Researching and Planning
If your disability affects your ability to perform on in the workplace, do everything you can to familiarize yourself with the kind of accommodations that you need to be as productive as possible on the job. You may have accommodation needs that are similar to those of other people with your disability; but, in selecting accommodation tools and strategies, you will also have your own unique set of circumstances and personal preferences.
Job Accommodations can include many different aspects of the job, such as :
Specialized or customized tools (i.e. modified equipment)
Access Technology (i.e. screen readers)
Flexible Work Schedules (i.e. permission to arrive late because of transportation issues)
Reassignment of non-essential job duties (i.e. if taking notes at staff meetings is shared by all employees, and you are unable to do so, having someone else take this responsibility.)
For your sake, and the sake of your current or future employer, you should be conscientious about selecting accommodations that are both effective and cost-effective. You should be able to approach a job interview with confidence that you are familiar with the reasonable accommodations you will need to perform that job well. Your potential employer will likely be impressed with the confidence and know-how that you possess.
Some people with disabilities find it very helpful to develop their own formal accommodation “plan”. In developing this plan, they thoroughly research all the accommodation solutions available to them to perform work-related tasks that they might encounter. Where these solutions are items or tools, they then arrange to test various brands or models – both to be familiar with the range of options available to them, and to learn which ones best meet their personal needs.
Sources for researching effective accommodation strategies:
Explore the online resources of the Job Accommodation Network and place a toll-free call to one of their trained Job Accommodation Consultants (1-800-526-7234)
There are national associations that focus on most types of disabilities. Contact the association that focuses on your disability type and question them about commonly-used job accommodations. (To find the right organization, a good place to start is DisabilityResources.org)