Miami-Dade County employees with disabilities may request special accommodations to overcome obstacles that restrict their ability to do their jobs. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) protects qualified individuals with disabilities from employment discrimination. For further information on the ADA, please visit the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's website at www.eeoc.gov. 

 Reasonable Accommodation
A reasonable accommodation is any change or adjustment to a job or work environment that permits a qualified applicant or employee with a disability to participate in the job application process, to perform the essential job functions of a job, or enjoy the benefits and privileges of employment equal to those enjoyed by employees without disabilities.

When an individual qualifies for reasonable accommodation, the County is free to choose among effective accommodations, and may choose one that is less expensive or easier to provide. The County generally is not obligated to provide personal use items such as eyeglasses or hearing aids.

The accommodation of reassignment should be considered only when an accommodation is not possible in an employee’s present job, or when an accommodation in the present job would cause undue hardship. All requests are handled on a case-by-case basis.
See: Reasonable Accommodation Procedures Manual 

Process for Requesting Reasonable Accommodations

Employee
Employees seeking reasonable accommodation should complete a Reasonable Accommodation Request Form  for Miami-Dade County Government Employees. An employee should complete Section 1 of the form and submit it, along with medical documentation, to his or her Supervisor or the Departmental Personnel Representative.

Supervisor or Departmental Personal Representative
The Supervisor, Departmental Personnel Representative, or designee should complete Section 2 of the form. The Job Description, the Essential Job Functions Form,  and any other relevant document should be attached to the form at this stage. If a recommendation is being made to deny the request, the Department should consult with and forward the form to the Employee Relations Department ADA Unit.

Department Director
The Department Director renders a decision in Section 3 of the form. The completed form and attachments are forwarded to the Employee Relations Department ADA Unit. Decisions to accommodate by reassigning the employee to a vacant position are forwarded to the Disability Review Panel for review and final decision.

Disability Review Panel
In addition to other responsibilities, the Disability Review Panel makes final decisions relating to reassigning employees to vacant positions for disability-related reasons.