is not apparent, personnel may only ask:

1. Is this dog (or mini horse) a service animal required because of a disability?
2. What work or task has the dog (or mini horse) been trained to perform (Only if necessary following the first inquiry).

For example, if you observe a service dog leading a person using a white cane, or pulling a wheelchair, there is no need to ask if the dog is a service animal.

For additional information about service animals visit our Assistance Animal page.

Yes. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, service animals are allowed to accompany their handler in some areas of University property, such as the grounds and public access areas. However, if you want to bring your service animal with you to limited access areas, such as most offices or workspaces, you are required to request an accommodation to bring the service animal or service animal in training into the workplace.

Allergies or a fear of dogs are not grounds to deny an accommodation for a service animal or a service animal in training. If another individual needs their own accommodation due to a medical condition or disability, we recommend they contact their supervisor or HR representative, or the Disability Equity Office to discuss what accommodations may be available. Employees with a fear of dogs should work directly with their unit to identify potential solutions to address their concerns.

Yes. An employee with a disability must meet the same production standards as their non-disabled coworkers in the same job, based on the essential functions listed in their job description. However, reasonable accommodations may be required to assist an employee in meeting a specific production standard.

Employees can contact the Disability Equity Office at any time to discuss available options for possible reasonable accommodations. Every employee’s situation is different, and Accessibility Specialists have the expertise and resources to help identify accommodation options best suited for the needs of the employee and the employing unit.

Employees and units can also review resources and accommodation suggestions through the Job Accommodation Network (JAN).

If an employee has an accommodation for equipment, the immediate supervisor and HR representative will already be aware of the types of items that were approved for purchase through the interactive process. If the accommodation document does not specify a particular item or model, the employee and their supervisor or HR representative should privately discuss the preferred items to be purchased directly with the employee. Depending on the item being purchased, a facilities manager may need to evaluate it or the workplace modification for safety and code compliance. It is appropriate to share information about the request on a need-to-know basis with the facilities manager and any purchasing personnel. Remember, an individual’s disability status and medical information should never be shared.

If any questions arise between the employee, the unit, or the purchaser, any party can contact the Disability Equity Office to help with navigating the process.

There is currently no centralized fund for employee accommodations, with the exception of LSA. We recommend units budget for accommodations and, if necessary, work with their leadership to identify additional resources.

In most cases, your accommodation can transfer with you to your new department. It is your responsibility as an employee to inform your new supervisor about your workplace accommodation. You should provide your supervisor with the accommodation document so they can assess whether the unit can implement the accommodation. If the unit can implement it, the accommodation will continue as originally specified. However, if the new unit has questions, concerns, or believes that the current accommodation may not be feasible in your new role, they should contact the Disability Equity Office to engage in the Interactive Process. This process may lead to a modification of the existing accommodation or the creation of a new accommodation that works for everyone.

Simply asking for a Zoom link for a meeting is often sufficient. You can phrase the request like this: “Will there be a Zoom link for individuals unable to attend in person?”

People may need to attend a meeting virtually for various reasons, such as being out of town, caring for a sick relative, or temporarily lacking access to transportation. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, you only need to disclose your accommodation to those who have a legitimate need to know. The meeting organizer often falls into this category, but you are never required to share details about your disability.

It is important not to disclose that an employee is receiving an accommodation because doing so is an inappropriate disclosure of an employee’s confidential disability information.

Instead of disclosing this information, supervisors should emphasize the importance of maintaining the privacy of all employees and not discussing the work situation of any employee with co-workers. One way a unit may be able to avoid many of these kinds of questions is by engaging in training opportunities with our office on creating an inclusive environment for employees of diverse backgrounds including disability. This kind of proactive approach may lead to fewer questions from employees who misperceive co-worker accommodations as special treatment.

If an employee has questions or concerns about the equal distribution of work or feels that they are being unfairly tasked with job duties that a co-worker is not performing, those issues should be addressed by the supervisor without disclosing private disability, or medical information about any employee.

Creating inclusive events can be done with relative ease. Basic and universal tips are as follows:

• Create accessible handouts or materials and provide printed materials in alternative formats whenever possible.
• Use audio amplification devices or microphones.
• Consider mobility limitations and provide a variety of seating options.
• Create clear paths through doorways, hallways, and restroom entrances.
• Provide clear navigation guidance or maps.
• Provide information in advance and avoid last-minute changes.
• Provide a virtual attendance option, not just a recording.
• Ensure adequate ADA-accessible parking is available.
• Offer ASL interpretation and CART services, and be sure to reserve seating in areas where users can have an unobstructed view of the provider or screen.

Both ASL and CART services can be requested through the Disability Equity Office.