Process to Request a Reasonable Accommodation

Please review the following process for faculty, staff, and applicants for employment when requesting a reasonable accommodation.  Students should contact Wellness and Disability Services at 617 989-4390 or via their website.

Process

Wentworth Institute of Technology uses an interactive process to assess each request for reasonable accommodation.  Through this process, the employee or applicant with a documented disability work together to identify any barriers that affect the employee’s ability to perform the essential functions of the job or the applicant to participate in the application process. 

Applicants

Applicants may request a reasonable accommodation to participate in the application process at any time including but not limited to the interview.

Faculty and Staff

Faculty and staff who are requesting a reasonable accommodation should complete the Accommodation Request form and submit it to their supervisor.  For confidentiality purposes, all medical documentation should be submitted directly to The Office of Institutional Equity Department.

Faculty and Staff Responsibilities

  1. Complete the Accommodation Request Form
  2. Notify supervisor of request
  3. Submit medical documentation directly to Executive Director of Equity and Compliance, Catlin Wells.
  4. Participate in the interactive process with The Office of Institutional Equity.

Supervisor’s Responsibilities

  1. Meet with the employee to outline process to request an accommodation including providing a link to the online information.
  2. Remind the employee to provide the necessary medical documentation directly to The Office of Institutional Equity.
  3. Work with The Office on Institutional Equity in the interactive process.
  4. Document each of these steps.

The individual requesting the accommodation and their supervisor will work together to review the information. The Office of Institutional Equity will determine if the request is ADA eligible.

If the request is approved, The Office of Institutional Equity will notify in writing both the employee requesting the accommodation and the supervisor.  If the notification supports the specific request submitted by the employee, the supervisor will meet with the employee to implement the agreed upon accommodation.  The supervisor may consult with The Office of Institutional Equity to prepare for the conversation and request guidance in accessing other university resources.  The supervisor will document the meeting with the employee.

If the specific accommodation requested cannot be implemented, the supervisor and The Office of Institutional Equity will continue the interactive process with the employee to explore possible alternative accommodations.  If an alternative accommodation is reached, the supervisor will follow the steps above in the preceding paragraph including documentation of the meeting.

If it is determined that the request for accommodation is not reasonable and would create an undue hardship, The Office of Institutional Equity will inform the employee and provide an explanation as to why the accommodation cannot be provided. The Office of Institutional Equity may also request more detailed information to further assess the request.

Appeals

If an employee or applicant wish to appeal the outcome of request for accommodation or file a complaint about the manner in which an accommodation request was handled or about perceived discrimination based on the disability and/or the request for accommodation, the complaint should be directed to the Vice President of Human Resources.  If the matter is not rectified to the employee’s or applicant’s satisfaction by the Vice President, the complaint may be filed with either of the following agencies:

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
John F. Kennedy Federal Building
475 Government Center
Boston, MA 02203
(617) 565-3200 or (800) 669-4000

The Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination
One Ashburton Place
Boston, MA 02108
(617) 994-6000


Filing a complaint with The Office of Institutional Equity does not prohibit an individual filing a complaint with these agencies.