Reasonable accommodations

Reasonable accommodations are essential for an inclusive workplace, and the lack of them remains a key barrier to the employment of persons with disabilities. They include adjustments of tools and equipment, job duties, and working arrangements and environments.

CRPD defines reasonable accommodation as:

“Necessary and appropriate modification and adjustments not imposing a disproportionate or undue burden, where needed in a particular case, to ensure to persons with disabilities the enjoyment or exercise on an equal basis with others of all human rights and fundamental freedoms.”

On the average cost of reasonable accommodation or modifications made by the establishments in the workplace, 33.3% of the public sector establishments reported that there was no cost, while the rest 55.6% reported that they did not know the value of the modifications and accommodation, while 11.1% of them indicated that the cost ranged from $100 to $500.

As for the private sector institutions, 65% of the representatives of these institutions said that there is no cost for reasonable accommodation or modifications in the workplace, while 5% of them indicated that the cost ranged between $100 and $500, while 25% of the institutions indicated that they do not know the value of reasonable accommodation and adjustments. Here, it is noted that there is a discrepancy regarding the opinions expressed by the two sectors, the majority of the private sector respondents indicated that there was no cost for reasonable accommodation, while only a minority of public sector respondents reported no costs.

Regarding the capacity to provide accommodation in the workplace for employees with disabilities, approximately 45.5% of public sector institutions reported that they do not agree with the idea that institutions are unable to bear the costs of providing such accommodations, while 57.1% of private sector institutions reported that they do not agree with the idea that institutions are unable to bear the costs of providing these accommodations.

This indicates that both the public and private sectors agree on an almost average rate that institutions are able to bear the costs of reasonable accommodation, and this is accurate as the assumed cost for reasonable accommodation is usually limited, easy, and not excessive. In addition to the considerable benefits that can be reaped from providing an inclusive workplace for the employers and staff.