Policy 103 - Disabilities in the Workplace

Section: Employment
Policy Number: 103
Responsible Office: HR/HR Services
Effective Date: 4/1/01
Revised: 1/1/12

St. John’s University complies with applicable laws that prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of disability, and that may entitle qualified applicants and employees with a disability to reasonable accommodations to enable them to apply for a job or to perform their job. All inquiries regarding disabilities and requests for accommodation should be directed to Human Resources Services (with the exception of FMLA leave extension requests, see below). Supervisors are not authorized to make decisions regarding requests for accommodation.

Procedures to Request Accommodations and Determine Eligibility

1. Employees or applicants who request accommodations for a disability must present to HR Services documentation of a qualifying disability from a certified and/or licensed health care provider (e.g., physician, psychologist, optometrist, or psychiatrist) who is qualified in the area of the employee’s disability. Such documentation should be sufficient to permit HR Services to determine eligibility for a requested accommodation, and be dated recent in time to the request for accommodation.

2. Documentation of impairment alone may not be sufficient to require that the employee or applicant be provided a reasonable accommodation. It must be demonstrated that the impairment meets the definition of a disability according to applicable law.

3. HR Services will review the documentation and, where applicable, will engage in an interactive process with the employee or applicant to determine the appropriate accommodation, if any.

4. Only HR Services, and not any other employee or supervisor, may respond to a request for an accommodation; therefore, all requests for accommodations must be presented to HR Services and not your supervisor. Informal accommodations that may be granted outside the scope of the above-stated process are subject to Human Resources approval before being honored by the University.

All documentation pertaining to a disability will be maintained in a confidential file separate from the employee’s personnel file. HR Services may be reached by calling (718) 990-1502.

FMLA Leave Extension Requests

Accommodation requests to extend FMLA leave should be directed to the Employee Benefits office. A benefits representative will provide direction on the appropriate procedures for requesting a leave extension and the medical documentation that is required. Employee Benefits may be reached by calling (718) 990-2020.

St. John's University, New York
Human Resources Policy Manual