The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a civil rights law that makes it illegal to discriminate against (treat unfairly or unequally) people with disabilities in all aspects of employment. It also guarantees that disabled people have access to public services, such as transportation and voting, and to public places, such as restaurants, stores, hotels, and other types of buildings. The goal of the ADA is for everyone with a disability to live a life of freedom and equality.

The first section of the ADA (often called Title I) applies to employment. It makes it illegal to discriminate against qualified jobseekers and employees with disabilities and requires employers to make reasonable accommodations to jobseekers and employees with disabilities, unless they would result in undue hardship to the business. The law applies to all aspects of this employment, including the job application process, hiring, firing, advancement, compensation, job training, and work-related events. In Minnesota, the Minnesota Human Rights Act (MHRA) also protects people with disabilities. There are only minor differences between the ADA and the MHRA.

Both the ADA and MHRA apply to private employers with 15 or more employees, state and local governments, employment agencies, and labor organizations. The ADA does not apply to tax-exempt private membership clubs or the United States federal government. However, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 applies to federal agencies and is almost identical to the ADA. It also makes it illegal to discriminate against job applicants and employees with disabilities.

The rest of this article will talk about the process of making sure your needs are met when you are looking for work, applying for jobs, and after you get a job. This process may include disclosing your disability, requesting reasonable accommodations, negotiating your reasonable accommodation, and what to do if you feel discriminated against. If you want more details about the ADA and the legal rights it guarantees, see DB101's article Know Your Rights and Responsibilities.

Disclosing your disability means telling your employer or potential employer that you have a disability. You have the right to choose whether or not to disclose your disability. Your employer, or potential employer, does not have the right to ask you about it.

You get to decide if you want to disclose your disability based on your personal needs, preferences, and comfort level with your disability. When you apply for jobs, start a new job, become disabled, or notice that the nature of your disability changes, you should consider whether or not disclosing is right for you.

The Benefits of Disclosure

The main benefit of disclosing your disability is that it lets you request a reasonable accommodation during the hiring process (interviewing, employment exams, or application process) or after you are hired. When you tell your employer that you have a disability and that you need an accommodation, you begin a process that requires the employer to consider your request.

Another reason to disclose your disability to an employer, or potential employer, is if you have an impairment that is readily visible to others. You are never required to discuss your disability, but if you address your disability upfront, even if you do not need a reasonable accommodation, you may be able to prevent stigma, discrimination, or misinformation related to your disability before they happen. To be open about your disability is always an option, but many people find it beneficial.

How Much to Disclose

How much information and detail you give your employer about your disability is your decision. Many people want to limit any medical information they give to their employers to just the information that is necessary to request an accommodation.

Some employers will accept your request for an accommodation even if you don’t give them detailed medical information about your disability. Others may want you to give them specific medical documentation to make sure that your medical condition is disabling and that the specific accommodations you requested are likely to be effective, which means they help you perform your job duties. If you cannot show that you have a disability or that the accommodation you are requesting is effective, the employer has the right to deny the accommodation.

For more information on what to do when your employer asks for medical information when you ask for an accommodation, click here.

The Role of the Employer

The only question about your disability that a potential employer is allowed to ask is if you can perform the essential functions of your job with or without reasonable accommodation. A potential employer cannot ask questions that would force you to disclose your disability during the hiring process. For example, a potential employer is not allowed to ask you how many days you were absent from your previous job, if you have ever applied for workers’ compensation, or if you are taking prescription drugs. For more information about your rights during the application process, take a look at this EEOC information sheet about Job Applicants and the ADA.

Once you are offered a job, an employer can require a medical examination. And once you are hired, your new employer can make attendance a requirement of your job or say you cannot use certain medications while you are at work. However, the employer must justify that these requirements are necessary to do business.

If you disclose your disability and request a reasonable accommodation, your employer is allowed to ask for documentation of your disability to understand it and how to accommodate it. However, the employer is not allowed to disclose your disability to anybody else, unless it directly affects another employee’s job. For example, the manager of the employee who is sensitive to scented products may need to disclose the chemically sensitive medical condition to the Human Resources Manager who will enforce the new scent-free rule.

Confidentiality

The ADA requires that employers treat as confidential any medical information they get about a disability-related inquiry or medical examination, including medical information from voluntary health or wellness programs and any medical information voluntarily disclosed by an employee. Employers can share such information only in limited circumstances with supervisors, managers, first-aid and safety personnel, and government officials who investigate if the rules of the ADA are followed.

Disclosing Is a Right

Remember, it is your right to tell or not tell your employer about your disability. You are not required to disclose it. However, if you choose not to disclose your disability and you are unable to perform the essential functions of your job because you don’t have a reasonable accommodation you need, your employer has the right to take disciplinary action or fire you. If that happens, you cannot claim that the employer discriminated against you because you have a disability.

Disclosure Decision Tree

Virginia Commonwealth University designed a great tool that can help you decide whether it makes sense to you to disclose your disability to your employer and figure out how to do so. You can practice disclosing your disability with a close friend, family member, or career counselor to help you with your comfort level and skills. You can try the Disclosure Decision Tree.

A reasonable accommodation is any kind of change or adjustment to the hiring process, job functions, or work environment that makes it possible for a qualified jobseeker or employee with a disability to have equal access to employment and enjoy the same benefits of employment as their peers without disabilities.

When Do You Have the Legal Right to an Accommodation?

To have the right to an accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), you must:

• Work for an employer with 15 or more employees (or a state or local government),
• Be a person with a disability as defined in the ADA, and
• Need the accommodation because of your disability.

If you meet these conditions, the ADA gives you the right to reasonable accommodations. However, you also have the responsibility as an employee to take the initiative to ask for an accommodation. If you do not request an accommodation and your job performance suffers, your employer has the right to fire you from your job or take disciplinary action.

While you have the right to get accommodations, you don’t necessarily have a right to get the particular accommodation you ask for. If there are other accommodations that will meet your needs, your employer is free to choose among effective accommodation options. Also, your employer can deny your request for an accommodation if giving it would cause the employer an undue hardship.

If you do not meet all of these conditions, you can still try to request an accommodation. For example, if you think that you do not meet the ADA's definition of disability, you may want to discuss your need for an accommodation with your employer anyway; your employer may still offer to work with you to find an accommodation, even if the ADA doesn’t require it.

Why

You should request a reasonable accommodation when there is a barrier that prevents you from performing your job or accessing other benefits of employment.

When

You can request an accommodation while applying for a job, after receiving a job offer, after acquiring a disability, or when the nature of your disability or job changes.

What

To request an accommodation, you should first think about your individual needs and then identify reasonable accommodations that meet those needs. An employer does not have to give you the exact accommodation you request. If more than one accommodation would work, the employer can choose which one to get.

Who

You or an advocate knowledgeable about your disability can ask your direct supervisor, human resources manager, or other management staff for an accommodation on your behalf.

How

You can request a reasonable accommodation from your employer either verbally or in writing. You can use plain English to make your request; and you don’t have to mention the ADA or use the phrase "reasonable accommodation." One way of requesting a reasonable accommodation is called the “interactive process.” The interactive process is discussed later in this article.

Verbal Accommodation Requests

Here are some examples of accommodation requests done verbally. They are all requests because they let the employer know that an accommodation is needed to enable the employee to complete his or her essential duties:

• An employee tells her supervisor, "I'm having trouble getting to work at my scheduled starting time because of medical treatments I'm undergoing. I’d like to have my starting time rescheduled.”
• An employee tells his supervisor, "I need 6 weeks off to get treatment for a back problem."
• A new employee who uses a wheelchair informs her employer that her wheelchair cannot fit under the desk in her office. She requests an adjustable desk as a reasonable accommodation.

Written Accommodation Requests

Although you don’t have to make your accommodation request in writing, it is always a good idea to document your accommodation requests in case there is a dispute about whether or when you requested accommodation. One way to document an accommodation request is to make a written request.

The ADA does not include specific guidelines or forms for requesting reasonable accommodations. Some employers have forms you should use to make your request.

If your employer doesn’t have a form, you can write a letter (or email) that clearly states your request and the medical condition that it is related to. The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) recommends that you do the following in your letter:

• Identify yourself as a person with a disability
• State that you are requesting an accommodation under the ADA (or the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, if you are a federal employee)
• Identify your specific problematic job tasks
• Identify your accommodation ideas
• Request your employer's accommodation ideas
• Refer to attached medical documentation, if appropriate
• Ask that your employer respond to your request in a reasonable amount of time

The Responsibilities of the Employer

After you request an accommodation and your employer agrees to your request, it is your employer’s responsibility to give you that accommodation. For example, if an employer requires employees to attend events outside the office and arranges transportation for those events, it is the employer's responsibility to make sure that the events are accessible, including the location and the transportation to the location. Reasonable accommodations must be given to qualified employees regardless of whether they have part-time, full-time, temporary, permanent, or probationary status.

If the accommodation you need is too difficult or too expensive to get (in relation to the employer's size, financial resources, and the needs of the business), then the employer does not have to give it to you. This is called “undue hardship.” The employer can also deny your request if the accommodation prevents you from completing the duties of the job.

An employer cannot refuse to give you an accommodation just because it involves some cost. Likewise, an employer cannot claim undue hardship based on employees' (or customers') fears or prejudices about your disability. Nor can an employer base a claim of undue hardship on the fact that giving you a reasonable accommodation might have a negative impact on the morale of other employees.

Paying for Accommodations

Many accommodations create no additional expense for your employer or are just a one-time cost, such as the purchase of additional equipment. Employers have to pay for the reasonable accommodation. They cannot pass the cost on to you by lowering your salary or paying you less than other employees in similar positions.

However, if an accommodation is found to be unreasonable because it is too expensive for the employer to get, it is possible for you, a government agency, or a private agency to help pay for the accommodation.

More information on where to find help to pay for accommodations can be found later in this article.

Resources for Disclosure and Reasonable Accommodations

The following resources can help you make informed decisions about disclosure and reasonable accommodations:

• The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) has a website called the Job Accommodation Network (JAN) that is an excellent place to start. JAN has information for jobseekers, employees, and employers. It also has links to local organizations. JAN also has a list of accommodations frequently used to help people with different disabilities and a database that can be searched.
• The National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability published The 411 on Disclosure: A Workbook for Families, Educators, Youth Service Professionals, and Adult Allies Who Care About Youth With Disabilities.
• Boston University’s Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation has a website on reasonable accommodations and disability disclosure for people with psychiatric disabilities.
• The Institute for Community Inclusion has a fact sheet about Disclosure of Disability Information at a CareerForce location.

When you request a reasonable accommodation, you can ask for it either verbally or in writing. Sometimes the process can be very informal, where you request an accommodation and the employer gives it to you. Or, the process can be more formal.

One way of requesting a reasonable accommodation is called the “interactive process.” The interactive process is an ongoing communication between the employer and the jobseeker or employee with a disability to identify the most appropriate reasonable accommodation.

If you use the interactive process to ask for an accommodation, you will communicate directly with your employer or potential employer to figure out what information is important. Neither person should delay or interfere with this communication process. Sometimes you and the employer will find that more than one accommodation would work. If that is the case, the employer may choose the accommodation that is less costly or easier to get.

It is possible for an employer to become aware that you need an accommodation, even if you don’t directly ask for it. If your employer knows about your disability or medical condition, he or she may be able to figure out that you need an accommodation. Or, another employee or your spouse can make the request on your behalf. If your employer realizes that you need an accommodation, even if you don’t request it, he or she is required to begin a “good-faith” interactive process without delay.

The exact steps of the interactive process can be different for different organizations, departments, or circumstances of the person with a disability. Here are the most common steps:

• You request a reasonable accommodation.
• You and your employer identify the needs and limitations related to your disability.
• Your employer may ask your medical provider or other professional to provide information about your disability or medical condition.
• You and your employer identify the nonessential and essential functions of your job.
• You and your employer figure out possible accommodations based on your knowledge and experience, outside research, and recommendations by medical providers or other professionals.
• You and your employer agree on the most appropriate accommodation based on the essential functions of the job, your preferences, and the employer’s potential financial costs and administrative burden.
• You and your employer follow through and get the accommodation.

How long does an employer have to respond?

There is no specific amount of time that employers have to respond to a reasonable accommodation request, but they should respond as quickly as possible. Unnecessary delays to respond to or carry out an accommodation request can result in a violation of the ADA.

Once employers respond, they should also arrange for the accommodation promptly. When you and your employer need to talk about possible options for an accommodation, the discussions should take place as soon as possible.

What if your employer says no?

If your employer refuses your accommodation request, try to find out why so that you can figure out what to do next. For example, if your employer refuses your request because your medical information did not show that you have a disability, you can give your employer additional information. Or, if your employer decided that the accommodation you requested would create an undue hardship, you may want to suggest other options.

If you think that your employer has no valid reason to refuse your request, or your employer will not tell you why the request was refused, you can appeal the decision to someone higher up at your workplace, file a grievance with your union (if you have one), or file a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) or the Minnesota Department of Human Rights (MDHR). For more information about how to file a complaint, see DB101’s article Know Your Rights and Responsibilities.

What if you need another accommodation in the future?

Your employer has an ongoing duty to offer you reasonable accommodations. You can ask for accommodations multiple times and for multiple reasons. It is illegal to reject a request simply because you have asked for an accommodation before.

Some people only need one reasonable accommodation, while others may need more than one. Still others may need one reasonable accommodation for a period of time, and then, at a later date, require another type of reasonable accommodation. An employer must consider each request for a reasonable accommodation on a case-by-case basis.

Can your employer retaliate against you for asking for an accommodation?

It is illegal for an employer to retaliate against (get back at) you for asserting your rights under the ADA. If your employer retaliates against you for requesting an accommodation, you should report the retaliation to someone higher up in the company or agency or contact the EEOC or MDHR immediately. More information about contacting them is included in DB101's article Know Your Rights and Responsibilities.

What can you do if you think you are being discriminated against?

If you think you have been discriminated against (treated unfairly or unequally) at work because you have a disability or because you asked for or need an accommodation, you should contact the EEOC or MDHR as soon as possible. A charge of discrimination generally must be filed within 300 days (or 10 months) of the date you were discriminated against, and it can take several months for the EEOC or MDHR to conduct the initial investigation and prepare the charges.

If the EEOC or MDHR decides that you have been discriminated against, you have the right to get to a solution that will place you in the position you would have been in if the discrimination had never occurred. You may also have the right to be hired, promoted, or reinstated, to get back pay, or to get a reasonable accommodation, including being moved to a different position, and possibly to have your legal expenses paid for.

To learn more about how to file a complaint or lawsuit, see DB101's article Know Your Rights and Responsibilities.

You’ve now learned about how to request a reasonable accommodation. However, before you actually talk to your employer about getting an accommodation, it’s very important to learn what types of accommodations exist. Often, tools or types of support are available to you that you’ve never even heard of.

When employers purchase equipment it is important that they try to make sure the equipment is “universally designed.” That means that the equipment is accessible to everybody, because the company that designed it made an extra effort to guarantee that people with diverse disabilities could use it.

However, it isn’t always possible to buy universally designed equipment, because many types of new technology are designed without considering people with disabilities, and this oversight creates unnecessary barriers. In other situations, even if a product has been universally designed, depending on a person’s disability, they may still need a reasonable accommodation in order to perform their work.

In these sorts of situations, employers may get a type of accommodation called Assistive Technology (AT). AT includes technology and devices that enable people with disabilities to perform tasks that they would otherwise be unable to perform or would have difficulty performing.

AT can include different types of technologies, including communications, computer software and hardware, workspace, and safety equipment. Here are some examples of AT that can be used as reasonable accommodations:

• Computer screen-reading software for employees who are blind or have dyslexia
• Software that increases or decreases computer keyboard sensitivity for people with limited use of their hands
• Electronic organizers for people with brain injury or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
• Assistive listening devices (ALDs) for employees with hearing loss
• Adjustable roll-in desks for wheelchair users

Assistive Technology Access

There are some good ways to learn more about assistive technology and to try it out. Minnesota STAR (a System of Technology to Achieve Results) is a statewide program that demonstrates and loans out AT equipment, as well as helping people with disabilities to sell or exchange AT devices. To learn more, contact STAR or one of the regional STAR partners.

If you go to a CareerForce location, you can also try out the AT the location has available to help you use their services and resources. CareerForce locations are equipped with computer software and equipment to help people who are blind, visually impaired, or who have other physical impairments, to use computer programs and websites and to read printed materials. Each location has a TTY (teletypewriter) for people who are deaf or have hearing impairments, and access to speech-to-speech service for people with speech impairments. Find a Minnesota CareerForce location near you.

Assistive Technology Funding

Usually, your employer will pay for the AT you need. However, sometimes people need AT that would be too costly for an employer. Alternatively, some people want to be able to keep their AT if they switch employers, because it is specially designed to fit their needs or because they also want it for personal use.

If your employer does not pay for your AT, you can get help paying for it from government resources or private grants. Here are some funding alternatives for AT:

• Medical Assistance (MA) helps pay medical expenses for people with disabilities, including Assistive Technology (AT). For AT to be paid for by MA, the device must be for a medical condition and be prescribed by a physician.
• Vocational Rehabilitation Services often funds AT to help a person with a disability find, get, and keep employment. You must meet eligibility requirements in order to get these services.
• The Department of Veterans Affairs offers funding for AT for veterans with disabilities who are eligible.
• Workers’ Compensation often pays for AT for people with work-related injuries.
• PASS (Plan to Achieve Self-Support) is a program offered by the Social Security Administration for people who get SSI or SSDI. Through PASS, it is possible to save up money for AT without losing eligibility for benefits.
• Nonprofit organizations, private corporations, manufacturers of assistive technology, and service clubs (like Kiwanis, Knights of Columbus, and Lions) will often help fund AT for people with disabilities. A directory of organizations that fund AT in Minnesota can be found at the Minnesota STAR Program.

Learn More about Assistive Technology

• Assistive Technology Minnesota offers support for Minnesotans with disabilities who need assistive technology.
• The Disability Business and Technical Assistance Center (DBTAC) has a workplace technology resource guide.
• Infinite Potential Through Assistive Technology (Infinitec) has information on how to get and use AT devices. Infinitec also has detailed information on specific types of devices to use at home, work, and everything between.

Other websites that specialize in specific technologies:

• CapTel makes telephones that produce real-time captions during phone conversations. In Minnesota, you may be able to get a free CapTel phone, or get one at a lower price.
• AbilityHub describes Assistive Technology for using computers.
• Microsoft has a webpage dedicated to describing accessibility options in its products.
• Minnesota’s State Services for the Blind (SSB) has information on Assistive Technology for the blind and vision impaired. You can find information on types of products available and where to buy them.
• The National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association (NMEDA) can help you find organizations that sell mobility equipment.

There are many other job support services for people with disabilities during their transition back to work and participation in the workforce. These include Personal Assistance Services, Vocational Rehabilitation, job coaches, and other long-term supports.

Personal Assistance Services (PAS)

Personal Assistance Services (PAS) are services that another person offers to a person with a disability. These services can include help with:

• Home activities, such as bathing, dressing, cooking, toileting, and remembering things;
• Community activities, such as shopping, going to the doctor, and help getting around; and
• Work activities, such as reading, sign-language interpretation, and lifting or reaching.

Personal Care Assistance Program

Minnesota’s Personal Care Assistance program helps pay for personal care assistants for people with disabilities who need help with day-to-day activities in their own homes.

In general, this program does not offer personal assistance at work. However, depending on a person’s disability, it may be a reasonable accommodation to allow the personal care assistant to come to the workplace to give assistance for personal needs, such as help with toileting. If you do require this type of assistance at your workplace, it is important to tell your employer and discuss your needs and the limit of that accommodation.

To be eligible for the personal care assistance program, you must:

• Be eligible to receive
  • Medical Assistance (MA),
  • Medical Assistance for Employed Persons with Disabilities (MA-EPD), or
  • MinnesotaCare Expanded for pregnant women and children.
    
• Need services that are medically necessary and ordered by a physician
• Be able to make decisions about your own care or have someone who can make decisions for you

You must also need help specifically with:

• Activities of daily living, such as eating, toileting, grooming, dressing, bathing, transferring, mobility, or positioning;
• Health-related procedures and tasks;
• Other common activities, such as meal planning and preparation, managing finances, shopping for essential items, performing essential household chores, communication by telephone and other media, and getting around and participating in the community; and/or
• Paying attention to and learning how to change your own behavior.

To find out if you are eligible, contact your local county or tribal human services office .

Workplace Personal Assistance Services

You can use workplace Personal Assistance Services (PAS) to help you perform the essential duties of your job. If you need PAS services, they may be considered a reasonable accommodation under the ADA and your employer would have the responsibility to offer PAS services if you request them.

Funding for Workplace PAS

Workplace PAS are often paid for by an employer when they are considered a reasonable accommodation. Additional funding may also be available from the following sources:

• Vocational Rehabilitation Services or State Services for the Blind
• The Department of Veterans Affairs
• Workers' compensation coverage

Resources for Workplace PAS

• Virginia Commonwealth University’s Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Workplace Supports and Job Retention has the Personal Assistance in the Workplace: A Customer-Directed Guide Manual.
• The Job Accommodation Network's Accommodation and Compliance Series answers a series of common questions about workplace Personal Assistance Services and provides links to numerous PAS resources.

Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) is a process that helps people with substantial limitations due to disability achieve their employment goals. You will work with a qualified Vocational Rehabilitation counselor to identify your strengths and employment needs. If you have a physical or emotional disability, services are offered by Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VRS). If you are blind or have a substantial visual impairment, services are offered by State Services for the Blind (SSB).

Your VR counselor will review your medical records, Individualized Education Program (if you’re in high school) and Social Security record to determine if you are eligible for services. If you are eligible, the counselor will then work with you to figure out your needs by discussing your interests, work history, education, abilities, and personality traits. Once you’ve set a work-related goal, you and your counselor will identify the services that you need to help you achieve it. Services are individualized to meet your needs, but may include counseling, education, job skill training, job placement assistance, employer education, assistive technology, and other services to help you get and keep a job.

To find out more about how to qualify, apply, or appeal a decision, visit the DB101 section on Programs that Support Work.

Additional Job Supports

In addition to the Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Services and State Services for the Blind (SSB) described above that help disabled people prepare for and enter the workforce, Minnesota also offers other supports for people with disabilities.

Long-Term Job Supports

Minnesota Vocational Rehabilitation Services have a Community Partners Program that offers long-term job supports. These supports are offered under contract with a local community rehabilitation provider to help you keep your job and move ahead in your career. Long-term job supports — also called “ongoing supports” or “extended services” — typically offer help with training or retraining on:

• Job tasks
• Dealing with schedule changes
• Adjusting to new supervisors
• Promotion to new job tasks or positions, and
• Managing changes in nonwork environments or life activities that affect work performance.

Long-term job support services fall within 3 categories: Supported Employment, Community Employment, and Center-Based Employment.

Supported Employment

A person who gets Supported Employment Services has a job not specifically for people with disabilities, in an integrated setting working alongside with coworkers without disabilities, and earns the same wages and benefits as coworkers without disabilities.

Long-term Supported Employment Services can vary, because they are tailored to each person’s needs. The Supported Employment Services may include:

• Communication technology
• Help communicating with coworkers and supervisors
• Education of coworkers and supervisors
• Transportation help

Community Employment

Community employment refers to jobs where the work crew includes a high percentage of people with disabilities. In community employment, the workers often are paid less than the usual wage for similar work done by people without disabilities. Community employment offers intensive job supports and often is a step toward reaching supported employment.

Center-Based Employment

Center-based employment is typically a job in industrial production or food or janitorial service in a community rehabilitation program. You will perform standard work assignments while developing your work skills and earning wages based on your production rate. The focus of the service is on disability-related issues that present real or perceived obstacles to competitive employment open to everyone.

Center-based and community employment for people with developmental disabilities is discussed later in this article in the Day Training & Habilitation (DT&H) section.

Supported Employment for Persons Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

Minnesota Vocational Rehabilitation can give referrals for supported employment services for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. These services typically are available from the Minnesota Employment Center for Persons Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing (MEC). MEC helps people who are deaf or hard of hearing with finding a job, job coaching, keeping a job, training, and technical assistance.

Long-Term Supports for People with Serious Mental Illness

Minnesota Vocational Rehabilitation Services also offer statewide employment services for people with serious mental illness through Coordinated Employability Projects. For information about the Coordinated Employability Projects, ask for a referral from your Vocational Rehabilitation counselor.

Job Coach

A job coach is an employment specialist who assists people after they get a job. A job coach can help you in a variety of ways, including:

• One-on-one training at a job site for both the person with a disability and the employer, and
• Ongoing support to the person with a disability, and to the employer as needed, to help the disabled person keep the job.

Finding a Job Coach

You may be referred to a job coach by your Vocational Rehabilitation counselor or long-term supports provider. Alternatively, if you participate in the Ticket to Work Program, it can help you get a job coach.

MA-Waiver Programs

MA-Waiver Programs, also called Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS), help people on Medical Assistance (MA), who would otherwise live in a nursing home, live in their homes and communities. These are the four waiver programs that serve people with disabilities:

• The Community Alternative Care (CAC) Waiver serves people who need the level of care normally given in a hospital.
• The Community Access for Disability Inclusion (CADI) Waiver serves people who need the level of care normally given in a nursing facility.
• The Developmental Disabilities (DD) Waiver serves people with developmental disabilities or related conditions who need the level of care normally given in an Intermediate Care Facility for Persons with Developmental Disabilities (ICF/DD).
• The Brain Injury (BI) Waiver offers services to people with a documented brain injury who need specialized neurobehavioral hospital or nursing facility level of care.

Each of the four disability waiver programs offers a wide range of services, including employment services. Here we will discuss a couple of specific types of job support provided by these programs. You can read more about other aspects of these programs in DB101’s section on MA-Waiver Programs.

Employment Services

You can get help exploring work options, finding a job, and keeping a job in the community through your MA-Waiver program:

• Exploration services (such as hands-on work experience) can help you learn about different jobs and make your own decisions about working in the community,
• Development services can help you find the right job or get started with self-employment,
• Support services (such as job coaching) can help you keep your job in the community.

The exact services you get depend on your needs. Talk to your waiver case manager about the employment services that are right for you.

The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) has a brochure introducing these waiver services.

For more information about MA-Waiver services, Chat with a Hub expert.

Day Training & Habilitation (DT&H)

If you are on the Developmental Disabilities (DD) Waiver Program, you have an additional service option called Day Training & Habilitation (DT&H). DT&H services offers you supports to learn skills that help you develop and maintain life skills, participate in the community, and engage in activities of your choosing, which can include employment. The following services are covered by DT&H:

• Activities that help you become part of the community, including learning how to make the best of your nonwork time, supervision, training and help in the areas of self-care, communication, and interacting and getting along with others
• Ongoing support at work and work-related activities
• Learning survival skills, how to manage your money, doing therapeutic activities that help you gain more skills to adapt to living with your disability
• Transportation services for nonmedical purposes so you can participate in the above listed services

Based on your needs and desires, the employment portion of these services can be done in different settings:

• Center-based employment can be at the location of the DT&H provider. You are paid based on your work, which may be above or below minimum wage. In this setting, you don’t interact with coworkers without disabilities as part of your regular work.
• Community-based employment is in community settings and in groups. For instance, you and several people who get DT&H services may work together at a hotel. As with center-based employment, your wages may be above or below minimum wage. However, you do have some interaction with coworkers without disabilities.
• Individual employment is also in community settings, but not in groups. If you get DT&H services, you will work side-by-side with employees without disabilities at a job site, such as a restaurant, and you will earn wages at or above minimum wage. Support services are given as needed.

If you want more information about how MA-Waiver Programs can help support you in getting and keeping a job, Chat with a Hub expert