In the case of an injury or an illness, you may develop a disability over time. Certain tasks that you were able to do when you took your job may become impossible.
In cases like these, an employer generally has to make reasonable accommodations. They cannot discriminate against you by cutting your hours or treating you unfairly. They cannot decide to simply fire you because of your disability, or it may be a wrongful termination. They need to make reasonable accommodations so that you can keep doing your job.
What do these accommodations look like?
One common complaint about reasonable accommodations is that it is a rather vague term without strict guidance. The reason for this is that what is necessary differs from one workplace to the next.
For instance, say you work at the local library, and one of your tasks was unloading the book drop and transporting carts of books to the basement. After a serious back injury, you can no longer unload the book drop.
While this does mean that you cannot complete all of the tasks that were previously assigned to you, your employer may be able to make reasonable accommodations by allowing you to work at the desk, using a computer, answering phones and talking to patrons. They may also need to consider ADA compliance when it comes to things like wheelchair access or handicap-accessible bathrooms.
What if a dispute arises?
Disputes do sometimes happen, often because an employee says that there are reasonable accommodations that can be made, and an employer claims the accommodations are not realistic or even create a hardship. When these disputes occur, it can be helpful to work with an experienced attorney.