In the first part of this series, we reviewed the ADA’s mandate for reasonable accommodations, and why those accommodations are even more important under the ADA’s 2009 amendments. Many medical disabilities for which an employee may request reasonable accommodation have ergonomic aspects. In this part, we will look at a case study.
Joanie, a clerical employee, is returning to work after carpal tunnel surgery on both hands, related to severe hereditary arthritis. In her return-to-work note, Joanie’s orthopedist advises:
Since Joanie’s arthritis substantially limits her ability to perform manual tasks, she is an individual with a disability under the ADAAA, and the orthopedist’s note is certainly a request for a reasonable accommodation. But, before we get to the question of whether we have to make these accommodations for Joanie, we need some more information. We need to know what are her job duties, which are essential, and which are non-essential.
When we review Joanie’s job description we find:
Then, we review how Joanie does her work, and we find that she sits at a computer workstation, shared with workers on other shifts, with a pull-out keyboard tray and a mouse on the desk. The lab data she enters is from work done the night before, and Joanie does data entry for the first 3 hours every morning. The rest of her day is spent on telephone duty, QA checks, and reports, with intermittent keyboard use.
After this review, we come up with a number of possible accommodations to Joanie’s disability (ergonomics solutions in italics):
Armed with this analysis, we determine that scanning the lab data would not be a reasonable accommodation, because purchasing and customizing the necessary software and equipment would be prohibitively expensive, and, therefore, an undue hardship. But all of the other ideas seem reasonable, so we discuss them with Joanie, as the next step in the ADA interactive process. Joanie agrees that, with some training, she could use the voice-recognition software our organization already owns for dictating her reports. After talking with her supervisor, Joanie reports that she can reorganize her work day to split up the data entry into six 30-minute sessions. She also agrees to get coaching on proper posture and other ergonomic-related principles. We decide an adjustable tray is not needed if the chair is properly adjusted for Joanie, so we purchase the new keyboard and footrest (cost = $75), and arrange for Joanie to get voice-recognition software training and ergonomic-related instruction on the day she returns to work.
Six weeks later, we check in with Joanie and her supervisor. The supervisor is happy, since Joanie is meeting or exceeding all of the supervisor’s expectations for productivity and accuracy. Joanie reports that not only are her hands pain-free, but that she enjoys her more varied work day, now that data entry is spread throughout the day instead of consuming almost all of every morning.
Result: A successful accommodation, benefiting both the employer and employee.
Next time: A survey of recent ADA reasonable accommodation cases involving ergonomics.
