Study examines effect of ADA on workplace

Mar 1, 1998 12:00 PM, AC&SSI Staff

The status of people with disabilities has improved little since the passage and implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act eight years ago, says Texas A&M University management expert Adrienne Colella.

Colella is studying how people with disabilities such as blindness, back pain, depression and diabetes are treated in the workplace and the impact this treatment has on their jobs.

Her research examines how others react when an employer makes special adjustments that allow disabled employees to meet job requirements and enjoy the same employment benefits as non-disabled employees.

Accommodations such ramps in place of stairs and doors that open automatically have been widely employed, without much expense, says Colella. However, employers are concerned with accommodations such as time off from work, a customized work schedule or re-assignment of job duties, because of their effects on co-workers.

"There is a lot of concern about people taking advantage of the ADA and asking for unnecessary accommodations," she says. "On the other hand, people with legitimate needs can be fearful of asking for the accommodation, because they are afraid they will be seen as needing extra help or not being quite up to par."

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