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Reasonable Accommodation Of Persons With Disabilitiest

Reasonable Accommodation Of Persons With Disabilities

Mt. Hood Community College will comply with applicable state and federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which provides protection to qualified persons with disabilities. Reasonable accommodation in college employment is defined as reasonable modifications or adjustments to jobs, work environment, policies, practices, and/or procedures that reduce or eliminate the barriers to employment for individuals with disabilities.

Student Responsibilities

Accommodations for students with disabilities comply with applicable state and federal laws covered under ADA and the Rehabilitation Act Section 504. The disability services office coordinates all auxiliary services for students with disabilities. Students seeking services must contact this office a minimum of two weeks prior to the beginning of the term. Inquiries regarding application of applicable state and federal laws pertaining to students should also be directed to the disability services office.

Applicant Responsibilities

Applicants requiring accommodation due to a disability should contact the human resources office (HR). This is further defined as the individual has the requisite skill, experience, education and other job-related requirements and can perform the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodations. Reasonable accommodation can be available in the application/interview process upon request, but applicants are not required to disclose a disability until the college makes an offer of employment.

Employee Responsibilities

The law requires an employer to make a reasonable accommodation only to the known limitations of an otherwise qualified individual with a disability. Accordingly, it is the responsibility of the employee to inform their manager or supervisor that an accommodation is needed to perform the essential job functions.

The steps in requesting reasonable accommodations for current employees are:

1. The immediate supervisor/manager and the requesting employee consult to determine the need for the accommodation and to discuss alternatives.
2. The employee submits a written request form, obtained from HR, for reasonable accommodation. The employee provides a completed medical certification form from their attending medical provider.

College Responsibilities

1. HR will coordinate the accommodation interactive evaluation process.
2. After process completion, HR will notify the requesting employee and the supervisor/manager of the outcome and recommendations of the accommodation evaluation.
3. Upon approval, HR submits appropriate documents to the purchasing department for procurement of equipment, furniture, or other assistive devices, and/or facilitates the implementation of the accommodation action. The Environmental, Health and Safety Coordinator and/or the Coordinator of Disability Services may be consulted as needed.
4. if the accommodation request is denied, HR will reenter into the interactive evaluation process.
5. The employee may appeal the decision to the colleges affirmative action officer.
6. Assistance with reasonable accommodation, requests for information or assistance in determining reasonable accommodation related to employment are to be directed to HR. HR will assist in locating resources or interpreting reasonable accommodation requirements.
7. Any denial or approval of requests for reasonable accommodation will be documented and kept on file by HR. HR will notify the employee of the denial and inform the individual of his/her right to appeal through the internal complaint procedures or to file a complaint with appropriate state and federal agencies.

Appeals
An employee may appeal the denial of an accommodation by filing a complaint with the MHCC affirmative action officer within 20 working days of the decision. The MHCC affirmative action officer will review all pertinent material and steps leading to the decision, such as:

• Job-relatedness
• Effectiveness
• Necessity
• Relationship between the accommodation and essential job functions
• Cost
• Other claims of undue hardship