Americans With Disabilities Act
The Metropolitan Government complies with the ADA. A disabled employee, as defined by the ADA, should discuss with his/her supervisor reasonable accommodations necessary to perform essential job functions. For further information, call the Department of Human Resources.
Application Process
Disabled persons are guaranteed the same application process as other applicants. Assistance may be provided when needed, such as the following:
- A reader may be provided for completing an application or written examination for qualified applicants who are vision-impaired or illiterate to due a learning disability.
- Waiver of a driver's license may be requested for qualified disabled applicants who are not allowed to drive.
Post-Offer Physical Exam
All new appointees are considered provisionally hired until a standard post-offer physical examination, where applicable, is completed at the Metro Health Department at Metro expense. If a physical limitation is determined which is considered by the Appointing Authority as justification for reversing the provisional appointment, the applicant and Appointing Authority shall determine the possibility of reasonable accommodation. Information obtained in the post-offer physical shall be confidential except for the following:
- Supervisors shall be informed of any restrictions on the duties required for reasonable accommodation.
- Safety personnel shall be informed of any possibility of emergency treatment.
Reasonable Accommodation
A department shall make reasonable accommodation to the known physical or mental limitations of an otherwise qualified disabled individual unless to do so would be an undue hardship. The specific accommodations needed shall be determined jointly by the individual and the Appointing Authority with technical assistance provided by the EEO Coordinator. Reasonable accommodation may include, but shall not be limited to:
- making facilities readily accessible to and usable by disabled persons
- job restructuring, job-sharing or modified work schedule, acquisition or modification of equipment or devices, and other similar actions
- assignment to a vacant position for which the person is otherwise qualified
In determining whether an accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the operation of the department, factors to be considered include the:
- overall size of the specific work area or program with respect to the number of employees and budget
- type of operation
- nature and cost of the accommodation needed
Accessibility
Each department is required to periodically survey their programs and physical facilities to determine if they are accessible to disabled persons. If structural problems are found, it is the responsibility of the Appointing Authority to budget for changes. Non-structural problems requiring some form of reasonable accommodation will be addressed on an individual basis. The EEO Coordinator will provide technical assistance in areas of accessibility related to employment.