Choosing the Right Accommodations for You

This month marks the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)! Signed into law in July 1990, the ADA gives people with disabilities the right to request reasonable accommodations in the workplace. Reasonable accommodations are adjustments to a job or work environment that can help make tasks more manageable and jobs more accessible. These accommodations often come at little or no cost and can improve the overall work environment for everyone.

If you're unsure about what kind of accommodation might meet your needs, the Job Accommodation Network (JAN) offers the Situations and Solutions Finder. JAN, a service of the United States Department of Labor, helps individuals with disabilities explore accommodation ideas and provides practical suggestions for requesting and negotiating accommodations with an employer. This tool allows workers with disabilities to browse examples of jobs and accommodation strategies to help them determine what might work best in their own workplace.

According to JAN, the Situations and Solutions Finder draws on information collected from JAN customers. JAN receives this information from customers who choose to provide feedback, usually in an email or through an ongoing survey JAN conducts in which employers contribute information about workplace accommodations. Participating employers represent government agencies and a variety of industry sectors, including health care, education, manufacturing, service, wholesale/retail sales, etc., and span from very small businesses to global corporations.

Using the Situations and Solution Finder

While this tool isn't a one-size-fits-all solution, it can serve as a helpful starting point for individuals exploring the types of workplace accommodations that may align with their specific needs.

You can use the tool to search for accommodations by disability type, limitation, or occupation, and choose multiple keywords and filters when you search.

For example, returning to work after a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) can come with challenges like memory loss and difficulty focusing during conversations. If you use the tool to search for brain injury accommodations, you will learn about one employee who found it difficult to concentrate and retain information during meetings. To help manage these symptoms, the employee began using an artificial intelligence (AI) powered notetaking tool that captured key points in real time—allowing the employee to review detailed notes afterward and stay engaged more confidently.

How Can Ticket to Work Help

Social Security's Ticket to Work (Ticket) Program supports career development for people ages 18 through 64 who receive Social Security disability benefits (SSDI/SSI) and want to work. Through this free and voluntary program, eligible participants can work with service providers to receive the services and supports they need to find and maintain employment as they move toward financial independence through work.

Ticket to Work Program service providers—like Employment Networks (EN) and State Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agencies—can play a key role in helping you understand, request, and implement reasonable accommodations at work.

They can:

• Help you identify what accommodations you may need based on your disability and job duties
• Coach you on how to request accommodations, including what to say and who to talk to (e.g., HR or your supervisor)
• Assist with documentation, such as helping to write or reviewing your accommodation request
• Provide education about your rights under the ADA, so you feel confident navigating the process
• Suggest tools or strategies, like assistive technology or schedule adjustments, that have worked for others in similar situations

Want to learn more about requesting accommodations for work? Join us for our next WISE webinar on July 30 at 3 p.m. ET! The topic will be Ticket to Work and Reasonable Accommodations. Register now: https://choosework.ssa.gov/wise/

Learn More

To learn more about the Ticket to Work Program, call the Ticket to Work Help Line at 1-866-968-7842. For callers who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, call 1-866-833-2967 (TTY). Hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.; or visit choosework.ssa.gov. You can also email us at TicketToWork@ssa.gov.

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