Did you know?
- The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires employers to provide “reasonable accommodations” for employees with disabilities.
- Assistive technology (AT) plays a key role in making workplaces and job tasks accessible, helping to meet this requirement.
- The majority of workplace accommodations cost less than $500. Simple examples include a watch with a timer/alarm for an employee with memory impairment, a headlamp for someone with low vision, and lightweight doors for an employee with a physical disability.
- Employers find that most accommodations are effective or very effective. They also report that providing reasonable accommodations leads to higher productivity, better retention, improved attendance, and increased workplace morale.
(Read more in Workplace Accommodations: Low Cost, High Impact , a fact sheet by the Job Accommodation Network)
Do you need to find…?
- Help with AT (or another accommodation) for your employee with a disability?
- Who pays for AT?
- Help to pay for AT?
- Where your employee can get evaluated for AT? Where you can find training?
- Where your employee can try out and learn about AT?
- Where your employee can borrow AT on short-term loan?
- Where you can buy used AT and post AT needs?
- Information on workplace ergonomics?
- AT for self-employment or home-based employment?
- Examples of AT-for-work success stories?
Looking for links…?
Work-related AT resources and links
Frequently Asked Questions From Employers
What is a “reasonable accommodation” under the ADA?
A reasonable accommodation is any change to the workplace or adjustment to a job that enables a qualified individual with a disability to access equal employment opportunities. An equal employment opportunity means the ability to perform a job at the same level and receive the same benefits and privileges as employees without disabilities.
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), employers must provide reasonable accommodations to ensure equal opportunity in the job application process, the ability to perform essential job functions with necessary accommodations, and access to employment benefits and privileges. Examples include modifying the physical workspace, adjusting work schedules, acquiring or adapting equipment, providing interpreters or readers, or restructuring job duties.
For more information, see The Employer’s Practical Guide to Reasonable Accommodation Under the ADA from the Job Accommodation Network.
Who can help me find AT (or another accommodation) for my employee with a disability?
Technical assistance is available to help you find AT and make other “reasonable accommodations” for employees in your workplace.
- The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) is a free service of the Office of Disability Employment Policy at the US Department of Labor. JAN has a staffed hotline that provides expert individualized assistance to employers of all kinds.
- The Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission, the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind, and the Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing also run technical assistance programs. Read about them and more at our Technical Assistance page.
- Find providers of AT services and training, including evaluations, at the MassMATCH AT Services Directory. Do you need an on-site workplace consultation? Help modifying a work environment for a valuable employee? The search page allows you to look for particular AT services by region or statewide.
Who pays for AT?
Employers with 15 or more employees have the responsibility to pay for AT as a “reasonable accommodation” under the Americans with Disabilities Act as well as the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Data collected by the Job Accommodation Network (JAN) suggest that most accommodations cost less than $500. Learn more from The Employer’s Practical Guide to Reasonable Accommodation Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) available from the JAN.
If a person’s disability resulted from a work-related illness or injury, Worker’s Compensation may cover the cost of AT devices and services. To learn more, visit the Massachusetts Department of Industrial Accidents website and download the Injured Worker’s Guide.
Where can I get help to pay for AT for an employee?
Tax incentives are available for employers to help purchase AT and for other workplace accommodations for people with disabilities. Employers can get free help understanding tax incentives from Massachusetts Vocational Rehabilitation agencies. Read about technical assistance available to employers at our Technical Assistance page. You can read also read about employer tax incentives at this JAN web page.
If buying AT would mean an undue hardship for your workplace (as in the case of nonprofits) and if your employee is a client of the Mass. Rehabilitation Commission (MRC) or Veteran’s Affairs (VA), help may be available for purchasing the needed AT from the Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) departments of these agencies. Help paying for a vehicle modification (such as an accessible van) may also be available if it will help your employee keep (or obtain) employment.
The Mass. Commission for the Blind (MCB) is also a VR agency. Most employers of MCB clients do get assistance with purchasing hardware and/or software accommodations. Read about Vocational Rehabilitation agencies in Funding AT for Work.
Where can my employee get evaluated for AT? Where can I find training?
Find providers of AT services and training at the MassMATCH AT Services Directory. The search page allows you to look for particular AT services by region or statewide.
If your employee is a client of the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission or the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind, help may be available for evaluations and training through these agencies’ Vocational Rehabilitation departments (MRC, MCB).
Where can my employee try out and learn about AT?
MassMATCH has two AT Regional Centers where anyone can learn about and see the latest equipment in action. If you have an employee who needs, for example, an adapted keyboard, an AT Regional Center can show your employee a range of keyboard options and connect you with product representatives for technical support.
Where can my employee borrow AT on short-term loan?
MassMATCH AT Regional Centers also provide a device short-term loan program that allows people to ‘test drive’ AT before deciding what to buy or for other short-term needs. You can browse their device loan inventory and fill out a loan request all online.
Where can I buy used AT and post my AT needs?
At the MassMATCH AT Swap and Shop you can search used equipment for sale in your region, post items you wish to sell, or advertise wanted AT. Maybe you have an employee with limited capacity to stand or walk? Use these device exchange programs to find a used wheelchair for use at the office.
Where can I learn about workplace ergonomics?
See Ergonomics in the Workplace: A Resource Guide available from JAN.
I’m a person with a disability interested in self-employment and/or home-based employment; where can I get help with AT?
Self-employment and home-based employment services are available through state Vocational Rehabilitation agencies (MRC, MCB) to eligible people with disabilities. Assistance is available to VR clients so long as the self-employment or home-based employment goals are written into the individual’s vocational rehabilitation plan. VR clients who need AT for achieving home-based or self-employment goals can get AT and AT services paid for through VR (so long as these costs are written into their VR plan). VR will pay for AT evaluations, training, and equipment costs.
VR at the Mass. Rehabilitation Commission considers AT equipment part of the client’s business start-up costs. Start-up goods and services that do not exceed $3,000 and are part of the individual’s vocational rehabilitation plan are considered reasonable. AT services can be paid for separately. (See An AT for self-employment story from the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission.)
Veterans with service-connected disabilities can also pursue funding through the Veteran Affairs Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Division.
The Massachusetts AT Loan Program is another option for people with disabilities. If a VR program isn’t an option for you, a low- or no-interest financial loan may be a good way to get the equipment you need.
AT-FOR-WORK SUCCESS STORIES
- An AT for self-employment story from the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission
- Examples of workplace AT solutions from the Job Accommodation Network
An AT for self-employment story from the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission
In September 2005, Bobby, a 54-year-old woman running a home-based daycare business, turned to Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) for help. She needed to complete mandatory classes to maintain her daycare license and grow her business. But with no ability to read or write, the coursework felt overwhelming. “It was too hard and stressful. I got sick just trying to go to those classes. I couldn’t stop crying.”
Bobby first learned about VR services after seeing how they helped her youngest son, Thomas.* Diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia, he had graduated from special education services and was now attending college. As a single mother raising two boys, she marveled at the technology that transformed his education. “They didn’t have that technology when I was little. And in Mississippi, my mother wouldn’t have known about any of it. But my son always said he wanted to be an electrical engineer—since he was five years old.” With hardware and software funded by the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission (MRC), Thomas had started at Bucknell University the previous fall, following in his older brother’s footsteps.
Now, Bobby felt it was her turn. “If you don’t reach for something, you’ll fall for nothing,” she often says. She told her VR counselor that her goal was not just to maintain her daycare license but to complete all professional development classes needed to earn her Directors II child care certification. Ultimately, she wanted to open her own childcare center.
MRC referred Bobby to UCP Berkshire’s AT Resource Center (now one of two MassMATCH AT Regional Centers)
for an assistive technology (AT) evaluation. She explained that she needed everything read aloud to her, which made her feel dependent on others. Taking notes was also difficult since writing itself was a challenge. The counselor recommended a set of tools tailored to her needs.
Bobby was introduced to Kurzweil 3000, software that reads scanned text aloud; Draft:Builder, which helps organize writing; and Dragon Naturally Speaking and Keystone: ScreenSpeaker, which allow her to dictate text and have it read back. A digital recorder would let her capture lectures to review later. The counselor also recommended a laptop, scanner, printer, headset with a microphone, and a talking calculator, along with 20 hours of training. MRC approved everything.
Today, Bobby says assistive technology has completely changed her life. It helps her achieve her goals, but more importantly, it has transformed how she sees herself. “I’m not so dependent on other people anymore.” She has already earned her Lead Teacher, Directors I, and Directors II certifications.
Meanwhile, Thomas is still pursuing his childhood dream. Next fall, he will begin his Master’s program in electrical engineering at MIT. As Bobby often says, “A good beginning lasts a lifetime.”
*Thomas’s name has been changed to protect his privacy.
Examples of workplace AT solutions from the Job Accommodation Network (JAN)
“Reasonable accommodations” for employees with disabilities don’t always involve assistive technology. The Searchable Online Accommodation Resource on the Job Accommodation Network (JAN) website offers recommendations for all types of workplace accommodations. It’s also a valuable resource for learning about specific disabilities. Below are examples of AT solutions provided by JAN for different workplaces and disabilities.
A janitor with cerebral palsy and balance issues struggled with walking around the facility and safely climbing ladders to change light bulbs. His employer provided a motorized cart and a rolling safety ladder to improve mobility and safety.
A printing company supervisor needed accommodations for an employee experiencing reduced concentration and memory loss due to mental illness. The employee operated copy machines, maintained the paper supply, and checked orders for accuracy but had difficulty staying on task. A JAN consultant suggested laminating a checklist of daily tasks for the employee to mark off with an erasable marker. Another recommendation was a watch with an hourly alarm to remind him to check other responsibilities.
A medical technician who was deaf couldn’t hear the buzz of a timer needed for laboratory tests. The employer attached an indicator light to the equipment to provide a visual cue.
A professional returning to work after a brain injury had trouble reading past the midline when scanning text from left to right. Suggested accommodations included adjusting the word processing margin settings to limit right-side reading, using software to split the computer screen and black out the right side, rearranging the workstation to position equipment on the left, and adding task lighting.
A clerical worker with scoliosis had sitting and standing restrictions but needed to work at a desk for most of the day. The employer provided an ergonomic evaluation, an ergonomic chair, and a sit/stand computer workstation to improve comfort and mobility.
A truck driver with a back impairment had difficulty sitting for extended periods. His employer installed a suspension seat and provided a vehicle cushion designed to reduce vibrations, allowing him to drive longer without discomfort.
A journalist with ADHD struggled with sensitivity to visual and auditory distractions in an open office. To help, the employer provided a private, high-wall cubicle in a low-traffic area and added an environmental sound machine to mask office noise.
A clerical worker with an auditory processing disorder had trouble understanding verbal work assignments at a large firm where tasks were assigned daily. To ensure accuracy, the employee used a voice-activated recorder to capture the assignment details, including the job location and supervisor’s name, making it easy to review as needed.
A typist with low vision had difficulty distinguishing certain character keys. The employer provided a glare guard for the monitor and large-print keyboard labels, significantly improving accuracy.