Faculty and staff who would like to request accommodations due to a disability are encouraged to engage in the following services process.

1. Employee notifies his/her manager or Kathleen Martin, Associate Director in Human Resources that he/she:
   • Has a documented disability
   • Is having difficulty performing essential functions of his/her position as stated or navigating on campus due to a disability
   • Would like to discuss appropriate accommodations
2. Manager or Human Resources:
   • Directs employee to complete a Request Form for Employee Disability-Related Accommodations and obtain related documentation and job description
3. Human Resources:
   • Obtains request, documentation and job description from employee and/or manager and submits items to the Disability Services Office
4. Coordinator of Disability Services:
   • Reviews request and documentation
   • Meets with employee, manager, and/or Human Resources representative
     1. If determined that the employee does not meet the definition of an “individual with a disability” under the ADA , he/she is referred back to manager and HR for informal solution if possible
     2. If determined that the employee does meet the definition of an "individual with a disability" under the ADA, the Coordinator of Disability Services uses the accommodations request and job description to outline job functions and determine reasonable accommodation as appropriate

In order to be considered an “individual with a disability” under the ADA, the employee must meet the requirements of at least one of the following criteria:

1. Have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities of such individual;
2. Have a record of such an impairment; or
3. Be regarded as having such an impairment.

“Major life activities” are considered to include the basic activities that the average person in the general population can perform with little or no difficulty. Such functions are defined as “caring for one's self, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning and working."

The term "substantially limits" generally means that the individual is unable to perform a major life activity that the average person in the general population can perform. Whether an impairment substantially limits any of an individual's major life activities depends upon the extent, duration, and impact of the impairment.

It is important to understand that the determination of whether an individual has a disability under the ADA and therefore requires accommodations is not necessarily based on the name or diagnosis of a condition, but rather on the effect of that condition on the life of the individual. Some conditions may be disabling for particular individuals but not for others, depending on the stage of the disease or disorder or the presence of other impairments that combine to make the condition disabling.

Formal Appeal Process for Eligibility Determination

If an employee does not agree with the decision of the Coordinator of Disability Services due to either a) being denied services or b) disagreement on the approved accommodations, and an agreement cannot be reached, the employee may initiate a formal appeal. The appropriate steps are:

• An appeal must be submitted in writing to the Assistant Vice President, Human Resources. This is Patty Spinelli, Assistant Vice President, Human Resources, 28 Lomb Memorial Drive, Eastman Building Room 5035, Rochester, NY 14623-5604. The appeal must set forth the specific action disputed and the specific accommodation sought by the employee. The Assistant Vice President, Human Resources will notify the Coordinator of Disability Services of the appeal and obtain a copy of the employee’s disability file, including the documentation of the disability and the need for accommodation, if any, recommended by the evaluator and the Coordinator of Disability Services. The Assistant Vice President, Human Resources will meet with the employee and the Coordinator of Disability Services within two (2) weeks of receiving a written appeal. The Assistant Vice President, Human Resources will then make a decision on the appeal. The disability notes and decisions will be kept in a separate disability file, not in the personnel folder.

• If the employee or the Coordinator of Disability Services is dissatisfied with the decision made by the Assistant Vice President, Human Resources, a written appeal may be submitted to the Senior Vice President of Finance and Administration. This is Dr. James Watters, Senior Vice President of Finance and Administration , 28 Lomb Memorial Drive, Eastman Building Room 7008, Rochester, NY 14623-5604. The Senior Vice President of Finance and Administration will make the final decision after reviewing the employee’s disability file and meeting with the employee, the Coordinator of Disability Services and the Assistant Vice President, Human Resources.