What is
JAN?
The Job Accommodation Network (JAN), a service of the Office of
Disability Employment Policy, is a toll-free resource for anyone who has
questions about job accommodations, or about the employment sections of the
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Trained consultants respond to
questions, discuss specific job accommodations, and suggest additional
resources to assist you.
Who should use
JAN?
Employers, persons with disabilities, service providers,
rehabilitation counselors, or anybody involved in helping a person with a
disability obtain or retain a job.
How does JAN
work?
All calls to JAN are kept confidential. If you are calling about
accommodating an individual on the job, the more you tell the consultant about
the required tasks and the functional limitations and abilities of the
individual, the better the consultant will be able to help. When you call, the
following steps occur:
- The receptionist listens to each question and transfers the
caller to the JAN consultant who is most knowledgeable in that particular
area.
- The consultant asks questions to obtain the information needed
in order to develop the best solution(s).
- The consultant searches a database of previous accommodations
and provides as many potential accommodation options as possible. These may
include:
- different approaches to job tasks
- proposed policy changes
- commercially available products
- different ways to use existing products
- resources for device modification/fabrication.
- The consultant provides methods of implementing and maintaining
the accommodation(s) and recommends processes for reviewing the effectiveness
of the accommodation(s).
- JAN staff will prepare and send materials in the format
requested. Information can be sent electronically, faxed or mailed using the
U.S. Postal Service.
- As follow-up, the caller may be asked to complete a
questionnaire regarding the recommended accommodation(s) and their usefulness.
This feedback helps JAN improve services and assist future callers with
accommodation solutions.
What has been the
result of JAN services?
Following are examples of accommodations recommended by JAN that
have assisted companies and agencies in hiring, retaining and promoting people
with disabilities.
Call Request: A teacher with a
hearing impairment had difficulties hearing the students' voices over the
squeaks of chairs and desks moving over the linoleum floor. Also, the teacher
could not see some of the students' faces and therefore could not effectively
lip read.
Accommodation Used: To eliminate noise, used
tennis balls were cut and attached to the feet of the chairs and desks. The
teacher rearranged the desks in a horseshoe in order to see the faces of all
students. COST: $0 (The tennis balls were donated by an avid tennis player who
would have thrown them away.)
Call Request: Because of low reading skills a
child care assistant with a learning disability had difficulty preparing
lessons based on children's books.
Accommodation Used: The employee was given a
videotape of various children's stories and effective hand motions to review.
COST: $50
Call Request: A new restaurant employee who
is legally blind used a service dog to travel to and from work. The employee
did not need the dog to perform her job duties.
Accommodation Used: A dog crate was placed in a
back office with a clear path of travel in and out of the facility. The dog was
crated during the work day and was out of any contact with food products or
supplies used in the restaurant. COST: $75
Call Request: A company vice president with
arthritis had difficulty maintaining stamina during the workday.
Accommodation Used: The employer provided
flexibility in the vice president's work hours and a recliner for her office so
that she could change body positions to cut down on fatigue. COST: $750
Call Request: A cashier with mild mental
retardation had difficulty making change.
Accommodation Used: The worker used a talking
calculator and a chart of bills and coins. COST: $150
Call Request: A worker who is deaf was
responsible for inspecting underground water utilities. When the employee was
underground alone, co-workers above ground needed to communicate with
him.
Accommodation Used: A wireless portable vibrating
paging system was purchased for the employee. COST: $445
Call Request: A department store retail clerk
with multiple sclerosis used a scooter and had problems with stamina.
Accommodation Used: The employee was reassigned
to a department on the first floor, provided with space for the scooter, given
a sit/lean stool at the register, and scheduled for first shift with every
third day off. COST: $200
Call Request: A technical editor in the
publishing industry had a spinal cord injury and needed to work lying on his
back.
Accommodation Used: A work station was provided
that enabled the editor to work on a computer while in a supine position. COST:
$2,000
Call Request: An insurance claims adjuster
became ill when exposed to certain chemicals in the air (chemical
sensitivity).
Accommodation Used: The ventilation system in the
employee's office was modified, and co-workers were asked not to use scented
products. The employee was also permitted to attend staff and training meetings
remotely by speaker phone and to wear a mask when needed. COST: $650
Call Request: A greenhouse worker with mental
retardation had difficulty correctly mixing various chemicals.
Accommodation Used: Measuring cups, a checklist,
and the chemicals were color-coded in a coordinated manner so the person could
accomplish tasks by matching colors. COST: $25
Call Request: A human resources manager has
seasonal affective disorder, a condition requiring adequate light during a
sufficient number of daytime hours to ward off depression.
Accommodation Used: A simple device called a
sunlight box was installed in the person's office. COST: $265
These accommodations are only a few examples of the types of
effective solutions provided by the Office of Disability Employment Policy's
Job Accommodation Network. JAN staff has cumulatively over 100 years of
experience and has delivered information on over 100,000 job accommodations
since 1984.
How do I reach
JAN?
Phone: (800) 526-7234 (V/TTY), (800) 232-9675 (V/TTY)
Mail: Office of Disability Employment Policy's Job Accommodation
Network, 918 Chestnut Ridge Road, Suite 1, WVU PO Box 6080, Morgantown, WV
26506-6080
E-mail: JAN@jan.icdi.wvu.edu
Website: www.jan.wvu.edu.
July 1998 |