Job Accommodation Network

Situation: A production worker with mental retardation, who has limited fine motor dexterity, must use tweezers and a magnifying glass to perform the job. The worker had difficulty holding the tweezers.

Solution: Giant tweezers were purchased. Cost. $5.

Situation: A teacher with bipolar disorder, who works in a home-based instruction program, experienced reduced concentration, short term memory, and task sequencing problems.

Solution: At one of their weekly meetings the employees and the supervisor jointly developed a checklist. This checklist showed both the week’s work and the following week’s activities. Forms were adapted so that they would be easy to complete, and structured steps were developed so that paper work could be completed at the end of each teaching session. An unintended bonus to the company was the value of the weekly check off forms in training new staff. Cost: $0.

Situation: A garage mechanic with epilepsy was unable to drive vehicles.

Solution: The employer negotiated with the employee’s union and reached an agreement that any qualified employee, regardless of job held, could drive the vehicles to the mechanic’s workstation. Cost: $0.

Situation: An individual with a neck injury, who worked in a lab, had difficulty bending his neck to use the microscope.

Solution: A periscope was attached to the microscope. Cost: $2,400.

Situation: A catalog salesperson, who had a spinal cord injury, had problems using the catalog due to difficulty with finger dexterity.

Solution: The employer purchased a motorized catalog rack, controlled by a single switch via the mouthstick, and provided an angled computer keyboard stand for better accessibility. Cost: $1,500.

Situation: A field geologist who was deaf and worked alone in remote areas was unable to use two-way radio communication to report his findings.

Solution: Text telephone technology was used to allow the geologist to communicate using a cellular telephone. Cost: $400 plus monthly service fee for the phone.

Situation: A saw operator with a learning disability had difficulty measuring to the fraction of an inch.

Solution: The employee was provided with a wallet-sized card on which the fractions were listed on an enlarged picture of an inch. This allowed the employee to compare the card with the location on the ruler to identify the correct fraction. Cost: $5.

Situation: An accountant with HIV was experiencing sensitivity to fluorescent light. As a result, she was not able to see her computer screen or written material clearly.

Solution: The employer lowered the wattage in overhead lights, provided task lighting and a computer screen glare guard. Cost: $80.

Situation: A custodian with low vision was having difficulty seeing the carpeted area he was vacuuming.

Solution: A fluorescent lighting system was mounted on his industrial vacuum cleaner. Cost: $240.

Situation: An assembler/operator with a severe vision limitation had the job of wrapping hose-pipe fittings with special tape. This required close examination of the work materials. Quality of work was very important.

Solution: A total view magnifier on an adjustable swivel base was installed. Cost: $450.

Situation: A "quick service" restaurant grill operator had a severe learning disability. He could not read and could recognize only specific single letters on orders for hamburgers.

Solution: Condiments bins were coded with the first letter of the item so that the worker could match the orders to the bins. In addition, he was taught three key words ("only," "none," and "plain") through flash card repetition. Cost: Less than $25.

Situation: A technician in the telephone service industry used a hearing aid. The job duties included installing and repairing telephone lines, which included using a "butt-in" portable test phone that was attached to telephone lines being repaired. The test set interfered with the technician’s hearing aid.

Solution: A "butt-in" test set equipped with an audio speaker was purchased which allowed the worker to test lines without having to place the test set against the ear. This device was also useful for workers NOT wearing hearing aids. In addition, the technician was provided with an amplified tone locator. Cost: $200.

Situation: A person with an attention deficit disorder worked in a packaging facility and was having problems staying on task.

Solution: The employer provided a tape recorder with headphones and cassette tapes which contained music and frequent reminders to attend to the work. This reduced distraction and helped prompt the individual to focus on the job. Cost: Less than $200.

Situation: A clerk’s hand had two fingers and a thumb, and her arms were unusually short. This made it difficult for her to perform some of her job duties, including answering incoming phone calls and accessing a computer to check information for customer service representatives.

Solution: A large button overlay was used on the telephone; and a ball-shaped device, with a pencil stylus going through it, was used to facilitate taking messages and typing. Also used was a strap-on hand stylus for straight typing. Cost.- $15.

Situation: A productive worker with schizophrenia that had been diagnosed and treated successfully years earlier had begun to show radical behavior changes.

Solution: When confidential talks with the employee were not beneficial, the employee and employer agreed that the employee would meet with a psychiatrist. The meeting resulted in a change of medication which regulated the problematic behaviors. The employer paid for the counseling session. Cost: Less than $200.

Situation: A computer programmer in a manufacturing company is a person with cerebral palsy which affects her fine motor control. The employee uses a wheelchair.

Solution: A bathroom stall was enlarged and safety rails installed. The desk was raised several inches to enable the wheelchair to fit underneath, and computer space was made available on the first floor of the building. A ramp and automatic doors were installed, and a personal parking place close to the elevator was identified. Building owners provided materials and absorbed costs for building remodeling. Cost to owner of the building: Approximately $5000. Cost to employer: $0.

Situation: A telephone consultant experiences short-term memory loss and auditory discrimination problems due to a brain injury. Her job duties include responding to telephone requests for information and entering information into a computer.

Solution: Sound absorbing office partitions reduced noise and distractions, and the telephone bell was reprogrammed so that she could readily differentiate between her phone and others in the area. An anti-glare screen guard on the computer reduced screen flicker and prevented dizziness and fatigue. Instructions, daily reminders of meetings and other scheduled activities were provided in writing. Cost: $345.

Situation: A senior programmer for an insurance company has a learning disability resulting in difficulties in memory and using correct words.

Solution: Use of e-mail system helped communication with co-workers by providing quickly written copies of messages. Computer software for word prediction and grammar check was installed. Also, equipment that uses voice output enabled the programmer to read back documents that were entered to reinforce use of words. Cost: Approximately $1,750.

Situation: A repairperson has bipolar disorder and has to attend training seminars. He has problems taking effective notes while paying close attention to instruction.

Solution: A co-worker took notes on notebook paper that prepared carbon copies and shared them. Between the notes and his concentration on the speakers, the employee was able to get the entire content. Cost: $10.

Situation: A bakery worker with mental retardation had trouble placing cookie dough by precise numbers and patterns on sheet due to visual perception problems.

Solution: A plastic template was made for the cookie sheet with holes cut to indicate the precise placing pattern. Cost: Under $50.

Situation: An electromechanical assembly crew member acquired a cumulative wrist/hand trauma disorder which affected handling and fingering. This decreased his ability to use hand tools for the assembly of electromechanical devices.

Solution: A rechargeable electric screwdriver was purchased to reduce repetitious wrist twisting. These were subsequently purchased for all employees as a preventive measure. Cost: $65.

Situation: As a result of diabetes, a productive employee in retail business was experiencing fatigue and needed time during the day to administer medication. She was having difficulty performing her sales duties for a sustained period of time.

Solution: The employee’s schedule was altered to allow for a longer meal break and for a special brief time, periods during the day to administer medication. Cost: $0.

Situation: A legal department secretary in the cable television industry who was legally blind had to perform such duties as typing, answering telephones, filing and photocopying.

Solution: The employee was given a special designed table to hold a personal computer, a printer and a VTEK (a largeprint display processor which replaces the smaller standard terminal screen), all of which could be easily accessed. An automatic paper feeder was added to the printer. Cost: $ 1,360.

Situation: A data entry clerk had agoraphobia and had difficulty traveling during peak hours of traffic.

Solution: The employee’s working hours were changed from 8:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. to 10:00 a.m.- 6:00 p.m. Cost: $0.

Situation: A college professor with AIDS was having vision problems associated with the disability. His greatest difficulty was in grading students’ papers.

Solution: A video magnification system was purchased which facilitated his reading the papers. In addition, students who used the school’s word processing system were asked to provide copies of their papers on a computer diskette. This allowed the professor to utilize a computer speech synthesis system which the school had already purchased for students and staff with vision problems. Cost: $2,600.

Situation: A sales manager in a computer supply company was diagnosed with severe chronic depression. Although treatment had been initiated, she continued to experience bouts of crying during times of stress.

Solution: After discussion with her employer, she was provided with the use of a small room for privacy. This room previously had been used to store office supplies. When she felt the need, she could take a break and use this private area to compose herself. A new cabinet was purchased to store the office supplies. Cost: $200.

Situation: A large grocery store wants to hire an individual with Down syndrome and a mild hearing loss as a bagger/stock person. The concern was that he would not be able to hear the paging loudspeaker system that was used to call employees to different parts of the store for work assignments.

Solution: A personal paging device, which was worn on the wrist or belt and which vibrated when activated by an incoming signal, was purchased for the employee. When signaled, the employee immediately went to the office for specific instructions. In this way, the employer could be sure that the employee both heard and understood his assigned tasks. Cost: $350.

Situation: A clerk whose job duties included delivering files and paperwork to various areas in a multistory building had multiple sclerosis which gradually made it very difficult to move quickly and carry heavy packages.

Solution: A lightweight, motorized three-wheeled scooter with a basket was purchased for the employee. Cost: $2,000.

Situation: A greenhouse worker with mental retardation has difficulty staying on task and knowing when to take breaks.

Solution: At no cost to the employer, a job coach gave initial training. The worker then carried a tape recorder that provided periodic reminders to stay on task and indicated break time. The worker also carried a set of laminated cards which showed the basic list of tasks to be completed. Cost: $50.

Situation: A radio broadcaster/announcer who is blind needs to read the AP wire news desk material.

Solution: The employer connected a Braille printer to the incoming news service and installed a switch to move from regular printed material to Braille. Cost: $1,500.

Situation: An administrative assistant in a social service agency has a psychiatric disability that causes concentration and memory problems related to word processing, filing, and telephone work.

Solution: Accommodations included using soothing music in one earphone to block distractions and taped instructions to augment written material Cost: $150.

Situation: A police officer has a learning disability that makes it difficult to take standard civil service tests.

Solution: Officer was permitted 50% more time to take the test and was allowed to use a dictionary during the examination. Cost: $50.

Situation: A laboratory technician has a permanent restriction on mobility of head and neck and must use a microscope on the job.

Solution: A periscope was attached to the microscope so the worker does not need to lower her head and bend her neck to perform the job. Cost: $2,400.

Situation: A chef who is paraplegic needs a way to move around the various work stations in the kitchen.

Solution: The chef was provided with a stand-up wheelchair that allowed flexibility and mobility, thereby eliminating the need to change the work site itself. Cost: Approximately $3,000.

Situation: A highly skilled electronics company technician who has AIDS was taking large amounts of annual and sick leave.

Solution: The employer provided a flexible work schedule and redistributed portions of the workload. The company also instituted AIDS awareness training for employees. Cost: $0.