QUESTION
If working from home does a company have to provide equipment or as you the employee supposed to provide it?
Asked on Apr 18th, 2019 on Americans with Disabilities Act - New York
More details to this question:
My company who I work for is a company that their mission is to hire blind workers and get them jobs because of the high unemployment rate of blind people. They are also an Ability One organization. Now, they have a whole separate work force services department of where people work from home do to their jobs. Now they can be anywhere in the United States. They both said that because we are employees that IFB should be providing the equipment computers, Braille Displays, headphones, anything we need. Do you happen to have any clarification on this? Any help would be greatly appreciative.
1 ANSWER
Every employer with 15 or more employees must provide reasonable accommodations which do not cause the employer an undue hardship. If the equipment you need has been provided to others then it should be provided to you.
However when employees work from home they often use some of their own equipment. Ask whether this employer has policies, written, which describe what it's expectations are.
Employers who have concerns about the confidentiality of their information often provide equipment because they have more control over such information.
The ADA interactive process is a give and take. It works best with amicable negotiation. It was not designed to force employers to incur expenses which it's business model does not support.
It's great that this business wants to help the disabled. Ask them to tell you how that usually works for them and negotiate.
Answered on Apr 19th, 2019 at 5:18 AM