Reasonable Accommodation

The Department of the Interior (DOI) and its Bureaus/Offices provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals (employees and applicants for employment) with disabilities, unless doing so would cause an undue hardship. DOI Personnel Bulletin (PB) 21-03, Processing Requests for Reasonable Accommodation for Individuals with Disabilities, provides Departmental guidance on reasonable accommodations.  

Although many individuals with disabilities can apply for and perform jobs without any reasonable accommodation, workplace barriers may keep others from performing jobs which they could do with some form of accommodation. These barriers may be physical obstacles such as inaccessible facilities, or they may be procedures or rules such as when work is performed, when breaks are taken, or how job tasks are performed. Reasonable accommodation is any change in the work environment or the way in which work is performed that enables a qualified individual with a disability to apply for a job, perform job duties, or enjoy benefits and privileges of employment as are enjoyed by similarly situated employees without disabilities.

The goals of PB 21-03 are to ensure:

1. Prompt and effective accommodation solutions are provided to foster maximum productivity and performance, equal access to employment and the workplace environment, and create an atmosphere where employees can fulfill the mission of DOI. 
2. Qualified employees and applicants for employment participate in a transparent and communicative manner throughout the reasonable accommodation process.
3. Requests for reasonable accommodation (including interim and alternative accommodations) are processed within established timeframes

Together we can ensure DOI is a model employer by promoting the hiring, retention, and advancement of individuals with disabilities.