EMPLOYEE BENEFITS

Overview FMLA Disability Services Long-Term Care

Obtaining Accommodations for Employees

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is committed to the principle of equal opportunity in providing effective reasonable accommodations to employees with documented disabilities. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, defines a disability as "a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities". Major life activities are defined as the ability to perform functions such as walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, working, or taking care of oneself.

It is important to note that an impairment in and of itself does not necessarily constitute a disability. The degree of impairment must be significant enough to "substantially limit" one or more major life activities. Therefore, documentation provided by a qualified professional must address the substantial limitation posed by the particular disability for which the accommodation is being requested. We are requesting medical information (diagnosis and prognosis) which could be used to help determine: 1) whether the employee meets the criteria for an individual with a disability under the Americans with the Disabilities Act of 1990 and 2) any reasonable accommodation which might enable the employee to fulfill the essential function of their job.

Employees may discuss their needs for accommodation with their supervisors, the Human Resources Officer for their department, or the Coordinator of Disabilities Services (617) 253-4572.

If interviewing supervisors have employee candidates with disabilities, where it appears they may require accommodation, MIT has the obligation to provide reasonable accommodation during the interview process. The Human Resources Officer or Disabilities Service Manager can be contacted for assistance.

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