>> Nancy: Good afternoon everyone. My name is Nancy Butto [phonetic spelling], with NDI Consulting. Thank you for joining our Webinar today. We will get started in just under one minute. Thank you. Okay. Hi everybody. Thank you for joining us today for our webinar, Take It to Work, and Reasonable Accommodations, Support On Your Journey to Employment. For accessing today's webinar, you can manage your audio using the audio option at the top of your screen. It will look like a microphone or a telephone icon. All attendees will be muted, and we encourage you to attend by choosing listen only from the audio menu, this will enable the sound to be broadcast through your computer, so please, make sure that your speakers are turned on or your headphones are plugged in. Continuing with accessibility, if you do not have sound capabilities on your computer, or you prefer to listen by phone, you can dial toll-free, 1-800-832-0736, and the access code is 8458462#. For webinar accessibility, real-time captioning is being provided during the webinar. The captions can be found in the captioning pod, which appears just below the slides that you are looking at right now. You can also access captioning online by going to www.captionedtext.com/client/event.aspx?customerid=846&eventid=3292223. For questions and answers, we do have over 1,200 people registered for the webinar today and have over 330 participants on the phone so far, or on the webinar so far, so we will do our best to answer as many questions as possible. To submit a question, please use the Q and A pod, to submit any questions that you have during the webinar, and we will direct them to our team during the Q and A portion. If you are listening by phone, and you are not logged into the webinar, you may also ask questions by emailing webinars at choosework.net. Please note that this webinar is being recorded, and the archive will be available within two weeks on the Choose Work website, at www.choosework.net/webinars-tutorials/webinar-archives.html. For technical assistance, if you experience any technical assistance during the webinar, please use the Q and A box to send a message or email at webinars@choosework.net. I would like to do some welcoming, and introductions, and also let you know what our agenda is going to look like today. Again, I'm your moderator, Nancy Butto, with NDI Consulting, and we have three presenters with us today, Marlene Ulesky [assumed spelling], with NDI Consulting, Sarah Small, with the Job Accommodation Network, and Melanie Whitsell [assumed spelling] with the Job Accommodation Network. So, I would like to take a couple of minutes and introduce them, and talk to you about our topics, which are going to be Social Security Disability benefits, the Ticket To Work Program, Work Incentives, The Job Accommodation Network, Disclosing Your Disability, Job Accommodations: Options and Examples. Some other resources, and then, as I mentioned before, questions and answers. So, let me start by telling you about our three speakers. First, we have Sarah Small, who joined the JAN team on the cognitive and neurological team in 2015, before coming to JAN, Sarah worked as a healthcare assistant at the Valley Health Care System, where she provided services to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In addition, she completed an internship at West Virginia Division of Rehabilitation Services, providing vocational rehabilitation services to a variety of clientele. Sarah has a Bachelor's degree in Criminology, with a minor in Psychology, as well as a Master's degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from West Virginia University, and she is a nationally certified rehabilitation counselor. Sarah has great interest in service animals, and the positive effect they have on individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder, and other mental health impairments. Sarah specializes in learning disabilities, mental health, developmental disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, and brain injuries. Also with us today is Melanie Whitsell, who is a Lead Consultant at the Job Accommodation Network, who joined the cognitive neurological team in February 2008. She has a 14-year history of teaching and advocating for students with disabilities in the public school system. Melanie holds a Master of Arts Degree in Special Education, and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English. Most recently, she completed a graduate certification in Career Planning and Placement for youth in transition. And she became a Certified Brain Injury Specialist, also, in 2015. She specializes in areas of traumatic brain injury, learning disabilities, autism, and mental health. And lastly, we have with us Marlene Ulesky with NDI Consulting. Marlene retired from the Social Security Administration after working there for over 35 years. She developed expertise in developing relationships with partners across Florida, to educate them on the disability programs administered by the Social Security Administration. After leaving SSA, she worked with the Florida Office of Vocational Rehabilitation to establish the Partnership Plus Program, under the Ticket to Work Program. And then was rehired a while at SSA before coming to NDI. At NDI, she is a part of our training and technical assistance team and works on the Ticket to Work Project. She is also a proud aunt and advocate of a nephew with a developmental disability, and is passionate about education as a means to provide accurate information to families, to make the informed decisions about work. So we are very happy to have three wonderful experts with us today. And with that, Marlene, I will turn it over to you.

>> Marlene: Okay, thank you Nancy. And what we are going to do is we are going to talk first about the two programs that were Social Security administered disability-based benefit. The Social Security Administration pays benefits to individuals with disabilities under two programs. The SSDI program, and the SSI program. And we will be telling you just a little bit about each program, so that you understand the similarities, and also the differences, so that you have a better understanding of what type of benefit either you are receiving, or a person you may be assisting or helping is receiving. So the first benefit we will talk about is SSDI. And SSDI is Social Security Disability Insurance benefits. And Social Security Disability Insurance benefits is an entitlement program under what is called Title 2 of the Social Security Act. And to qualify for this type of benefit, you have to generally have a disability, apply for the benefit, and you must have worked and paid into the Social Security Trust Fund. For most people who are employees, your employer withholds Social Security taxes. They are paid to the IRS, and the IRS deposits that money into the trust fund. There is another common way someone can become entitled to a benefit under Title 2 of the Social Security Act, and that is called a Disabled Adult Child Benefit, or a Childhood Disability Benefit. Those terms are kind of used interchangeably, and that is the benefit that is paid to an individual who has a disability that began prior to the age of 22, and that person would qualify for a benefit under a parent's earnings record. Now, the parent must have worked and paid into Social Security, and the parent must either be deceased or disabled or retired. And if they're disabled or retired, they must be receiving a benefit, either a disability benefit, or a retirement benefit from the Social Security Administration. There are some other less common disability benefits paid on the earnings record of a deceased spouse, to widows or widowers. We generally don't talk a whole lot about them, because they are fewer in numbers, but those benefits are payable to a person as a widow or widower between the ages of 50 and 59. Now, with all of the benefits, you can have as much money in the bank as possible, and there are no earnings limits. With all of those benefits, Medicare entitlement comes along with the benefits, generally within 24 months. And importantly, with all of the benefits, you can work, you can earn money while receiving the benefits, under the Ticket to Work Program, and the work incentives, and we will talk about all of those in just a few minutes. Now, the other benefit, or the other program under which social security pays a disability benefit is supplemental security income benefits, and that program is means tested, and that means that you must have limited income, and limited resources, to receive the benefit. Now, that benefit, SSI, is paid to the children under the age of 18, and to adults 18 and over, but for our purposes today and for purposes of the webinar this afternoon, we want you to know that our focus is on adults ages 18 and over, who want to work. The federal benefit rate for an individual in all states across the country, and that is the most that could be paid under the program is $735 for an individual, and then some space there's a supplemental benefit paid in addition to the SSI benefit. Now, Medicaid comes along with the Supplemental Security Income benefits program, and importantly, again, remember, if you're receiving supplemental security income benefits, you can work, and you'll end up with more money in your pocket by working versus not working. Now, there are some folks up there who receive both types of benefits, SSDI and SSI, as shown on your screen. And when I say SSDI, I also mean disabled adult child benefits, the childhood disability benefits, or even those benefits paid to widowers or widows with a disability. Folks do receive both types of benefits. Those are actually called concurrent benefits. And a person may receive benefits under both of the programs if their SSDI is low enough that Social Security can supplement it with SSI. Now, remember, though, that only happens if an individual has not only limited income, but also limited resources, or limited money in the bank. Now, someone like that may receive two direct deposits each month, and they may have both Medicare and Medicaid. And once again, someone who receives concurrent benefits can work. It just gets a little more complex, and we'll tell you about some of the resources out there to help you to understand how working affects benefits, as we go on in the program. Starting the journey. So, if you are here today and you're listening to the webinar, I think chances are you're either thinking about working, or you may already be working, or you may want to learn more about working, either for yourself, or to help someone you know, to help them in their journey. Working is a big decision, and there is an awful lot to consider. I know for many of you it may have taken a while to get approved for benefits, and you may be a little fearful about losing benefits, and I can understand that. But let me fully reassure you that there are a variety of supports out there under Social Security programs, and there are a lot of safety nets built into the program which allow you to progress at your own pace, while keeping your Medicare or Medicaid, and not losing cash benefits quickly. It's all about learning what is available out there to help you on your journey. If your journey leads you to work, what are some of the reasons why you may choose work? Well, the first thing which pops into my mind, or in most people's minds, is earning more income. More income to live better, perhaps to live a healthier life, with a plan for the future, or do some of the things you've always wanted to do. You may gain greater independence to do the things you've always wanted to do, or the things that you really enjoy. It helps you also to be less reliant upon others for some of the things you need. And when you work, you also meet new people, and you increase your social circle. I have worked for the same employer or the same organization for many years, but I worked in a variety of offices, in different cities, and with each change I made in my job, in my career, I made a new circle of friends. But I kept the old circle of friends too. I still keep in touch with many of them today, after all of these years, and we not only have fun together, but we rely upon each other for support when we need it most, and that is support in a variety of areas. Also, sometimes friends lead to new opportunities, or new jobs. With working, also, you have the opportunity, oops, oops. You have the opportunity to learn new skills, and that could take you on an upward mobility path. It could help you to meet some of your goals, and I think we all have goals. It may be the right time to start thinking about some of our goals. Maybe your financial goals, and how working reaches those goals. And when you start working, you may want to start out maybe with smaller goals, or you may want to just jump right in, full steam ahead, and reach for the stars. And working, and the Ticket to Work Program is one of the best ways to get started, to help you. So what is the Ticket to Work Program? The Ticket to Work Program is a self-sufficiency program under the Social Security Administration for persons with disabilities between the ages of 18 and 64 who are receiving the benefit from Social Security and you want to work. It is a program that supports choice, and where you go for the support you need in your career. There are organizations called Employment Networks across the country who provide a variety of services to help you get started, or provide the support you need, so that you can continue to work. Many of the employment networks are in your community and your local community, and many of them may even be what's called American Job Centers. They could provide you with some of the support that you need. There is also vocational rehabilitation agencies across all the states. They could provide more intensive support, so more intensive services, to help you become job ready or support you on your pathway. Now, all of the services are free, and I know in today's world, you often hear that nothing is free. But these really are free services. And employment networks, Vocational Rehabilitation, the American Jobs Centers, they really all are in your corner, ready to help you, because they are only paid for their services when you achieve successful outcomes. So they really want you to succeed. Not only for that reason. They really are there to help you. The Ticket to Work Program is a voluntary program, and you could choose to participate in it, or you can choose not to participate in it. If something happens when you're in the program, and you have a health setback, that is all taken into consideration, and it's accounted for in the program. It is up to you to make a decision on whether you're going to take that next step, but when you think about it, you really know what that next step may be. And like any big decision you make, you need to be prepared. And gathering information, gathering resources, that is the key to planning your journey to employment. A really great website is www.choosework.net, it's a great place to get started, and that is our website, with a variety of Ticket to Work information included in the site. There are videos to learn more about the program. There are success stories, which really motivate you. There are blogs on a variety of topics. Maybe interviewing, on work incentives, on getting started, on various programs across the country which can help, and importantly, there are links to the Social Security Administration website, the work website, and to the program. On the choosework.net website, there is something called a find help tool, that provides a variety of resources. The employment networks that I talked about, it provides all of the contact information for them, and you will find employment networks not only nationwide, but also local employment networks. And you will find the contact information for vocational rehabilitation for in your area, and for something I really haven't talked about, and those are benefit planners. Those are folks who work under work incentives planning, and assistance programs. So you'll find contact information for those folks, who can actually help you understand how working affects benefits, and lastly, you will find information on the protection and advocacy component in each state, and that is important too, because as you work, and as you move along your pathway in your journey, there may be some employment issues which arise. And again, protection and advocacy components. They have attorneys there on site, and they actually do provide free services, again. And as you can see from the comprehensive resources available in the find help tool, their goal, the goal really they align with your goal. It may help you to work, it may help your journey run as smoothly as possible. So for more information, you may not be real savvy with a computer. All of us aren't. Or it may be you don't have a computer available. You can always call the Ticket to Work help line, and they are available 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern time, and they may be reached at 1-866-968-7842, or the TTY is 1-866-833-2967. You can also visit the Ticket to Work site, of the Social Security Administration. That is shown on your screen, that is www.ssa.gov/work. That contains a variety of great information too on programs, and also on work incentives. And actually work incentives is our next topic. You may be asking now, what are work incentives? You are not really sure what that term means. It is used sometimes interchangeably within Social Security, either Work Incentives or Employment Support Programs, and those are actually special rules that the Social Security Administration has in place to help you in your efforts to work and to become self-sufficient. The rules help you, to protect your cash benefits, and your medical benefits while you're working, and if you're so successful that your benefits end because of your work, and if you have to stop working, the programs make it easier for you to begin receiving benefits again, so it takes away some of the fear that was out there. The work incentives allow you to receive training for new skills, to improve some of the skills that you may already have. There is a work incentive called the Plan to Achieve Self-Support. It allows you to pursue an education that you need to meet a specific work goal, or you can try different jobs, in search of a job which is really the right job for you, or you can start a career and gain confidence as you make and then exceed many of the goals. And some of the future wise webinars and specifically in August and September we are going to be exploring more the Ticket to Work Program, and some of the common work incentives used in the SSDI program, and the SSI program. For example, in August, and I have to put a plug in for webinars in August and September, because I'm really looking forward to them, in August, we will be discussing Supplemental Security Income, and concurrent work incentives. Some of the more common work incentives used in the program. And then in September, we will be discussing SSDI, and concurrent work incentives, and again, some of the more common work incentives used in the program, so that we can provide you with a better understanding of some of the support which is in the system. We are doing that so that you could see that the Ticket to Work Program, and the Work Incentives, are both there to help you. So you may want to register after this webinar for the next one. But getting back to this webinar, you'll see that the information we are providing in each of the webinars we are trying to provide you with tools you could use and some of the resources to help you further in your journey. And today, we have a very, very important topic on the agenda, we're discussing reasonable accommodations, and how requesting just small changes, you know, either in the interview process, or on the job, can actually help you in your career. So with that, I guess Nancy I am going to turn it back to you.

>> Nancy: Thank you very much, Marlene. Thanks for that great information and thank you for your enthusiasm and the plug for our two-part series in August and September. I will be certain to remind folks of that toward the end of the webinar, as well. So let's move on and we will start with Melanie. Thank you.

>> Melanie: All right, thank you. We are going to start in here, the Job Accommodation Network, better known as JAN, is the leading source of free expert and confidential guidance for workplace accommodations in disability employment issues. Working towards practical solutions that benefit both the employer and the employee, JAN helps people with disabilities enhance their employability and shows employers how to capitalize on the value and talent that people with disabilities add to the work place. So just a bit more information for those of you who may not be as familiar with JAN and what we do. JAN was established in 1983 as a free national service, and continues to function that same way today. We specialize in job accommodations, and the employment provisions of the Americans With Disabilities Act. Consultants can assist callers at any point in the interactive process, from explaining what the process includes, to helping pinpoint and solve difficulties at specific steps. We can answer specific questions, and give targeted technical assistance. We provide comprehensive resources. All calls are confidential, so callers can freely explore their options, and JAN is very easy to use and offers numerous ways to obtain personalized assistance anywhere, anytime. Get your questions answered by toll-free phone calls that include TTY, visit the web for more than 200 disability-specific publications, as well as the Searchable Online Accommodation Resource, or SOAR, which enables users to explore accommodation options for different disabilities in workplace settings. JAN's on-demand, online email service provides customers with individualized email responses to questions about accommodations and the ADA. Connect with JAN through Twitter, Second Life, Facebook, and other social networks, or use our ever-increasingly popular online chat feature. We offer live and archived training, just like you're receiving today through this webinar. And we work as your partner in the employment and retention of employees with disabilities. JAN's website is pretty comprehensive. You'll find over 200 publications, as well as SOAR, the Searchable Online Accommodation Resource, our ADA library, an A to Z listing of disabilities and accommodations, that includes information by disability, by topic, and by limitation. Our JAN on-demand, the easy email inquiry, we have publications in Spanish, and JAN updates is where you'll find the newest news. Again, we have a popular online chat and then you can get hold of us using social networks. All right. Consultants offer one on one guidance on workplace accommodations. The Americans With Disabilities Act, or the ADA, and related legislation, such as The Rehabilitation Act. We also provide information on self-employment, and entrepreneurship options for people with disability. From Fortune 500 companies to entrepreneurs, JAN has served customers across America and around the world for over 25 years. JAN represents the most comprehensive job accommodation resources available. Our consultants are leaders and innovators on disability employment issues, and all have earned at least one Master's degree in their specialized fields, many having doctoral degrees too, ranking from rehabilitation counseling to education and engineering. And our services are free the first time you contact us and every time after that. And although we are located on the beautiful campus of West Virginia University, we are a national service. JAN is easy to use, and offers lots of ways to obtain confidential personalized information. And consultants at JAN answer questions and offer assistance to employers. Here we go. We offer assistance to employers, individuals, service providers and others, including parents who might call with questions about a son or a daughter, an adult child calling for ways to assist a parent, other family members, union representatives, as well as medical professionals and attorneys. Consults at JAN specialize in specific areas and work on teams. When you call, you will speak to a program assistant who will direct you to the appropriate team and team member for the particular disability and situation you're calling for assistance with. The motor team assists callers with disabilities such as back, neck, shoulder, and leg impairments, as well as other mobility issues, arthritis, heart conditions, and multiple sclerosis. The sensory team works with individuals who have hearing, vision and speech impairments, as well as allergies, asthma, and other respiratory impairments. The cognitive neurological team consults with callers on mental health impairments, such as depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety and panic disorders, as well as learning and intellectual disabilities, traumatic brain injury, attention deficit hyperactivity disorders, autism spectrum disorders, and epilepsy. Our entrepreneur team assists those callers who need information and resources on small business and self-employment options. Okay, and here we just like to go a little bit more into detail concerning a few features on our website home page that will be most useful to you. And the menu at the top of the page, see the tabs for ADA library, publications and resources, searchable online accommodations database, and A to Z of disabilities and news. The A to Z tab organizes the information you need in an easy A to Z format. You can find listings on specific disabilities and medical conditions from Addison's disease, to vision impairments. Topics ranging from aging to web accessibility, and limitations that vary from anger and emotions to writing. Also see the training hub in the red box at the bottom right. It contains websites, modules, and other useful training information. And now, I'm going to turn this over to Sarah, so she can offer guidance on disclosure, or how to talk about your disability.

>> Sarah: Thanks Melanie. There are several reasons why someone with a disability may choose to disclose to their employer. The first, and probably the most common reason would be to ask for accommodations in the workplace. The employer has a right to know if a disability is involved when an employee is asking for accommodations. The second reason to disclose a disability might be to receive benefits or privileges of employment. The ADA requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations so the employees with disabilities can enjoy the benefits and privileges of employment equal to those enjoyed by similarly situated employees without disabilities. This could include things such as utilizing services available to employees, such as an Employee Assistance Program, accessing company perks, such as using the company gym or lounge, and attending company sponsored trainings and social functions, just to list a few. If an employee with a disability needs a reasonable accommodation in order to gain access to and have an equal opportunity to participate in these benefits and privileges, then the employer must provide the accommodation unless it can show undue hardship. An example of this might be in a school where a PA system is used to make announcements. In order to make this information accessible to a deaf employee, the Principal arranges to send an email in advance conveying the information that will be broadcast. Lastly, you'll see that the third reason an individual might disclose is to explain an unusual circumstance. For instance, someone with temperature sensitivities due to multiple sclerosis may want to explain to his or her employer that it would be helpful to work from home while the office air conditioner is being repaired. Disclosure can be very simple. You can tell your employer that you need to speak to him or her about an adjustment or change that is needed for a reason related to a medical condition. While it is not required under the ADA, here at JAN, we recommend that you place your request in writing. If you have a verbal conversation with your employer, that is completely fine as well, and you can often easily follow that conversation up in writing in order to have the documentation. To request an accommodation you may use plain English. You do not have to mention the ADA, nor do you need to use the phrase reasonable accommodation. It can be as easy as saying to your supervisor, "I need to talk to you about a problem I am having with getting to work on time because of a medical condition." Again, either verbally or in writing, you can tell your employer. You can tell a supervisor, an HR representative, a union steward, or other appropriate person, that you need an accommodation or a change in the workplace. So let's take a look at an example of disclosure. On this side, you'll see Ranesha [phonetic spelling], who has had severe depression and has been written up after several verbal warnings for inappropriate conduct at work. She is placed on a 30-day plan of improvement, and warned that if the behavior doesn't stop within that stated time period, she will be let go. In this case, she decides to disclose, and ask for accommodations to assist her in responding more appropriately to co-workers. This is a good example of disclosing before it may be too late. We say this, because an employer would not have to rescind disciplinary action including termination. If you feel you are having difficulty and running into issues with performance or conduct at work, you might disclose, and see if any accommodations might help to improve that situation. Before moving on, let's take a look at one more disclosure example. Here, you will see Estelle, who needs to disclose her disability and ask for an accommodation of a flexible schedule while she adjusts to new medication. She is having sleep difficulties, and has been late three days in a row. She is wary of disclosing her medical condition, but doesn't want to get into disciplinary action. In this case, while Estelle wasn't in quite the situation that Ranesha was, in our previous example, she realized that she was having some difficulties with sleep, and that asking for a flexible schedule might be beneficial as she is adjusting to the medication. At this point, I'm going to go ahead and open it up, it looks like we have a few questions at this time.

>> Nancy: Thanks so much, Sarah. Yes, before we move it back to Melanie, it seems like when you started talking about disclosure, we had several questions come in. And the first is when is the best time to disclose my disability?

>> Sarah: You know, there is no straight answer to that question. Technically, under the ADA, someone would not have to disclose a disability until there is a need for accommodation. So we often talk with people about it being kind of a personal preference, as to when that is. Sometimes people might start on the job, know that they're going to need some sort of accommodation, so they choose to go ahead and disclose, and try to get that in place. Other times, it might be similar to these examples, where maybe somebody has worked in the job, and hasn't really had any difficulty until, you know, something comes up, or maybe they're finding themselves in disciplinary action, and so then they decide to go ahead and disclose if they feel that, you know, it's stemming from the medical condition. So truly there is no, like, best time. But it just comes down to that person's personal preference and when they feel comfortable.

>> Nancy: Great. Thank you. And then some follow up questions to that in terms of disclosing disability. How much should I disclose about my disability?

>> Sarah: Typically, if you are going to kind of disclose up front, you just want to sort of ask for your accommodation and sort of make it known that it is related to a disability or medical condition. The employer, from there, you know, if it's an obvious disability, they probably shouldn't really ask a whole lot of information. If it is a condition that might be unknown, or not obvious to the employer, so if we think of mental health or maybe a sleep condition, epilepsy, something along those lines, the employer would be entitled to some documentation to support that request. But that would be limited to establishing that there is a condition involved, and what limitations are associated, and that helps to support your request. So it should be limited kind of to those two things, and certainly stay work related. They shouldn't ask for your entire medical record, or anything of that nature.

>> Nancy: Okay, great. Thank you. And then, again, sticking with reasonable accommodations, you said that a person should put their request in writing, but do they have to know what accommodation they're requesting, or can they just tell their employer that they're having problems in a particular area due to their disability?

>> Sarah: They can certainly just tell their employer that they're having difficulty with something. Like I said before, under the ADA, it is not required to have it in writing. Sometimes people do everything verbally. But we often suggest that, just from a practical standpoint, to have the documentation that you have made a request, and to just have that written communication which, like I said, can easily follow up with an email or something after your verbal conversation. But no, the employee, if they have ideas, or they have things that they know have worked for them in the past, they might go ahead and ask or bring those things up, but they certainly would not have to know up front. As a part of the interactive process, they and the employer can sort of discuss some options. They can use resources, such as us here at JAN, to try and come up with ideas based on their specific situation. So it is something that, if they know, it doesn't hurt to throw it out there, but if not, they can still ask, and kind of pursue from there.

>> Nancy: Great. Wonderful, then one more question, then we will let you off the hook for now. And it is what should I do if I think that disclosing my disability may cost me the job?

>> Sarah: That is a hard situation. And we do sometimes see that hesitation for somebody, especially if they're not sure whether to disclose, and really there is never the exact knowledge of how an employer, you know, might react to a situation like that. But really, everything under the ADA is supposed to be kept confidential. The EEOC makes that pretty clear. And typically, employers will have, you know, somebody within HR, or maybe an ADA coordinator, or somebody who is maybe familiar, or knows of, you know, resources such as JAN or other places, if they need help finding ideas. So that can be tough, you know, you never know how someone is going to react. But typically, the way that it should work is that, you know, you could disclose and sort of move forth with that process, knowing that things are going to be kept confidential, and you know, if something like that did happen, or someone felt that they were terminated because they made a request or disclosed, sometimes there are avenues that you can try and look into that, or they could make a complaint if they, you know, felt that was necessary.

>> Nancy: Great, thank you very much Sarah. Always a hot topic.

>> Sarah: Yeah absolutely.

>> Nancy: Great, all right, then we can continue on and I believe Melanie will pick up now.

>> Melanie: Right. Now we are going to look at some common accommodation options that may be helpful. All right, so here we have the purchase of equipment or modifications to existing equipment, maybe an effective accommodation for people with many types of disabilities. Many forms of assistive technology make it possible for people to overcome existing barriers to performing functions of a job. Devices range from very simple and inexpensive solutions like rubber bands and paper clips to high-tech electronic equipment. JAN can help you find a product that works for you. Take the following ideas. Task lighting is often used for those who are sensitive to the overhead lighting. A watch that can be set to vibrate or alarm can be helpful to those who need reminders. A smart pen records as you write. So it is an excellent tool to help capture the best notes. A pocket recorder can be useful to those who may need to listen to verbal instructions repeatedly. A wireless headset can alleviate the physical stress and pain that may come from answering the phone, especially while taking notes or using the computer at the same time. An iPad, along with apps, can be used for training, note-taking and recording, as well as assistance with organization and concentration. Our next example involves a front desk clerk who had difficulty checking badges, finding commonly called phone numbers from a chart, and then dialing the numbers correctly to announce the visitor. As in accommodation, the employee was provided a large button phone with photos inserted in place of the numbers. The numbers were programmed in, so the employee only had to press the photo button of the person he was calling for the call to go through. Now, turning it back over to Sarah, we are going to do a little back and forth here, just to keep it interesting, keep everybody awake.

>> Sarah: Thanks, Melanie. So next we are going to talk about another type of accommodation that revolves around making work sites accessible. An employer is obligated under the ADA to make facilities accessible and usable for applicants, to participate in the job application process, and for employees with disabilities to perform the essential functions of their jobs. This can include access to a building, to the work site, to needed equipment, and to all facilities used by employees. For example, an office worker was having difficulty with balance and coordination and walking steadily due to a brain injury. The employer had observed her falling a couple of times on the way to use the printer and fax. And also on the way to the restroom. As an accommodation in this case, the employee was provided with handrails to and from her work space, and the common areas, her own printer and fax machine to utilize, and her work station set up was changed for easier access to files, materials, and equipment. Next, let's take a look at another type of accommodation, which is job restructuring. Job restructuring may involve reallocating or redistributing the marginal functions of a job. Although an employer is not required to reallocate essential job functions, it may be an accommodation to modify the essential functions of the job, by changing when or how they are done. In this next example of job restructuring, a member of the cleaning crew with epilepsy is restricted from working on a ladder. He can perform all of the functions of his job, except for the task of maintaining the overhead light fixtures. As an accommodation in this case, the job tasks of a second crew member include cleaning a small kitchen in the employee's lounge, which is a task that the first crew member can perform, the employer switched the specific tasks performed by the two crew members as a way to restructure the position. Melanie, do you want ot talk about work schedules?

>> Melanie: Sure. An employer should consider modifying a work schedule as a reasonable accommodation. Modified work schedules may include flexibility in work hours, including arrival and departure times, lunch and break schedules, the structure of the work week, or part-time work. Flexible leave policy should also be considered as a reasonable accommodation when employees require time off from work because of their disability. An employer is not required to provide additional paid leave as an accommodation, but should consider allowing the use of accrued leave, advanced leave, or leave without pay. Our next example is a city employee with autism spectrum disorder, and a sleep disorder, who was continually tardy for work due to taking public transportation. As an accommodation, the employer provided a flexible schedule, to accommodate for variations in public transportation schedule. Modifying the workplace policy may be another effective accommodation. While employers are free to set policies, there are some policies that may need to be modified for an employee with a disability. Examples of policies that employers might have to consider modifying include dress codes, rules about eating at a workstation, attendance policies, and rules about animals in the workplace. In this example, an employee with a major depressive disorder has difficulty attending large meetings. So as an accommodation, the employee was permitted to attend meetings by phone conferencing, so that he was provided the same benefit of the information gained from the meetings that everyone else experiences. Now, we are going to go back to Sarah here to continue.

>> Sarah: So let's talk about readers, interpreters, and job coaches. Readers are often used for individuals with vision impairment, or individuals who may experience difficulty reading due to a disability. Providing a reader for someone might be considered, depending on the extent of the reading that would be required for the position. The reader must read well enough to enable the employee to perform their job effectively, and it can be helpful if the reader knows the different terminology or abbreviations for that particular field of work. Commonly we see a reader used in workplace testing situations. The job of the reader in a testing situation is to read the tester material. They would not define terms, or explain anything in those types of situations. An employer may also be required to provide interpreters if they're needed. Providing an interpreter on an as-needed basis could be a reasonable accommodation in some employment situations, for an employee who communicates in sign language. Frequently, this may mean providing interpreters for work trainings or conferences, as a way to help communicate and obtain information. A job coach is someone who comes in from the outside, and can help an employee learn the tasks, or develop strategies to help with performing the job. Depending on a situation, this type of accommodation can be very helpful. Traditionally, job coaches come to mind with supported employment, or working with individuals with intellectual disabilities. However, job coaches can help with a wide range of disabilities and medical conditions. Here at JAN, we can help by discussing where to find readers, interpreters and job coaches when there may be an obligation to provide them, and if there might be any alternative accommodation ideas as well. So let's take a look at one example for this category of type of accommodation. A food service worker in a restaurant preps food. He is able to complete job tasks, but talks incessantly to his co-workers about personal issues. His conduct interferes with work and makes co-workers uncomfortable. As an accommodation, a job coach is provided to teach the employee to talk about impersonal topics. For example, the weather, and how to focus conversations on work tasks. The coach then helps the employee apply the new skills directly on the job, fading out direct involvement after a couple of months. The last type of accommodation we are going to talk about with you today is reassignment. Reassignment to a vacant position the employees qualify for is another form of reasonable accommodation and may be provided to an employee with a disability who can no longer perform the essential functions of his or her current position even with accommodations. Let's take a look at our last example. A cashier encountered extreme difficulty counting back change accurately after the automatic change counter was removed. With no effective accommodation could be provided, the employee was reassigned to a deli position where there would be no need to handle money. Melanie.

>> Melanie: Okay. Many of you may not have been aware that JAN has a self-employment entrepreneurship team that assists callers who need information and resources on small business and self-employment options. So here is a brief overview of what our self-employment team can do to assist callers. They provide detailed intake process, individualized consulting and resource materials, they provide local, state, and national resources. They also provide ongoing electronic and telephone access and support, not case management, as well as John--JAN, excuse me [chuckles] JAN entrepreneurship website access. They also provide information on for-profit, non-profit, customized self-employment, home-based businesses, microenterprises, and independent contracting, can also be obtained. Our self-employment team can help with self-employment small business programs for people with disabilities. Idea development, discovery processes, and feasibility. Business planning, and low-cost marketing strategy. Although the JAN self-employment team can provide information, we don't actually provide these services. But what we can do is refer you to those who do provide services, including business legal structures, Social Security benefits planning, financial options, including asset development, health and business insurance, tax issues, including tax credits, mentorships, and coaching. And that concludes the JAN portion of this webcast.

>> Nancy: Thank you so much, both of you. So, we have had numerous questions come in. Some more, obviously, about disclosure, as well as some about accommodations. So a question that we have is can accommodations be made during the interview process, and if so, can you provide me with some examples and pointers on the best way to make that request? I have severe anxiety.

>> Melanie: Sure. This is Melanie. Sure. Accommodations could be made in any portion of the employment cycle, and that can include the interview process, and what we would recommend is finding out from the employer whether that is on the website, or when you get the information that you're going to be interviewed, about the accommodation process. You'll want to do that ahead of time. You want to be prepared. It's a lot better for both parties if that is taken care of ahead of time, instead of someone showing up and not knowing how the interview is going to go, and requesting things at that time. There are several different accommodations for the interview process. It could be, if testing were to be required during that part, there could be requesting the private room to do the testing, so that they are not bothered with distractions that may cause stress. There could be extra time required to take the test. Some other accommodations during the interview process would be asking for fewer interviewers. You know, sometimes there is a panel of interviewers that could include three or four, sometimes more, people. And that could be requested to reduce that number, so that there is only one or two. Also some people are functioning better, can think more clearly, have more energy at certain times of the day, and if that is true for you, you could look at, you know, if you're at your best in the mornings, you could request a morning interview. Sometimes the employer will ask, you know, what is a good time for you? And you wouldn't have to disclose in order to get that type of an accommodation. But that may be something to think about as well. Sometimes accommodations are asked for that an interview be conducted by phone, the first interview by phone, rather than in person, so to relieve that discomfort of meeting face to face. And also some people request that the interview questions be provided in advance. You know, if you have anxiety or any kind of social issues that make it hard for you to think on your feet, then maybe having those interview questions ahead of time can help you be a little bit more prepared. Sometimes employers are hesitant to do that. Sometimes, I've heard that for security reasons, they can't do that. And if that is the case, it would be a good idea to get online and look at what are the most popular interview questions, and maybe just review those so you feel a little bit more prepared. But I would say those are probably the most common accommodations asked for during an interview. But that doesn't mean those are the only ones. If there is something that you feel would be helpful to you, you can certainly request that.

>> Nancy: Great, thank you Melanie. And so speaking of all these interviews, can JAN help me with applying for jobs? Because I have a hard time completing an application?

>> Melanie: No, no unfortunately that is not something that we do. We would refer people to, you know, family members. Maybe if they've been working with someone who has been mentoring them.

>> Sarah: And then, sometimes, too, if somebody maybe is working with vocational rehabilitation or any other agencies, like that, sometimes they have the ability to help with like resumes, or filling out applications, things like that, but as Melanie said, if somebody is not working with a service like that, you know, sometimes you can rely on family member, friend, anybody else like that, maybe who could help with things like that.

>> Melanie: And also, there are in states and communities, Centers for Independent Living, they have advocates, and people that work there and it may be possible to find somebody there that would be able to help you with that.

>> Nancy: That's great. Yes, the Centers are great. Thank you. So we have a question that came through via email. And the question is, what if an employee needs an assistant, a personal care assistant, on the job during work hours? Is this an accommodation that is provided under the ADA as reasonable?

>> Melanie: It could be, yes. That depends on how much of care the individual needs, and what the employer can provide, but absolutely, that can be considered a reasonable accommodation that the employer could provide. We have a publication, we have lots of publications, as we mentioned earlier, we have over 200 publications on our website. And we do have one on personal care assistance, that might be helpful for someone who is looking in that direction.

>> Nancy: Great, we will make sure toward the end of this to direct everybody toward your website, and I don't know if you can count hits, but hopefully you'll get lots more hits after this.

>> Melanie: Okay yes we can.

>> Nancy: Well great, great, wonderful. So another question that we had, you had mentioned one of the things that people can call and get some information on is if they're trying to start their own business, a small business. And the question is, can JAN help with putting together a business plan, or going through the path application process?

>> Melanie: Well we are not consultants on that team, and so we can't tell you exactly what they do, but I think they provide information on how to do that. I'm not sure that the consultants actually do that process. But they can provide information on how to go through that process. And then they do provide information on mentoring, for people that, individuals who are interested in that, can get in contact, and may be able to help them in their local area.

>> Nancy: Okay, great. And then another question that we have is can my employer require me to have a medical exam?

>> Melanie: Okay, this is Melanie again, well, that is a tricky question. I would say the answer is probably no, but here's the deal. When you ask for an accommodation under the ADA, the employer can require you provide medical documentation. And so if you don't have that medical documentation, you haven't been to a doctor recently, you may be required to have a medical examination for that purpose. If the employer has questions about the medical information that you have provided, like they don't feel it's sufficient enough or something is missing, they can, they can ask for more information, and the ideal thing would be for the employee to get that information from their own doctor, because it would be a little bit more reliable to come from the doctor who treats them and knows them. But sometimes an employer will say, you know, we want to send you to a doctor of our own. That is usually only done when the employee refuses to provide information or is unable to provide sufficient information that the employer requires.

>> Nancy: Okay great. Yes?

>> Sarah: I was just saying, this is Sarah, we do have a document on the website as well is practical guidance for medical professionals, so sometimes for employees that feel like, you know, they're unsure if their doctor is used to filling out that type of information or needs to kind of know what to put in there for them, that can be something that can be utilized as well, to make sure you are gathering what the employer would need as sufficient documentation.

>> Nancy: Great, wonderful. So we still have some more questions coming in, but what I'm going to do first is proceed to our next slide, where we are going to talk about some additional resources, because they are, it is information about contacting JAN, and I think that as you all are answering some of these questions, and letting us know where we can get some of these answers, I'm sure we've got some people in the audience that will be happy to get this information, so you can contact JAN by phone at 800-526-7234 or for TTY, 877-781-9403. You can go online to www.askjan.org, you can also email the folks at JAN by going to JAN at askjan.org, by text, you can ask questions. By texting to 304-526-8189, or by Skype, by using JAN consultants. So lots of different ways for folks to be able to contact you all, which we greatly appreciate. So I'm going to move on to a few more questions. Sarah and Melanie, I'll let you take a breather. We've got a few questions that are more geared toward Marlene, and the Social Security Administration, so I will go over a few of those, then we will go back to a few more that we have for you all. And Marlene, the first question that I have for you is somebody said, how can I find out what type of benefits I'm receiving?

>> Marlene: Okay, and that is a really, really great question. I know a lot of folks who do receive disability benefit, it's not clear to them what type of benefit they're receiving. Many of them really don't even know the rules on this area's programs, so it's really important that they do find out what benefit they are receiving. I'll talk first about the newest way they can figure out or find out what type of a benefit they're receiving, and then some alternative ways. The newest way they can find out what type of benefit they're receiving is by establishing my social security account online at www.ssa.gov, and that is the Social Security Administration website. Once they do establish an account there, they can do a variety of things. Not only can they get a benefit verification letter, that tells them specifically what type of a benefit they're receiving, but they can conduct other business online, such as changing an address, or a telephone number or a direct deposit, and so on. So that is one way. That is the newest way. But if you're not real computer savvy, kind of like me, there are other ways you can find out. You can use the find help tool at www.choosework.net, use the find help tool, and look for a work incentive planning and assistance project which serves your area. They will have benefit planners on staff, and they may be able to help you determine what type of a benefit you're receiving. They could obtain information with your consent from the Social Security Administration and then help you understand that. Also many employment networks now provide benefit planning services, so they would be able to obtain this information from social security, which tells them what type of a benefit you're receiving, and again, it's only with your consent. So you may look at the find help tool, look for the employment networks, and scan down their services, and see which ones have benefit planners. Also, too, many vocational rehabilitation agencies they have some of that information. They have it in their data exchange, their database, and some of them also have benefit planners, and may be able to help you in that regard. You can also telephone the Ticket to Work help line at 1-866-968-7842 or last of all, and if you I guess would have to be a very organized person, find that award letter that you received from the Social Security Administration when you initially began receiving benefits, and that would tell you what type of a benefit you're receiving. So there's a lot of choices there, a lot of different ways you can find out what type of a benefit you're receiving. You also, I thought of one other way, you could determine that based upon when you're receiving the benefit. If you're receiving your check on the first of the month, you are likely receiving Supplemental Security Income benefits. If you are receiving your direct deposit, not your check, on the third of the month or on a Wednesday, you are likely receiving a benefit under the other program, SSDI or DAC or DWIB benefit, so there is kind of a variety of ways. If you receive two checks, you may be getting benefits under both programs. So your option which one of those you would like to choose to find out.

>> Nancy: Great, thanks Marlene. So a follow-up question to that, you mentioned benefits coming in at a couple of different times during the month, possibly. Is it possible for somebody to receive both SSI and SSDI at the same time?

>> Marlene: Yes, and that's what we were talking about just at the very beginning. We only touched on that briefly, someone can receive both an SSDI benefit, as well as an SSI benefit. That is called concurrent benefits. And someone may receive both types of benefits if their SSDI benefit is low enough that they also can qualify for supplemental security income benefits, and when I say qualify, I say not only is their income low enough that the Social Security Administration can supplement it with SSI, but they have to meet all of the other factors of eligibility for that program. So they can't have more than $2,000 in resources, in their savings accounts. If they are an individual, and so on. So they have to meet the rules of the SSI program in order to get benefits under both programs, and they must have limited means, limited income, limited resources. So yes, they can receive benefits under both programs if they qualify.

>> Nancy: Great, thank you Marlene.

>> Marlene: You're welcome.

>> Nancy: And since you brought up the find help tool, I'll give some folks some more information on that. So as Marlene said, you can use the find help tool by going to www.choosework.net/findhelp, to search for the right service provider for you. And you can search many different ways, you can search by putting in your zip code, you can search by the services offered, so depending on the service that you're looking for. You can also search by disability type. You can search by languages spoken. And as Marlene was just mentioning, you can also search by provider type. So that could be an EN, which is an employment network, or it could be a work force EN, which would be one of your American Job Centers, it could be Vocational Rehabilitation, it could be if you're looking for a WIPA, a Work Incentive Planning and Assistance site. Or it could be if you're looking for a PABSS program, which is Protection and Advocacy for Benefits of Social Security. So you can find a lot of information by going to that find help tool. Thank you, Marlene. Okay, so let's go back now to some of the questions that we have regarding accommodations and such, and the first one that we have coming up is do all employers have to comply with the ADA?

>> Sarah: That's a good question. So with the ADA, since the Americans With Disabilities Act amendments act, which was in 2008, it specifies that employers with 15 or more employees must comply with the ADA. So 15 employees is kind of that number. It also specifies that any state or local government entities must comply regardless of their size. And then, for federal employment, it's very similar, except the specific law is section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as opposed to the ADA, and when it comes to those prohibiting discrimination and accommodation process, and those things that fall within the ADA, the Rehab Act is very, very similar. So we do, you know, have people that call, and we talk about those related pieces of legislation as well. But as far as the ADA goes, the general rule is 15 or more employees, and then also state and local government, regardless of size.

>> Nancy: Great, that's great information. Thank you. Okay, so changing the topic a little bit to one of my favorite topics, Sarah, you had, in your bio it says you have a great interest in service animals, and the positive effect that they have on individuals, especially those with posttraumatic stress disorder. Can either of you talk a little bit about service animals, and emotional support animals in the workplace?

>> Sarah: Sure. This is Sarah. So the tricky thing about service animals and emotional support animals in the workplace is that everything that is formally written in regulation at this point, that pertains to the ADA, is in regard to Title 3, which is Public Access Situations. So often times, people are, you know, looking up regulations online, or the definition of service animals versus emotional support animal, all of those types of things that are formally written at this point pertaining to public access. So when it comes to Title 1 of the ADA with employment, it sort of defaults to that same accommodation process that any other request would go through. So instead of having that automatic access with Title 3, it's more of requesting to bring the animal as an accommodation into the workplace. And so we often times, you know, will suggest giving the animal first consideration, because it usually is, you know, there to benefit the employee at work, but it would be an accommodation versus just having the automatic access to bring the animal. And with that, you know, it's kind of the same process, if the condition is not known or obvious, they could ask some documentation to establish a condition and support the need for the animal to be in the workplace, and kind of moving through that same interactive process with the goal being that the employer and employee can work out how the animal is going to be present, and kind of go from there.

>> Nancy: Wonderful, great. And then this is a little outside of your realm, but since it just came in, I'll ask, but it's not necessarily specific to jobs, but do colleges have to comply with accommodations as similarly to employers?

>> Sarah: They would, yeah, so technically, it would be under a different title, but it is something that in the education realm, there would be a need for accommodations as well. So a lot of times with colleges, there might be an accessibility services department, or disability services department, or some sort of department within the college or university, or school, that sort of is needed to help with those processes. So a lot of times, we'll suggest people sort of seek that out, and they can, they will have, you know, counselors or representatives that help the students to be able to get the needed accommodations for their classes, or you know, having accessibility around campus, and those types of things.

>> Nancy: Okay, great, thanks. So I had a feeling that once we brought up dogs, we'd get a couple questions. And somebody is asking, I have a licensed small service dog for my seizures. Do I have to tell the job before I get hired?

>> Sarah: You know, that's a good question, because it is something that sort of ties in with disclosure as well. I think on one hand, I know Melanie and I talk about sometimes, if the dog would need to be with you, like for the interview, or anything like that, if it does, you know, if it does need to be with you, kind of in that pre-employment phase as well, sometimes do suggest just kind of as a common courtesy allowing them to know that the dog is going to be present with you, that way if there are any, like, preparations needed, or anything like that, it's not an issue when you show up and it's not, you know, kind of a surprise or anything like that. But it is something that if they have that knowledge, or let's say you do bring your dog to the interview or something like that, you know, with any sort of, you know, like prohibiting discrimination, they wouldn't want to use that to automatically screen you out. You know, you should be held to the same, you know, criteria, and you know, things that they're looking at, as far as all the candidates. And they might be able to ask you, you know, how you might perform certain tasks with the dog present, or things like that. But it shouldn't be something that, you know, you're automatically turned away or that they would screen you out based on the knowledge that you do have an animal. Sometimes I'll see people who will say like, you know what, I can make it through an interview without bringing in the dog, and maybe they won't bring it with them because they have those fears. And that is okay too, you know, they could wait and see if they got the position, and then, disclose and ask for the accommodation then. But generally speaking, you know, if you're going to show up with the dog, we do sort of suggest just from a practical standpoint to kind of give them a heads up and that way everybody can be on the same page, and not run into any issues.

>> Nancy: Great, thank you. So we have a question, and I was wondering if this was going to come up, because it seems to be kind of a new gadget, and that is a fidget spinner or a fidget cube, and would that be considered a reasonable accommodation for perhaps somebody with autism, or ADHD, let's say?

>> Melanie: Yeah, this is Melanie, it sure could. Absolutely. You know, as long as it didn't become an obsession, get in the way of performing the essential functions of the position. But those fidget cubes, I've talked to several people who use those and said, you know, they can keep it in their pocket, nobody knows they're using it, they can use it during a meeting, it makes no noise, and so I think that is the important thing. That if it helps on the job, and it doesn't look like you're playing with those spinners sometimes with kids, I don't know about adults, you know, they kind of use them a lot and it may look more like you're playing with that. But I think absolutely those can be used as an accommodation to help people stay on task and to kind of get the fidgets out.

>> Nancy: [Laughs] Okay.

>> Melanie: And here is another--some people will use an under-desk, you know, like, bicycle. You know, it's like a pedal under the desk. Some people will use something like that too because that will help with their fidgeting, it burns up some excess energy. So anything like that can be helpful.

>> Nancy: Great. Good to know. So here is another interesting question. I am a middle aged female, and I have issues related to menopause, poor sleeping, hot often, and need a fan, you know, moodiness--is this a disability covered under the ADA in terms of getting a variety of accommodations, like let's say someone needs a fan at their desk to help cool them during those hot periods?

>> Melanie: Generally, no. Menopause is considered a normal process of aging, so that is generally not going to be considered a disability, but if somebody were to have, you know, it would depend on how substantially limited someone is and if they are having a lot of severe hot flashes, or excessive hot flashes, it could be considered a disability under the ADA, and that is something that somebody could talk to their employer about and say hey, you know, I need to have a fan. A lot of employers allow people to have fans in their offices, I've seen them, you know, the little personal ones that can be sitting right on your desk. Some people wear them around their neck. You know, some people may be able to accommodate themselves in the area in which they work without having to ask for that specifically as an accommodation. Now, it comes up sometimes for safety reasons they can't plug in extra fans or things like that in, but we often recommend cooling clothing for people who are having hot flashes, and make sure they're wearing certain types of clothing. You know, if there is a uniform policy or certain expectation of clothing, then somebody may need to ask for that. But even if it's not considered a disability under the ADA there may be ways to work that out with the employer.

>> Nancy: That's great. The cooling clothing is a great recommendation, thank you. All right, we're winding down, but I think what we've got a couple of people out there that would just like a little clarification when we talk about job restructuring and the essential functions of the job versus the marginal job functions. Can you just describe a little bit about what the difference is between those two?

>> Sarah: Yeah, this is Sarah. So the essential job functions would be those functions of the position that if they were to be removed or you know, taken away from the job that it would ultimately change what that position is, so it's the things that are kind of true to that position, make that position what it is, and the marginal tasks would be more things that are kind of also incorporated, but maybe if they were removed from that, you know, maybe it wouldn't change, you know, kind of the nature of the job and what the person is doing. Melanie, do you have anything?

>> Melanie: I was just going to use as an example, this is a good example we use. And it doesn't always matter about the amount of time spent on that. It still could be an essential function if only a little bit of time is spent on that, and the example is a co-pilot. That has difficulty landing a plane, because he suffers from a lot of stress. That is an essential function of the position. You know, if something were to happen to the pilot, he would have to land the plane. That may never happen, but it still would be considered an essential function, because he would be required to do that if he needed to. So it doesn't always depend on like how much of your day is spent doing that, it could be. But that is not always the case. It's pretty much what is the purpose of that job? If the purpose of that job involves certain tasks, then those are going to be considered essential, and it's really up to the employer to determine those.

>> Nancy: That is a great explanation there too, thank you. Okay, so I am going to continue with a few more slides. We do have a few more questions, hopefully we will be able to get to them, but I want to make sure I cover all of our slides as well. Thank you all so much for these answers, they're very thorough, and very understandable for us to get a better idea of accommodations and work incentives, so thank you all for that. So as we are winding down, I do want to remind folks to join us for our next webinar, and that will be Wednesday, August 23, 2017, from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. Eastern time. And as Marlene mentioned earlier, that will be part one of a two-part series covering both SSI and SSDI and concurrent beneficiaries. And you can register online for that by going to www.choosework.net/whys, or you can call 1-866-968-7842 or for TTY users, 1-866-833-2967. For more information on things that we've talked about today, you can call the Ticket to Work help line at 1-866-968-7842, or for TTY, 1-866-833-2967 or you can visit the Ticket to Work website by going to www.ssa.gov/work. Also please remember to connect with us. You can like us on Facebook by going to www.facebook.com/choosework, you can also follow us on Twitter, www.twitter.com/chooseworkssa, you can also watch us on your YouTube channel. We have videos. If you go to www.youtube.com/choosework, and you can also follow us on LinkedIn by going to www.linkedin.com/company/ticket-2-work. And I am going to get in one more question quickly before we open up our survey. And that is for the JAN folks, do you have any templates or samples of accommodation request letters on your website that people can use?

>> Sarah: We do. On our website, we have a sample accommodation request that is called ideas for requesting reasonable accommodations, and essentially it is kind of just a template set up with a letter, and it gives some bullet points of things that we commonly suggest including in your letter. So while it's not, you know, it's that fill in the blank kind of form, it definitely can be helpful with putting together your letter for your employer, and that can be found on our website, as well as like an employee's practical guide to requesting and negotiating reasonable accommodations, that can often be helpful with just kind of a step by step look at what the process typically looks like. And that can be found on our website as well.

>> Nancy: Wonderful. Thank you all very much. So as we wind down, please tell us what you think. Please remember to take our webinar survey. A link will pop up after the webinar, or you can certainly visit www.choosework.net/surveys/whys. Melanie and Sarah and Marlene, thank you so much. I think we could probably have gone on for another 10 minutes of questions, but we have come to the end of our time. So thank you very much for your time and expertise, we greatly appreciate it. Thank you for everybody out there on the web and on the phone, and we will talk to you next month. Bye bye.

>> Thank you.