The Reasonable Accommodation Act (ADA)

The ADA is a pieces of civil rights legislation that prohibits discrimination and guarantees that people with disabilities have the same opportunities as everyone else to participate in the mainstream of American life to enjoy employment opportunities, to purchase goods and services, and to participate in State and local government programs and services. The Act was passed in 1990 and was amended in 2008. To be protected under this law, an individual must currently have the impairment, have a record of impairment. The impairment must be either long term or permanent but must limit one or more life activity which includes a major life activity but not limited to caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, seeing hearing, eating, sleeping, walking, standing, lifting, bending, speaking, breathing, learning, reading, concentrating, thinking, communication and working. Wearing glasses is not an

Reasonable accommodation cannot be too expensive to the HIM department to implement, but it can be limited to job reassign, change on schedule, acquisition or modification of equipment devices, training material and provision of interpreters. The HIM professional should not discriminate any employee with disabilities. The ADA prohibits an employer from not hiring applicants based on their disabilities, they do not require an employer to hire someone with disability over the qualify applicants. hence, the Him professional should hire the most suited position. This apply also to the pay, firing, promotion, job assignments, training, leave, benefits and lay off. If the disable employee doesn’t meet the job standard or productivity accommodated to him or her, the HIM must follow the policy and document the report card of the employee in question before firing or