Reasonable Accommodations
Title I of the ADA requires an employer to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities who are employees or applicants for employment, except when such accommodation would cause an undue hardship.
IDVR can answer your questions about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or direct you to other beneficial resources that may be able to provide you with additional support based on your specific questions or situations. IDVR can also help you identify ideas or resources for possible accommodations for people with disabilities who require accommodations to successfully perform their job, or direct you to other beneficial supports and resources.
IDVR Business Services Team can also provide training to your employees on these topics. For more information about no cost training topics available to your business and employees review our Training and Education page.
The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) is a service provided by
the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP).
JAN’s mission is to facilitate the employment and retention
of workers with disabilities by providing employers, employment providers,
people with disabilities, their family members and other interested parties
with information on job accommodations, entrepreneurship, and related subjects.
JAN’s efforts are in support of the employment, including self-employment and
small business ownership, of people with disabilities.
Tax Credits
Now your business can get an excellent employee – and a tax credit!
WOTC is a federal income tax credit for hiring certain target groups of workers. Individuals who are currently receiving rehabilitation services from the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation or completed services within 2 years of the hire date qualify.
The tax credit for new hires employed 400 or more hours is 40% of qualified wages for the first year of employment; the credit for new hires employed from 120-399 hours is 25%. Qualified wages are capped at $6,000. For new hires that work at least 400 hours, the tax credit would come to $2,400!
The Disabled Access Credit provides a non-refundable credit for small businesses that incur expenditures for the purpose of providing access to persons with disabilities. An eligible small business is one that earned $1 million or less or had no more than 30 full time employees in the previous year; they may take the credit each and every year they incur access expenditures. Refer to Form 8826, Disabled Access Credit PDF, for information about eligible expenditures.
The Architectural Barrier Removal Tax Deduction encourages businesses of any size to remove architectural and transportation barriers to the mobility of persons with disabilities and the elderly. Businesses may claim a deduction of up to $15,000 a year for qualified expenses for items that normally must be capitalized. Businesses claim the deduction by listing it as a separate expense on their income tax return. Also, businesses may use the Disabled Tax Credit and the architectural/transportation tax deduction together in the same tax year, if the expenses meet the requirements of both sections. To use both, the deduction is equal to the difference between the total expenditures and the amount of the credit claimed.
For additional information on tax credits available for businesses who hire individuals with disabilities, visit the IRS website.
Toolkits
The Workplace Accommodation Toolkit from JAN is a free, comprehensive online resource for employers seeking to move beyond basic compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in order to create more disability-inclusive workplaces. The Toolkit provides guidance and resources for developing or updating accommodation policies and processes while leveraging the best proven practices available to date.
EEOC issues regulations, guidance and resource documents to implement federal workplace discrimination laws, help employees and employers understand their rights and obligations, and inform the public of EEOC’s policy positions. These documents are developed and approved through different procedures under different authorities, as explained below.
This toolkit provides curated information and essential resources about how (and why!) small businesses can successfully hire and retain employees with disabilities. You’ll find easy-to-understand, practical advice, along with expert guidance on following Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Instead of searching the web for whatever article may appear first, we hope you’ll come back here often to explore the eight tools in this toolkit.
Discusses different sources for disability statistics, national-level estimates on disability prevalence, employment rates of people with disabilities, and links to additional information.
What’s the third largest market segment in the U.S.? The answer might surprise you. It’s not a particular race, gender, or cleverly named age cohort. It’s people with disabilities. As with any customer segment, one of the best ways for a company to tap into it is to ensure it is represented in its workforce.
Inclusion@Work provides a path to tap into the positive benefits to your business of Disability Inclusion. Developed with input from a range of employers with exemplary track records in disability employment, the Inclusion@Work Framework outlines seven core components of a disability-inclusive workplace, along with a menu of strategies for achieving them.
Provides resources for employers to understand local organizations to access untapped and qualified talent, additional information on tax incentives, help with job accommodations, and information on creating inclusive workplaces.
For additional information or support please complete our request for services form, or contact MiKayla Monaghan, Business Relations Manager, call 208-334-3390 or email MiKayla.Monaghan@vr.idaho.gov