New federal legislation will impact Purdue's workforce

Make no mistake about it; the new Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) legislation broadens the interpretation of the term disability. What does this mean to you as a supervisor? More of your employees may now qualify as a person with a disability under the ADA. What can you do to ensure compliance with the newly issued Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act?

Here are few tips for Purdue supervisors:

The supervisor should be diligent when establishing and monitoring work expectations/standards. Everyone, including individuals with disabilities, must be able to perform the job with or without reasonable accommodations.
Be on the lookout for clues that a person's medical condition is impacting the person's ability to perform his or her job. Clues often come in the form of a conversation ("After my operation, I can't do the job the way I once did.") or or a request ("Can you give me a little more time to do this job? My medication is causing me a few problems."). When it appears that a medical condition might be impacting an employee's ability to perform the job, or if medical accommodation is needed, HR should be consulted immediately. It is important to remember that only designated individuals on each campus can determine an individual's disability status and related accommodations. Your campus human resources department, the Office of Institutional Equity, or your Affirmative Action Office will help to facilitate this process.
Supervisors will find the following courses useful in learning more about ADA, other federal workplace laws, and Purdue-specific policies.
- Fair Square and Legal - Learn more and register for the course
- The Americans with Disabilities Act and The ADA Amendments Act Briefing - Learn more and register for the course

For one-on-one consultation, please contact your HR office or the Office of Institutional Equity. You may also send an e-mail to Employee Relations.

- Adedayo Adeniyi and Sharon Williams
Employee Relations