Employee ADA Policy

Purpose

Mid Michigan College is committed to providing an inclusive environment for people with disabilities that is receptive and responsive to their needs. The College prohibits unlawful discrimination on the basis of disability and takes appropriate action to prevent such discrimination by providing eligible individuals with reasonable accommodations, equal access to admission and employment, services, college courses, programs, activities, events, facilities, and technology.

Policy

Definition

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, and the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments of 2008, state that any individual who has (1) a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity, (2) has a record of having such an impairment, or (3) is regarded as having such an impairment, is protected under the law. Mid is not required to provide accommodations that would fundamentally alter an educational program, service, or activity. Additionally, it is under no obligation to provide accommodations that would change academic requirements that are essential to a program of study or licensing requirement or create an undue financial or administrative burden. Mid must ensure that individuals with disabilities receive reasonable and appropriate accommodations.

Reasonable Accommodations

A reasonable accommodation is a modification or adjustment to a job, employment practice, or the work environment to the known physical or mental limitations of the employee in order for the employee to perform the essential functions of their job without causing undue hardship to the employer. Essential functions include the basic job duties that an employee must be able to perform, with or without accommodation.

Procedure

To request reasonable accommodation, employees must provide the Reasonable Accommodation Request form (found on the HR Website/Forms) to the Human Resources department. The College may request medical documentation if the disability and/or need for accommodations is not known or obvious. The documentation should come from a licensed professional and include the following: (1) diagnosis, (2) treatment, (3) functional limitations, (4) expected duration, (5) requested accommodations.
The appropriate accommodation is identified through an interactive process, which involves the employee, the employee’s supervisor, Human Resources and (if needed) Michigan Rehabilitation Services.
Determinations regarding accommodations will be made on a case-by-case basis. It is the college’s right to select the most appropriate accommodation.
Mid may require an employee to provide additional documentation, if the documentation provided does not sufficiently substantiate the disability and the need for the requested accommodation, in order to aid the decision-making process. Additionally, employees may be required to undergo further testing and /or evaluation by a licensed professional retained by the College, if the documentation provided is insufficient to demonstrate the disability and the need for the requested accommodation. All documentation and testing and/or revaluations will be treated as confidential.
Determinations regarding accommodations will be communicated to the employee in writing. If an employee disagrees with accommodation determination, the employee may file a grievance, using the ADA Grievance form available on the Mid Cares webpage.