EEOC Workplace Guidance Visually Impaired Accommodations

The Equal Opportunity Employment Commission (EEOC) has released a series of comprehensive guidance documents, each of which erves as an extensive manual addressing specific workplace disabilities. The most recent addition to this series is the one focused on Visual disabilities in the Workplace and its relationship with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

This publication provides a detailed explanation of employer responsibilities concerning the provision of reasonable accommodations for disabilities, as well as the EEOC's role in enforcing the ADA. It places a particular emphasis on visual impairments and adopts a Q&A format, addressing various aspects, including:

• Different types of disabilities.
• Determining what constitutes a disability (e.g., clarifying that vision corrected to normal with glasses or contact lenses is not considered a disability).

The guidance document covers a range of critical topics, including:

• Procedures for obtaining, using, and safeguarding medical information, both pre-employment and during employment.
• The importance of maintaining the confidentiality of medical information.
• Extensive information on accommodating applicants and employees, including the use of electronic tools to assist the visually impaired, potential adjustments to policies, testing, and training, workspace modifications, and the provision of sighted assistance and services.
• Addressing safety concerns.
• Preventing harassment.
• Dealing with retaliation and interference issues.

Throughout the guidance, numerous practical examples are provided to illustrate key points. For instance:

Consider an employer who regularly posts job openings on a bulletin board in the employee break room, encouraging employees to share information. In this scenario, Daryon, an employee with vision blurriness and blind spots, requests electronic notification of all job postings via email to ensure timely access. The employer is obligated to provide electronic notice or another effective accommodation that does not impose an undue burden.

Key Takeaways:

This EEOC guidance document serves as an invaluable resource for employers seeking to address issues related to visually impaired applicants or employees. Employers are encouraged to make use of the entire series of EEOC guidance documents to effectively navigate the complexities of hiring, employing, and terminating workers with specific disabilities.