Discussion: View Thread

  • 1.  ADA and accessibility

    Posted 08-28-2015 11:21

    Good morning,

    Has anyone ever heard that you needed a bed or couch in your office to make your office handicapped accessible under ADA?  This is a new one on me.

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    Lynne Tracy
    Vocational Counselor
    lynnetracy@sbcglobal.net
    Calabasas, CA United States
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  • 2.  RE: ADA and accessibility

    Posted 08-28-2015 11:36

    The only situations where I can see that being an issue is if the person using the office needs a supine work environment as an ADA accommodation.

    So long as the office is large enough to accommodate use of a wheelchair, then that should be adequate in most situations. This sounds more like an individual accommodation situation than blanket standards.

     






  • 3.  RE: ADA and accessibility

    Posted 08-28-2015 11:40

    Sounds like something a claimant's attorney would say

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    William Tucker

    President - Workfinders USA

    www.workfindersusa.com

    billt@workfindersusa.com

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  • 4.  RE: ADA and accessibility

    Posted 08-28-2015 22:06
    The IW/claimant may need to lie down at lunch and "break" time. That is not unreasonable request under the ADA.

    Sent from my iPhone





  • 5.  RE: ADA and accessibility

    Posted 08-29-2015 09:19

    I think what it comes down to here is what section of the ADA Lynne is covered by. She is providing a service to the individual and is not employing them. If the claimant was eating at a restaurant, would it be a reasonable request to ask for somewhere to lay down? Or if she were shopping at Whole Foods or a mall? Public accommodations, in my understanding, are somewhat limited compared to employer accommodations in what they require to the provisions for accessible design, barrier removal, and allowing auxiliary services and aids. That said, I'm no expert and I only know what I have read. Legal counsel would probably be best in this regard. 

    One away around this, if you decide that accommodating a request would be unreasonable would be to break the evaluation into sections on different days. If you can show that you offered an alternative to her request, the wording of everything that I've read from ada.gov suggests that a suit would be unfounded. 


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    Marvin Bellows
    marvinbellows@my.unt.edu
    Denton, TX United States
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  • 6.  RE: ADA and accessibility

    Posted 08-29-2015 10:27

    The lying down accommodation is ridiculous. We have had these cases and convincing employers that the claimant needs to lie down is near impossible. To say this accommodation is unreasonable is fine until you start looking for an accommodating employer.

    Bill Tucker
    President - Workfinders USA
    414-258-2349 - ph
    262-510-2384 - fax
    BillT@workfindersusa.com