
Developed by a team at NC State University, the seven principles may be applied to evaluate existing designs, guide the design process, and educate both designers and consumers about the characteristics of more usable products and environments.
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, employers are required to provide employees with disabilities, including apprentices, with reasonable job accommodations. Accommodations help apprentices with disabilities perform tasks essential to their jobs. For instance, an apprentice who is blind or has low vision might ask their employer to provide a Braille keyboard, screen magnification software, or a keyboard with large print to more easily use a computer.
Most workplace accommodations are not expensive, and half of all accommodations cost employers nothing. Of those accommodations that do have a cost, the typical one-time expenditure is $500—an expense many employers say pays for itself through reduced training costs, increased productivity, and more.
Understand what is considered a reasonable accommodation so you’re prepared to answer questions and respond to requests from your apprentices with disabilities. Check out JAN’s website for a wealth of information related to workplace accommodations. Reasonable accommodations may include, but are not limited to:
Accommodations can benefit all employees, including apprentices. For example, providing telework accommodations that support people with disabilities can create the infrastructure to enable other employees to work remotely; installing ramps could help a staff member with a recent injury enter the building using crutches
An apprentice’s accommodation needs may shift throughout their employment due to a change in disability status, a new job role, new technology, etc. Employers and apprenticeship intermediaries should be prepared to respond to accommodation requests throughout the entirety of the apprenticeship.
There may be cases when an apprentice isn’t satisfied with the provided accommodation or an employer denies the accommodation request. This type of conflict can result in expensive investigations and court cases.
Developed by a team at NC State University, the seven principles may be applied to evaluate existing designs, guide the design process, and educate both designers and consumers about the characteristics of more usable products and environments.
A fact sheet from the ADA National Network which provides an overview of reasonable accommodations in the workplace as well as examples and a brief review of the reasonable accommodation process.
Findings from a survey by JAN, which indicate workplace accommodations not only are low cost, but also positively impact the workplace in many ways.