Accommodation Requests Research Articles

Navigating as a Deaf and Hard of Hearing Undergraduate in Research Laboratories: Barriers and Inclusion

Preparing the next generation of scientists, particularly those from minority groups who are underrepresented in the nation’s scientific workforce, is part of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences’ (NIGMS) mission (NIGMS 5‐Year Strategic Plan Progress and Outcomes, 2020). The Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (RISE) Scientists‐in Training Program for Deaf and Hard‐of‐Hearing Undergraduates at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) is an effort to enhance the diversity of the biomedical sciences workforce by providing research‐intensive training for PhD‐bound deaf and hard of hearing (D/HH) undergraduates. RIT‐RISE is designed to support D/HH undergraduate students (known as RIT‐RISE scholars), who navigate academic and science communities differently from hearing students due to various systemic barriers. The D/HH population is unique and diverse in terms of communication and language preferences and identities. Unlike hearing peers, D/HH students often have to request accommodations through the university’s disability office so they can have access to scientific discourse that spontaneously occurs in the research lab. The RIT‐RISE team conducted a qualitative study to better understand D/HH STEM students’ experiences related to communication challenges in undergraduate research environments and to identify best practices to optimize communication access in research environments with mixed D/HH and hearing scientists and STEM students. Based on qualitative data gathered from interviews, focus groups, and lab observations, four main themes emerged from our study: (a) Communication and Environmental Barriers in Research Laboratories; (b) Creating Accessible and Inclusive Lab Environments; (c) Communication Strategies; and (d)Self‐Advocating for Effective Communication. Our findings contribute to the possible strategies to customize and optimize communication experiences and mentoring experiences for all D/HH students.

Factors associated with requesting accommodations among people with multiple sclerosis.

Almost one million individuals are living with multiple sclerosis (MS) in the United States with a majority being diagnosed when they are in their 20s or early stages of their careers. Employees with MS experience various job-related challenges such as high unemployment and underemployment. Accommodations assist individuals with MS to obtain and maintain employment, yet the current understanding of factors affecting decisions to request or withhold accommodations is limited. This study aimed to explore barriers and facilitators of workplace accommodation requests among individuals with MS through a qualitative approach. Eighty-six participants were recruited from agencies serving individuals with MS in the US. Content analysis was conducted to examine responses to one open-ended question related to their perception of barriers or facilitative strategies to request accommodations. Ten overarching themes related to barriers and facilitators for requesting accommodations were identified. Among them were three facilitators (i.e., positive work environment, employer compliance and flexibility, and employee self-advocacy and proactivity) and seven barriers (i.e., employers' lack of knowledge of Americans with Disabilities Act and accommodations, employers' discrimination and resistance to accommodation requests, employees' fear/anxiety to request due to associated stigma, employees' lack of knowledge about accommodations/disability/resources as well as inaccessible workspace). Rehabilitation professionals can educate and empower employees with MS to disclose disability and request needed accommodations. Rehabilitation professionals also can educate employers for individuals with MS about their obligations under the laws to provide accommodations and sensitize coworkers of individuals with MS regarding the disability.

University agrees to resolve complaint about accommodation request

Case name: Letter to: University of Florida School of Veterinary Medicine, No. 04‐21‐2166 (OCR 10/01/21).

The Complexities of Passing

The Complexities of Passing

The disclosure dilemma: requesting accommodations for chronic pain in job interviews.

This study explores the job interview process for those who need disability-related accommodations on the job (in particular an "invisible" disability such as many of the long-term and late effects of cancer and its treatment (e.g., pain, fatigue, cognitive problems)), and explores whether the communication channel or the timing of the disclosure has implications on the perceived employability of applicants, with the aim of helping to close the employment gap for this marginalized population. Using 1917 participants in a partially crossed 2 × 3 × 2 experimental design, we explored disclosing the need for accommodations using each video or audio-only channels, by varying the timing of the disclosure within the interview (early, late, or not at all), and by varying the negotiation strategy used (modest or significant increase over proposed salary). Participants rated the candidate's employability at two different points in time. Early and late disclosures of the need for accommodations were both associated with poorer ratings of employability. Disclosure via audio was singularly damaging as compared to video disclosure, whether it occurred early or late. Finally, asking for a significant increase in salary resulted in lower ratings of employability, especially if the disclosure of the disability happened late in the process (and proximally to the salary request itself). Holding off on the request for accommodations until after the job has been offered may be advisable. Similarly, disability disclosures and requests for accommodation are better received using richer communication channels (video as opposed to audio). Salary requests are also sensitive topics and can be affected by ill-timed disclosures. If accommodations are needed on the job (based on chronic pain), waiting until later in the process to discuss this topic (using video and not the phone) and ensuring distance in time from making a salary request are apparently the better choices.

Diversity and inclusion in the legal profession: disclosure of cancer and other health conditions by lawyers with disabilities and lawyers who identify as LGBTQ + .

PurposeGiven the training and experience of lawyers, we assumed that a study of lawyers’ willingness to disclose disability in the workplace would provide an example of the actions of a group knowledgeable about disability law. The current study accounts for the effect of visibility of disability, onset and type of disability, and whether the lawyer has made an accommodation request. We also investigate the role of other individual characteristics, such as sexual orientation, gender identity, race/ethnicity, age, and job-related characteristics, in willingness to disclose.MethodsWe use data from the first phase of a longitudinal national survey of lawyers in the USA to estimate the odds of disclosing disability to co-workers, management, and clients using proportional odds models.ResultsLawyers with less visible disabilities, those with mental health disabilities, and those who work for smaller organizations have lower odds of disclosing to co-workers, management, and clients as compared to their counterparts. Attorneys who have requested accommodations are more willing to disclose as compared to those who have not, but only to co-workers and management. Women are less likely than men to disclose to management and clients. However, gender is not a significant determinant of disclosure to co-workers. Older attorneys are more likely to disclose to clients, whereas attorneys with children are less likely to disclose to co-workers. Lastly, lower perceived prejudice and the presence of co-workers with disabilities are associated with higher disclosure scores, but not for all groups.ConclusionsIndividuals who acquired a disability at a relatively early point in life and those with more visible disabilities are more likely to disclose. However, such willingness is affected by the intersection of disability with other individual and firm-level characteristics.Implications for Cancer Survivors.The findings imply that those with less visible disabilities and with health conditions acquired later in life are less likely to disclose. The relevance of the findings is heightened by the altered work conditions and demands imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic for cancer survivors.

Technical Standards from Newly Established Medical Schools: A Review of Disability Inclusive Practices.

IntroductionTechnical standards document US medical school's nonacademic criteria necessary for admission, persistence, and graduation and communicate the school's commitment to disability inclusion and accommodation but are considered one of the largest barriers for students with disabilities. Calls for more inclusive technical standards have increased in recent years, yet the impact of this work on changing technical standards has not been measured.The establishment of 15 new US MD- and DO-granting medical schools between 2017 to 2020 offered a unique opportunity to evaluate differences in the inclusive nature of newly developed technical standards.MethodWe conducted a document analysis of 15 newly formed medical schools’ technical standards to determine the availability and inclusive nature of the standards as they pertain to students with sensory and mobility disabilities. Technical standards were coded for: ease of obtaining technical standards, the school's stated willingness to provide reasonable accommodations, the origin of responsibility for accommodation request and implementation, and the school's openness to intermediaries or auxiliary aids.ResultsOf the 15 schools, 73% of the technical standards were not easy to locate online. Few (13%) included language that support disability accommodations. Most (73%) used language that was coded as ‘restrictive’ for students with physical or sensory disabilities. Coding of the newly accredited US MD and DO medical schools suggests that newly created technical standards are more restrictive than those in previous studies.ConclusionsEfforts to create more inclusive technical standards have not yet been realized. Newly formed US MD- and DO-granting medical schools may perpetuate historically restrictive technical standards that serve as barriers to applicants with disabilities. Future research should evaluate the role of medical school accrediting bodies to go beyond simply requiring technical standards to ensuring that the standards are readily available and appropriately convey the availability of reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities.

Supporting the Sharing of Mental Health Challenges in the Workplace: Findings from Comparative Case Study Research at Two Mental Health Services.

Personal experience with mental health (MH) challenges has been characterized as a concealable stigma. Identity management literature suggests actively concealing a stigma may negatively impact wellbeing. Reviews of workplace identity management literature have linked safety in revealing a stigma to individual performance, well-being, engagement and teamwork. However, no research to date has articulated the factors that make sharing MH challenges possible. This study employed a comparative case study design to explore the sharing of MH challenges in two Australian MH services. We conducted qualitative analyses of interviews with staff in direct service delivery and supervisory roles, to determine factors supporting safety to share. Workplace factors supporting safety to share MH challenges included: planned and unplanned “check-ins;” mutual sharing and support from colleagues and supervisors; opportunities for individual and team reflection; responses to and management of personal leave and requests for accommodation; and messaging and action from senior organizational leaders supporting the value of workforce diversity. Research involving staff with experience of MH challenges provides valuable insights into how we can better support MH staff across the workforce.

Factors influencing workplace accommodations requests among employees with visual impairments

AbstractPeople with visual impairments experience various challenges in the workplace such as under-employment, structural, and attitudinal barriers. Workplace accommodations are instrumental in assisting individuals to complete essential functions of their jobs and to increase job tenure and satisfaction. However, workplace accommodations are under-utilized. The current study examined influences of psychosocial and demographic factors on decisions to request accommodations amongst people with visual impairments. Participants included 116 people with visual impairments (e.g., female = 63.9%, Caucasian = 81%) from agencies and organizations serving people with visual impairments within United States. The results following logistic regression show that increased levels of psychosocial factors (i.e., self-efficacy in requesting accommodations and goal setting, non-personal cost related to accommodation, knowledge related to Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and accommodation policies and procedures) predicted participants’ decision to request accommodations. In addition, participants aged 55 or more and those with a high school degree or lower were less likely to request accommodations. Rehabilitation interventions for enhancing work participation self-efficacy in employees with visual impairment, as well as knowledge on ADA and accommodation policies and procedures, would create a more inclusive and accepting work environment for employees with visual impairment.

Online system expedites requests for accommodation

An automated data management system at Texas Woman's University has simplified the process of requesting and implementing accommodations for students and faculty. Crystal Hill, Director of Disability Services for Students, discussed the transition to an online system.

Does Section 504 require single‐room accommodations?

Even before COVID‐19, higher education institutions had seen a rise in requests for single‐room accommodations for anxiety, observing that, given the choice, most students, with or without a disability, would prefer a room of their own to a double room with a roommate, particularly when offered at a reduced rate. But now, spurred by fear of COVID‐19 as well as by emotional and psychiatric disorders, even more students appear to be seeking single‐room accommodations, supported by letters from health care providers that diagnose various emotional or psychiatric disabilities and identify some therapeutic or privacy‐based benefit that a single room may provide. In considering these no‐roommate accommodation requests, institutions should review whether and, if so, when Section 504 regulations require single rooms as a disability accommodation. Surprisingly, Office for Civil Rights letters don't answer that question.

The AHEAD Documentation Guidance at 10 Years: Continuing Concerns

In 2012, the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) released guidance for disability documentation meant to help support students’ requests for accommodations. Even at that time, the guidance went against AHEAD’s own prior statements, and was contradicted by a developing body of empirical research. Since the release of the guidance, that body of research has grown substantially, continuing to question the accuracy of students’ self-reports and the value of casual conversations and observations made by disability services professionals. In addition, recent research has suggested that even external documentation from disability evaluators (such as psychologists) must be very carefully reviewed to ensure that there is sufficient evidence to support disability accommodations. We discuss selected findings from the empirical literature and propose improvements to documentation review processes.

Process, process, process: the OCR watchwords

As the primary enforcement authority for Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the Office for Civil Rights routinely reviews complaints by postsecondary students who have requested but have been denied accommodations, academic adjustments, and auxiliary aids. Many accommodation requests that make up the workload of disability services offices center around test accommodations, attendance and assignment accommodations, and housing accommodations, rather than auxiliary aids.

Does Section 504 require single‐room accommodations?

A May 2019 column noted a rise in requests for single‐room accommodations for anxiety, observing that given the choice, most students, with or without a disability, would prefer a room of their own to a double room with a roommate, particularly when offered at a reduced rate. Since publication, spurred by fear of COVID‐19 as well as by emotional and psychiatric disorders, even more students appear to be seeking single‐room accommodations, supported by letters from health care providers that diagnose various emotional or psychiatric disabilities and identify some therapeutic or privacy‐based benefit that a single room may provide. In considering these no‐roommate accommodation requests, institutions should review whether, and if so when, Section 504 regulations require single rooms as a disability accommodation. Surprisingly, Office for Civil Rights letters do not answer that question.

Waking up to my sleep disorder.

Moments before I presented my first seminar as a postdoc to my lab group, my eyelids grew heavy and my sense of alertness dissolved into a dreamlike state. It was a sleep attack—a result of narcolepsy, which I was diagnosed with 2 years earlier. I apologized for my incessant yawning and continued with my talk despite an overwhelming urge to sleep. It’s one of many moments when my narcolepsy made my career difficult. But ever since I learned of a renowned scientist who has narcolepsy, I’ve known I can succeed in science, too. > “I … feared my career in science had reached a dead end.” I’ve fought the urge to sleep for much of my life. At a young age, I fell asleep in bizarre places—on the front lawn, in a pile of stuffed animals—and in school I was frequently reprimanded for yawning. Fearing others would think I was lazy, I got in the habit of working harder on my schoolwork than everyone else. As an undergraduate, I relied on energy drinks to keep me awake through long hours studying. But when exams were over, I’d stay in bed for days to recuperate. Graduate school was more difficult because my work was never “done.” There was always a new paper to read or an experiment to plan. Shortly after passing my Ph.D. qualifying exam, I worked in the lab every day for more than 30 days straight. That sapped what little energy I had in the first place. The stress and exhaustion exacerbated my sleep issues. On more than one occasion, I had to postpone planned experiments and rush home to take a nap. During conversations with my mentor, my stream of thought would sometimes run dry midsentence and I would have to ask him what I was talking about. I thought depression caused my brain fog and fatigue, so I started seeing a psychiatrist. After 2 years, and multiple medications, I was no better. So she had me complete a sleep questionnaire, which led to a referral to a sleep clinic and a series of sleep tests. Shortly thereafter I received my diagnosis: narcolepsy. The news was a relief because it meant I might finally receive appropriate treatment and learn how to manage my symptoms. But I also feared my career in science had reached a dead end. As a neuroscientist, how could I uncover the inner workings of the brain with one that is “broken”? How could I succeed if I had to put sleep hygiene ahead of science? Then I stumbled on an article about George Church, a prominent Harvard University geneticist who has narcolepsy. Calling his condition “a feature, not a bug,” he said his daytime bouts of sleep are opportunities for creative, quasi-conscious thought, when he’s hatched some of his best ideas. Reading about his condition was empowering. It gave me a sense of belonging, one that went beyond “sure, you can enter our circle” to “you’re in our circle and we’re better for it.” I wrote Dr. Church an email, telling him how much his perspective meant to me. To my surprise, he sent a detailed reply. “Lecture classes were very hard for me,” he wrote. “I even flunked out of my first attempt at Ph.D.” His words helped me cultivate a fierce sense of self-compassion. I began to accept that my best can look different from day to day and that I might struggle with some aspects of academia more than others. I also implemented many of the strategies he recommended for dealing with narcolepsy, including waiting until evening to eat a large meal and breaking up the day physically with a mixture of standing, pacing, and sitting. I registered with my university’s disability office and made requests for workplace accommodations. The university bought me a standing desk, which helped me feel more alert, and I received permission to take naps at work. I made similar requests when I started a postdoc last year. I still harbor fears of seeming lazy, and I worry that the brain fog I suffer from will one day settle and never lift. But these fears do not stop me from continuing to pursue my goal of managing my own lab one day. Thanks to Dr. Church, I know it’s possible—as long as I take care of myself.

Accommodation, interpersonal justice, and the turnover intentions of employees with disabilities

The number of employees with disabilities in the workforce is increasing and accommodations are essential to the work of many of these individuals. Prior research has explored perceptions of accommodation requests as well as coworkers’ and managers’ reactions to accommodations; yet, we know little about how employees with disabilities experience their own accommodations. We draw from the disability literature as well as contemporary justice and social exchange theory to develop and subsequently test a multilevel moderated mediation model on this subject. We test our hypotheses with data from 4,083 employees nested in 256 workgroups across two time points. We find support for our prediction that accommodation-focused interpersonal justice influences turnover intentions. The effect of these justice perceptions was mediated by workgroup openness to communication. Further, we find that representation of accommodated employees with disabilities at the workgroup level plays an important role in these relationships. We look beyond the technical aspects of accommodation with this research to highlight the social experience of accommodation as a central driver of employee perceptions and work outcomes.

Process, process, process: the OCR watchwords

As the primary enforcement authority for Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the Office for Civil Rights routinely reviews complaints by postsecondary students who have requested but have been denied accommodations, academic adjustments, and auxiliary aids. Many accommodation requests that make up the workload of disability services offices center around test accommodations, attendance and assignment accommodations, and housing accommodations, rather than auxiliary aids.

Living on‐campus during COVID‐19: Prepare to handle requests for accommodations

As vaccination rates go up and higher education institutions return to on‐campus learning this fall, institutions may already be receiving students’ accommodations requests to waive or adjust requirements for living in on‐campus housing. With return to on‐campus learning this fall, these requirements are now back in force. Colleges and universities promote living on campus for a number of reasons, including the increased tendency for resident students to perform better academically, seamlessly integrate into campus activities and student organizations, and receive peer support.

Developing New Online Course Accessibility Services for Faculty through Collaboration between Librarians and Campus Departments: A Case Study

Literature has shown that inaccessible content is a barrier to student success and an impediment to student retention. Despite legal obligations for accessible course content, creators of course materials are often unaware of the benefits of improved accessibility and their personal liability. To address these accessibility issues, a partnership was developed between the library and two campus departments to create a formal, campus wide accessibility service that would make all online course content fully accessible on Day 1, through design initiatives rather than having faculty wait for an accommodation request, to foster student success and support faculty course development.

Requests for Accommodation in Brain Death Cases: Emerging Role for Pediatric Palliative Care

Death by neurologic criteria is a diagnosis that has presented complexities since its inception and pediatric cases are no exception. While rare, families may request accommodation to deviate from the traditionally defined diagnostic pathway based on their beliefs, mistrust of the diagnosis, or other complex reasons. Palliative care consultation offers a unique clinical perspective to complement the work of intensivists to support families through the diagnosis and possible resolution around accommodation requests. With misinformation and high-profile cases widely visible to the public through the media, these requests require a thoughtful and informed clinical approach by all members of the interdisciplinary clinical team. Common themes in many of these cases are trauma, bias and their impact on caregivers. We use a case-based approach to explore these complexities and clinical tools.