Interactive Process

Upon notification and/or request from an employee with a disability for employment accommodation, the EARC will invoke the interactive process with the employee and his/her respective supervisor/manager.  The EARC will:

1.     Meet with employee with a disability to review medical/professional verification of documented disability to determine if employee qualifies as an employee with a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)¹ and California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA).

2.     Review employee’s current job description to determine its purpose and its essential functions. An employee with a disability must be qualified to perform the essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodations. A job function may be essential because:

a.     the reason the position exists is to perform that function; or

b.     there are a limited number of employees available who can perform that function; or

c.     the function is highly specialized².

3.     Consult with employee with the disability to discuss his/her specific physical or mental abilities and limitations as they relate to the essential job functions. Identify the barriers to job performance and assess how these barriers may be overcome with an appropriate employment accommodation.

4.     Consult with employee’s direct supervisor to identify any undue hardship, discuss potential employment accommodations and assess how effective an accommodation would be in enabling the employee to perform the essential job functions.

5.     If appropriate, recommend employment accommodation(s) to employee’s direct supervisor.

¹ The four categories of people covered under the ADA are: people who have a mental or physical impairment that substantially limits a major life activity such as (but not limited to) walking, seeing, breathing and working; people who have a record of an impairment such as cancer in remission; people regarded as having a disability (for instance, it would be illegal to base a hiring or promotional decision on a rumor that someone is HIV positive); and people having an association with someone who is disabled (e.g., a parent of a child with a disability)(http:/www.eeoc.gov).

² Guide to Employment Law Compliance. (2006). Washington, DC: Thompson Publishing Group, Inc.

Employment Accommodations

Employment accommodations are determined on a case-by-case basis. Services may include:

v  Funding of auxiliary aids such as: readers, sign language interpreters, and classroom assistants;

v  Funding of assistive technology (software) such as: ReadPlease (reading program), Dragon Naturally Speaking (voice recognition), JAWS (screen reader), MaGIC (screen magnification); and adaptive equipment (hardware) such as a CCTV (closed circuit television). 

v  Classroom schedule modifications

The EARC does not provide support for the following: standard office furniture/equipment, office alterations and/or renovations, Minor Capital Outlay projects, equipment or devices for the personal use of an employee (e.g., walking canes, hearing aides, glasses, etc.), personal attendant care.

Employment Accommodations

Resource Center (EARC)
Administration Building 110
One Washington Square
San José, CA 95192-0168
(408) 924-6003 (Main Office)
(408) 924-5999 (Fax)

(408) 924-5990 (TTY)

Contact us