Reasonable Accommodation: What Leaders Should Know And Do
Since reasonable accommodation is an act mandated by law and it is a civil right, implementing the recommendations as presented below can help business and leaders avoid any future court litigation and legal action against them for not complying with the ADA law.
Employers, institutions and business leaders of the 21st century must think of the development of their workforce and their employee populations, especially those with major life limitations.
- Communication: Employers must communicate with their workforce population openly, authentically and with transparency. Self-advocacy must be explained and shared with individuals with disabilities.
- Understanding: As a part of their social and corporate responsibility, business leaders should be empathetic and compassionate when dealing with individuals with disabilities. In addition to modifying the physical location to accommodate individuals with disabilities, business leaders should also understand the inner abilities of these individuals and help them develop them.
- Training: Business leaders should train their managers on how to manage and lead individuals with disabilities. Managers should be trained on how to be positive in their interactions and should be trained to be empathetic to their condition without jeopardizing quality.
- Education Of The Law: The ADA is very clear. Reasonable accommodation is the law and must be practiced. Business leaders should educate their staff and themselves about the impact of the ADA law and understand how to enact it within their environments.
- Support: Individuals with disabilities require support. Business leaders should be aware that an empowered and empathetic disability support service that is aware of how to support the inclusion of individuals with disabilities in successfully and effectively becoming part of the organization is a societal requirement that is overdue.
- In conclusion, as mentioned, reasonable accommodation is mandated by law, making its implementation mandatory. Business leaders should understand and know that how we treat the most challenged individuals among us tells a lot about who we are.
Disability Culture Leadership Initiative Launched
Chicago-based nonprofit grant-making organization 3Arts has announced today the launch of the Disability Culture Leadership Initiative (DCLI). The initiative features a new online platform dedicated to promote Deaf and disabled artists. The initiative also encourages the arts and culture sector to prioritize Disability Culture in programming and organizational efforts.
The initiative also features candid video conversations among eleven Chicago-based Deaf and disabled alumni of the 3Arts Residency Fellowships at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). The video also reports that chronicles the trajectory of the Fellowship and the city’s approach to creating and supporting the Disability Art and Culture movement.
Six years ago, 3Arts partnered with UIC’s Bodies of Work-an an artist and organizational network that showcases and celebrates the disability experience. The partnership established the 3Arts Residency Fellowship. Building audiences for disability art and strengthening the professional pipeline for artists in the Chicago metropolitan area was the aim of the Fellowship.
“With this new initiative, we are reaching beyond considerations of accessibility and ADA compliance, as important as those issues are,” said 3Arts Executive Director Esther Grisham Grimm. “We want to recognize the revolutionary and expansive nature of the Disability Culture movement and the important role that Chicago artists play in its development.”
The goals of DCLI are:
- To document the experiences of alumni in the program
- Advocate for the artistic and economic mobility of Deaf and disabled artists
- And highlight the potential for disability aesthetics to expand and enrich every artistic discipline.
How to Manage an Employee Leave of Absence
Employers must understand what their obligations are for providing employees a leave of absence.
There are times when personal issues require employees to temporarily step away from their job. It's important that employers make accommodations when employees need to take a leave of absence. An increasing number of states and municipalities have laws protecting employees in taking a leave of absence, and, in some cases, require that they be paid. When creating a leave of absence policy, you should work with a lawyer so you abide by all of the legal requirements in your area.