Sample Worksheet - Workplace Issues

[ADA Worksheet - Part I]

  1. Read the accompanying articles on the Americans with Disabilities Act 1990.
  2. What is a "disability"?
  3. What is a "reasonable accommodation"?
  4. What is an "essential hardship"?
  5. What is the impact of "undue hardship" on the provision of accommodation?
  6. Who determines that some proposed action will constitute a "undue hardship"?
  7. On what grounds would this act be applicable to computers in a university laboratory?
  8. Does the ADA apply to software as well as hardware?
[Out-of-class Activity I - Disability Awareness]

Restricted mobility (e.g. wheel chair bound) tie elbows to side;
use a pencil or straw in the mouth to depress keys on the keyboard
Limited mobility (e.g. Arthritis) wear thick gloves;
using tape, restrict the movement of the fingers on the hand;
get a neck brace (someone in the class has probably has had whiplash injury!)
Hearing challenged wear ear plugs or head phones

Computer-related device access: Sample Problems
Disk drives Drive entrance is not easily located
Mouse Which is better a mouse, trackball, joystick, touch pad?
Windows and Icons vs. textual systems Text can generally be increased in size, but images (icons) cannot
Printer Can output be reached?
Can the print cartridge be replaced?
Is the output readable?
Is a helper readily available?

Write a report on your findings.

[Out-of-class Activity II — ADA Conformance]

Form groups from 2 to 3 pairs and complete the following audit activities — a general audit of a computer facility (PC classroom or laboratory), and a reasonable accommodation audit of that facility for the specific disabilities reviewed in the previous exercise.

The course leader should ensure that each group audit a different computer facility, and different from the one they possibly used in the previous exercise.

Audit Questions:

  1. For the specific disabilities considered would this facility meet the requirements of the ADA? If not, why not?
  2. For the specific disabilities considered would this facility be unable to meet the ADA requirements because of the "undue hardship" allowance?
  3. Are there reasonable accommodations that should and can be made beyond the ADA requirements that would be beneficial?
  4. Do the other facilities in the room, such as the teacher's console or display unit allow the disabled person to react appropriately to teacher instructions?
  5. Are the physical arrangements in the room a barrier for handicapped students?

Write a report on your findings.

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