FORT LEE, Va. - Defense Contract Management Agency employees with long-term disabilities or those experiencing temporary disabilities might be eligible for assistance using reasonable accommodation procedures.
Reasonable accommodation for people with disabilities is the process of making a change in the work environment or in the way things are customarily done, which would allow a person with a disability to enjoy equal employment opportunities. Many people with disabilities can apply for and perform jobs without requiring an accommodation. However, reasonable accommodations help remove workplace barriers, such as physical obstacles or rules about how a job is to be performed. Examples of reasonable accommodation include providing or modifying equipment or devices, job restructuring, flexible work schedules, and providing sign language interpreters.
“Accommodations are provided on a case-by-case basis,” said Greg Clark, DCMA’s Equal Employment Opportunity disabilities program manager. “The accommodation process is a cooperative effort between the person with the disability, the employer and other resource personnel when appropriate.”
Clark explained the main issues for consideration when applying for reasonable accommodation are the job tasks an employee must accomplish, the functional limitations of the person doing the job, and whether the proposed accommodation will pose an undue hardship to the employer.
“We’ve found that a teamwork approach to providing an accommodation generally results in cost-effective solutions for the agency,” said Clark.