The Interactive Process
To determine reasonable and appropriate employment accommodations for qualified SJSU employees, the EARC engages in an interactive process with the employee and employee’s manager/supervisor. The interactive process is the collaborative process by which an employee and an employee’s manager/supervisor engage in discussion, review, and/or implementation of reasonable and appropriate employment accommodations. Furthermore, the interactive process may be an ongoing process as the employee’s condition and/or position description change overtime.
Upon notification and/or request from an employee with a disability for employment accommodation, the EARC will invoke the interactive process with the employee and his/her manager/supervisor. The EARC will:
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Review employee's medical/professional disability verification documentation to determine if the employee qualifies as an employee with a disability under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
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Meet with the employee to discuss his/her specific functional limitations resulting from the disability as they relate to his/her job functions. EARC and the employee assess potential barriers to job performance to determine if they can be mitigated with a reasonable and appropriate employment accommodation(s).
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Consult with the employee's manager/supervisor to identify any undue hardship, discuss business necessities, and assess the effectiveness of the proposed accommodation(s) in enabling the employee to perform his/her essential job functions.*
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If appropriate, prescribe reasonable employment accommodation(s) to the employee and the employee's manager/supervisor.
*Manager/supervisor is responsible for maintaining the information discussed during the interactive process confidential. EARC does not disclose confidential medical/professional verification of employee's disability to supervisor.
More
- The Trigger to the Interactive Process: Interactions Between the Employee, Manager/Supervisor & the EARC Flowchart [pdf]
- Disability Under the Fair Employment & Housing Act: What you should know about the law (PDF), Department of Fair Employment & Housing