1.
What is JAN?
2. How can JAN help me?
3. What are the services JAN provides?
4. Who is protected by the ADA?
5. What is reasonable accommodation?
6. How can an employee request reasonable accommodation
from an employer?
7. When can an employer ask an individual for
medical documentation?
8. How do we make our facility accessible?
9. Where can I get funding for accommodations
and how much do accommodations typically cost?
10. Where can I get ADA posters, training,
and videos?
#1: What is JAN?
The Job Accommodation Network is a service provided by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability
Employment Policy (ODEP). JAN is one of several ODEP programs. JAN represents the most comprehensive
resource for job accommodations available.
JAN's mission is to
facilitate the employment and retention of workers with disabilities
by providing employers, employment providers, people with disabilities,
their family members and other interested parties with information
on job accommodations, self-employment and small business opportunities.
JAN consultants fulfill
its mission by providing individualized worksite accommodation
consultation and training through its toll free number and electronic
services. JAN's work has greatly enhanced the job opportunities
of people with disabilities by providing information on job accommodations
since 1983. In 1990, JAN expanded to provide information on the
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other disability-related
legislation. This individualized
consultation service is provided by teams of professional consultants
who have advanced degrees and specialized training in issues of
disability, workplace, rehabilitation, special education, industrial
safety, law, and human resource management. The teams of consultants
are supported by Program Assistants who have extensive training
in disability etiquette and appropriate referral services.
All JAN consultants
have obtained at least one Master's degree in their specialized
fields, ranging from rehabilitation counseling to education and
engineering. Some have completed terminal degrees in economics,
law, and business. >> Read more about JAN's staff.
The development of
the JAN system has been achieved through the collaborative efforts
of the U.S. DOL
Office of Disability Employment Policy, the International
Center for Disability Information at West
Virginia University, and private industry throughout North
America.
For additional information
on JAN's electronic and personal services, download a JAN Fact
Sheet.
#2: How can JAN
help me?
JAN assists employers, people with
disabilities, rehabilitation professionals, and other to improve
the employability of people with disabilities.
JAN provides consultation
to employers in order to:
Increase the hiring,
retention, and promotion of qualified employees with disabilities;
Create accommodation
solutions to benefit both employer and employee;
Protect their business
by educating employers about their responsibilities under the
ADA, Rehabilitation Act and other disability related legislation;
Reduce workers' compensation
and other insurance costs; and
Address issues pertaining
to accessibility.
JAN provides consultation
to people with disabilities in order to:
Increase the hiring, retention, and promotion of qualified employees
with disabilities;
Create accommodation
solutions to benefit both employee and employer;
Educate people with
disabilities about their rights under the ADA, the Rehabilitation
Act and other disability related legislation;
Inform people with disabilities
of the local, regional, and national resources that can assist
them in pursuing employment opportunities; and
Address issues pertaining
to accessibility.
JAN provides consultation
to rehabilitation professionals in order to:
Facilitate placement
of clients through accommodation assistance,
Brainstorm accommodation options, and
Find local resources
for workplace assessment and discover resources for device fabrication
and modification.
JAN provides consultation
to people affected by disability in order to:
Discover local, regional, and national organizations, resources,
and support groups; and
Obtain helpful accommodation
and legislative information.
#3: What are the
services JAN provides?
The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) provides person-to-person worksite accommodation technical assistance services, electronic technical assistance services, a quarterly electronic newsletter, and an electronic
topical newsflash called Consultants' Corner.
The person-to-person
technical assistance services include:
1. Toll-free, individual
worksite accommodation consultation with employers, employees,
people with disabilities, rehabilitation counselors, and others.
2. Toll-free, individual
entrepreneurship consultation concerning information,
counseling, and referrals about self-employment and small business
ownership opportunities for people with disabilities.
3. Toll-free, individual
consultation and referral information regarding the Americans
with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other disability legislation.
4. Training services
to private and public organizations
as well as through presentations and outreach at major national,
regional, and local conferences. Training can also be arranged for other organizations and agencies
if JAN consultant schedules permit.
The electronic technical
services include:
1. JAN's extensive,
fully accessible Website contains over 300 disability specific accommodation publications
including referral organizations and resources for purchasing
accommodation equipment, full-text ADA, FMLA, and other disability
related legislative actions, full-text EEOC guidance manuals,
and link to thousands of local, regional, national public and
private resource organizations. The site also contains a number
of JAN publications in Spanish. The Web site is designed
to include customer-focused information.
2. JAN's Searchable
Online Accommodation Resource (SOAR) designed to let users independently explore various accommodation
options for people with disabilities in work and settings. After answering a few on-line questions, SOAR will
automatically provide you with personalized accommodation information
and if the accommodation requires equipment or assistive technology
then SOAR will provide information about where the product can
be purchased.
3. JAN on Demand designed to provide customers with an individualized electronic response to a series of accommodation and ADA queries.
Customers can also
regularly access practical solutions to accommodation questions
and innovations in the field of employment by registering for
JAN's quarterly electronic newsletter at subscribe@jan.wvu.edu.
#4: Who is protected
by the ADA?
The ADA does not contain a list
of covered disabilities so JAN consultants cannot tell callers whether
an individual is protected by the Act. JAN consultants are able
to provide guidance regarding the ADA's definition of disability
from the Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission (EEOC), the enforcing agency for the ADA, and the
courts.
#5: What is reasonable
accommodation?
In relation to the ADA,
reasonable accommodation is any modification or adjustment to
a job or the work environment that will enable a qualified applicant
or employee with a disability to participate in the application
process or to perform essential job functions. Reasonable accommodation
also includes adjustments to assure that a qualified individual
with a disability has rights and privileges in employment equal
to those of employees without disabilities. JAN Consultants CAN
provide callers with various accommodation solution ideas for
a specific situation. JAN consultants cannot tell callers what
is reasonable for a specific situation but are able to provide
guidance regarding the ADA's definition of reasonable accommodation
from the EEOC, the enforcing agency for the ADA, and the courts.
#6: How can an employee
request reasonable accommodation from an employer?
Though it is not required by the ADA, JAN suggests that employees
ask for accommodations in writing. See JAN's Ideas
for Writing an Accommodation Request Letter for information
on how to form this letter.
#7: When can an
employer ask an individual for medical documentation?
Contact JAN directly for targeted responses and read EEOC's Enforcement
Guidance on Disability-Related Inquiries and Medical Examinations and Preemployment
Disability-Related Questions and Medical Examinations for
an overview. Also, see JAN's Medical
Inquiry Response to an Accommodation Request.
#8: How do we make
our facility accessible?
JAN provides
extensive information on products and where to purchase accessible
equipment. For information on ADA accessibility guidelines, visit
JAN's ADA Links.
#9: Where can I
get funding for accommodations and how much do accommodations
typically cost?
Tax
incentives are available to employers. In addition, funding is
through several organizations. Read JAN's Publication on Tax
Incentives and visit JAN's funding
links for additional information. Throughout its history,
JAN has collected cost and benefit data from its users. Data collected
suggest that more than half of all accommodations cost less than
$500. Further, JAN statistics show that most employers report
financial benefits from providing accommodations due to a reduction
in the cost of training new employees, a reduction in the cost
of insurance, and an increase in worker productivity.
#10: Where can I
get ADA posters, training, and videos?
Contact your regional Disability
Business and Technical Assistance Center or the EEOC. While there are a number
of sources for training throughout the United States, contact JAN for resources in your area or to schedule a JAN training.