I think my employee has a disability/needs accommodations; what do I do?

To receive a workplace accommodation for a disability, an employee must request this accommodation, either in writing or verbally. It is not the role of a manager to suggest accommodations on behalf of employees, without the employee’s explicit request. However, you can facilitate open communication in your workplace, and ensure that employees are aware of the option to request accommodations, as well as fostering an inclusive environment in which employees feel comfortable requesting accommodations. Considerations related to fostering an inclusive workplace, and associated resources, are provided below.

Provide Disability Awareness Training to Employees

Providing disability awareness training can help your team to understand the challenges faced by people with disabilities, and can make your work environment more inclusive and accepting of all team members. Such training can improve communication within your team, and reduce misunderstandings or awkward conversations. Educating team members that many disabilities are not visible will help to foster understanding and a culture of empathy. Some employers actively encourage employees to self-disclose their disabilities, to assist in optimizing each employee’s contributions to their team. Disability awareness training can help team members who have disabilities to be aware of the resources available to them if they decide to request an accommodation.

Maintain Strong Communication with Employees

As a manager, you cannot coordinate accommodations on behalf of a disabled employee without their request. However, maintaining frequent and open communication with your employees can make it more likely that a team member with a disability will feel comfortable making an accommodation request.

Solicit Employee Feedback

Maintaining a culture of honest communication will yield benefits for your team such as understanding employees’ insights about your workplace policies. Proactively seeking employees’ feedback can guide your managerial decisions involving modifying communication strategies, changing workplace policies, or other actions that can ensure that your employees’ needs are being met.

‍Provide Confidential Options for Requesting Disability Accommodations

Employees with disabilities may be hesitant to request accommodations if they are concerned that their request may be disclosed to coworkers. Platforms such as Disclo (https://www.disclo.com/) may be of use.

Consider Disability Disclosure from the Employee’s Perspective

While it is not legal to discriminate against an employee based on a disability, many employees with disabilities fear the repercussions of disclosing their situation or requesting accommodation. Likely concerns may include social rejection in the workplace, judgment by coworkers, exclusion from prestigious assignments or promotion opportunities, and other potential negative effects. It is important to treat all employees with compassion, as their lack of disclosing a disability might be a very carefully considered decision based on many factors.