Students With Disabilities

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act an employer cannot discriminate against a qualified applicant who has a disability. This means an employer cannot directly ask if you have a disability at any time. An employer may ask if an applicant is able to perform the essential functions of the job either with or without reasonable accommodations.

Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act requires federal entities and companies with federal contracts to track employees with disabilities in order to meet certain diversity requirements. If you are applying to a company which falls in this category, you will be asked to fill out an optional form to disclose your disability. If you choose to disclose, your information will be sent to the human resource department (or a department which serves a similar function) of the company. This information will not be shared with the hiring committee. Therefore, if you choose to disclose on this optional form, you still need to go through the decision process of whether or not to disclose on the job.

Reasonable accommodations are any modification to the job and/or the work environment that allow a qualified applicant with a disability to perform essential job functions. An employer is only required to make a reasonable accommodation for a known disability. Since employers are not allowed to specifically ask if you have a disability, this is a conversation you need to be prepared to advocate for yourself in.

A reasonable accommodation for an interview/job can range from physical modifications to the work environment to ensuring that all written materials are in accessible format. You and your employer can work together to discuss what accommodations are necessary and appropriate for your specific disability. For a comprehensive list of reasonable accommodations for specific disabilities, visit askjan.org.