When workers have certain disabilities, it could be a form of discrimination if an employer simply decides to terminate their employment instead of accommodating their disability. The employer may think that it is more cost-effective to let that employee go and hire someone else to replace them. But under federal, state, and local laws in Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia, employers are usually required to provide reasonable accommodations.
The goal is to allow an employee with a disability to continue to work just as they did before. Naturally, there are some occupations in which this is impossible. If someone has a manual labor job but suffers a spinal cord injury that leaves them paralyzed, there may be no way for them to continue working in that same job. But, simple accommodations—including certain types of technology or a change in job duties—often can make all the difference.
Accommodating visual impairments
For example, consider an employee who has a job where they need to use their computer and communicate with clients. But they suffer an injury or an illness that leads to visual impairment. They may qualify as being legally blind, and it becomes difficult or impossible for them to read the computer screen.
Rather than firing that employee to hire someone who can read the screen, the employer may be able to accommodate the employee’s visual impairment by providing text-to-speech software or a screen-reading system. The employee can then wear headphones and listen as the program reads the screen to them, overcoming their visual impairment and allowing them to continue to work just as they did before. A simple technological upgrade means that they do not have to lose their job.
Employers and employees sometimes get into debates over what qualifies as a reasonable accommodation, so it is important for those involved to understand all of their legal rights and options, and to seek legal advice.
