If you suffer from vision loss, you may require special accommodations at work. If that is the case, you are protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) which requires your employer to provide reasonable accommodations to help you and prevents them from discriminating against you because of your medical problems or disabilities.
However, what could be reasonable accommodations for one company may be out of the question for other employers. It is based on your employer’s size, the number of employees, and the financial resources that are available. If it is a smaller company with fewer employees and fewer resources, then they cannot afford the same accommodations that a huge company with hundreds of millions of dollars of annual income.
To get appropriate accommodations, you will need to be creative. Your employer may want to accommodate you in the best possible way, but may have very limited funding and resources, so an alternative solution that takes care of the problem may be needed. You should be willing to compromise and help your employer come up with alternative solutions that will work and that will be affordable.
There are many reasonable and affordable accommodations for vision loss that will not cost your employer a lot and that will not take up too much time. Take the time to discuss the options with your employer, so an affordable and agreeable solution is much more likely to be found. If your employer isn’t willing to negotiate, then you will need to file a formal complaint for their violation of the ADA. You have legal help and resources available to help you in such situations.
How Vision Loss Can Be Challenging In The Workplace
If you suffer from vision loss, it can affect your ability to work in many ways. There are different ways that you may need to be accommodated by your employer. As an example, if you have vision loss, you may have problems looking at the computer screen or reading emails. You may ask your employer for a magnifier for the computer screen.
Written word may be in font that is too small, so you may require booklets and documents in large print or even in Braille. You need to be able to have access to the same materials, so they will need to accommodate you by providing some of these services. These should be considered reasonable accommodations as they are not considered expensive solutions.
Some examples of reasonable accommodations for someone with vision loss include screen reader software, educational materials that are in larger print, emails with larger fonts, an office that is easy to navigate and materials that are easily accessible, and allowing you to have a guide dog to help you maneuver your way around the office and throughout the workplace.
Limitations
There are some limitations that employers face, and employees must be aware of these restrictions or limitations. As an example, you should consider that your employer may experience financial constraints, and there could be a limited time to get you access to the accommodations that you need to thrive in the work environment.
If your company only has 10 employees, they have much more restrictions as far as time goes when it comes to getting access to your accommodating equipment or materials. Determining what is considered reasonable could be subjective depending on your job role, the severity of your job loss, and the size of your employer. As previously mentioned, the company size, the number of employees, and the financial situation all come into play as this is a subjective thing.
Speak With An Attorney
If you have requested accommodations from your employer because of your vision loss, and you believe that the requests were reasonable and your employer has denied them, you should speak with an employment law attorney who handles ADA claims. If your employer has violated the ADA, you can file a formal complaint against them, and you can seek compensation for your losses and damages.
Talk with the lawyer about how they will be paid. Some employment law attorneys take cases on a contingency basis, and all offer a free case review. With the help of an employment lawyer, you are much more likely to have a successful claim if your ADA requests were denied. Complete the Free Case Evaluation Form on this page today to share the details of your denial of reasonable accommodations for vision loss.
