Staff & Faculty Accommodation FAQ

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Accommodation Request Process

To request an accommodation for a medical condition or disability, please submit a Request for Accommodation form (linked above) and supporting medical documentation to the Benefits team in Human Resources at benefits@pugetsound.edu. Medical documentation should be recent and include the nature of the medical condition/disability, the specific accommodation being requested, and the time frame of the accommodation.
HR/Benefits will provide you with a copy of your job description to assist you and your medical provider in determining an accommodation that supports you in performing the essential functions of your role.
Once the Request for Accommodation form with medical documentation has been received, HR/Benefits will review the documentation for completeness.
After ensuring the documentation is complete, HR/Benefits will contact your supervisor (staff) or your department chair and/or provost (faculty) regarding the accommodation request. The nature of the medical condition/disability will remain confidential; however, the specific accommodation being requested and the time frame will be shared.
Your supervisor (staff) or your academic chair and provost (faculty), in consultation with HR/Benefits, will consider the accommodation being requested to determine if it is reasonable in nature, supports you in performing the essential functions of your job, and supports the university and department needs.
The final determination regarding requests for accommodation will be communicated to you in writing from HR/Benefits, including information about the time frame of the approved accommodation.

Confidentiality

Medical Information

Puget Sound HR/Benefits will not communicate confidential medical information to staff supervision or faculty leadership. Only information pertinent to a staff or faculty member's accommodation being requested will be shared outside of HR in an effort to determine if the accommodation is reasonable or creates an undue hardship. Medical information is kept confidential and separate from the employee's personnel file. Leaders are informed of the nature of the request and of what possible accommodations may be offered in order for the employee to perform the essential functions of their job. Anyone involved in implementing an accommodation is advised that medical/disability matters are confidential and should not be shared with others.

Self-Identification

Disclosure of a medical condition or disability is a voluntary process. You are not required to disclose any information about your medical condition or disability to your supervisor or coworkers. However, some people choose to do so. While medical/disability information shared outside of HR/Benefits should still be treated as confidential, this is not guaranteed. If you choose to share information about a medical condition or disability with people not involved in the accommodation process or outside of HR/Benefits, be aware that this information may be perceived as common knowledge and shared with others unless you specify that it is confidential.

Supervisor Responsibilities

Accommodations due to a medical condition should be facilitated through HR/Benefits. If you are asked by a direct report for an accommodation, refer them to HR/Benefits and direct them to the Staff & Faculty Accommodation FAQs page on the Benefits website (this page). Please refrain from medical discussions with staff or faculty members.

In addition to referring a direct report seeking an accommodation to HR/Benefits, a supervisor's responsibilities include:

Consulting with HR/Benefits to determine if an accommodation request is reasonable based on university and department needs
Consulting with HR/Benefits in a good faith effort to determine if the accommodation being requested creates an undue hardship
Providing support in the implementation of the approved accommodation
Checking-in with the direct report periodically regarding the accommodation in support of their ability to perform the essential functions of their job

Confidentiality Reminder for Supervisors

Never ask your direct report for personal medical information. If an employee starts to share information with you that includes personal medical information, make sure to let them know that you do not need to know this information. When discussing with a direct report their accommodation request, always focus on the workplace requirements of the accommodation(s) being requested, not on the medical condition or disability itself.

General Reminders for Supervisors

Contact HR/Benefits if you have any questions about the accommodation being requested.
Contact HR/Benefits if an employee tells you about a health problem that could impact their ability to perform their job but does not make a specific accommodation request.
You may not deny a request for accommodation without first consulting with HR/Benefits. While all requests may not be approved, an accommodation request, along with possible alternatives, must be thoroughly evaluated prior to denial.
Requests for basic office furniture and IT equipment do not require an official workplace accommodation request and will be paid for at the department's expense.

Additional Resources

Washington State Human Rights Commission

Olympia Headquarters
711 S. Capitol Way, Suite 402
Olympia, WA 98504
800-233-3247
https://www.hum.wa.gov/

U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division

950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
4CON, 9th Floor
Washington, DC 20530
202-307-0663
https://www.justice.gov/crt/disability-rights-sect

Office for Civil Rights

Central Building
810 3rd Avenue, Suite 750
Seattle, WA 98104-1627
206-684-4500
206-684-4503 TTY
https://www.seattle.gov/civilrights

Staff & Faculty Accommodation FAQ

In this section

Accommodation Request Process

Contact for Faculty and Staff

Benefits | Human Resources

Contact for Student Employees

ADA Coordinator, Director of Student Accessibility & Accommodations

Confidentiality

Supervisor Responsibilities

Reasonable Accommodation

Undue Hardship

Additional Resources