EEOC Mandates Taking Action to Remove Discrimination

According to the EEOC, the ADA's reasonable accommodation requirement may be understood best ''as a means by which barriers to the equal employment opportunity of an individual with a disability are removed or alleviated.'' Such barriers may be physical or structural obstacles that prevent or inhibit the access of an individual with a disability to job sites, facilities, or equipment. The barriers need not be tangible. Prohibited barriers also may include the following: - Rigid work rules, such as work schedules that permit no flexibility as to when work is to be performed or when breaks may be taken; - Inflexible job procedures that may limit the type or modes of communication that are used on the job; or - Job requirements that allow no deviation in the manner in which particular tasks are to be accomplished.