Successful Relocations for Employees with Disabilities

According to an Atlas Van Lines Survey of Corporate Relocation Policies, 22.6% of employees who transferred last year were people with disabilities. Whether you are an employer relocating people with disabilities or an individual with disabilities moving yourself, your moving preparation requires some unique considerations.

Plan Ahead

• Research your housing, everyday transportation and work accommodation needs (i.e., floor plans, handrails, walkways, outside ramps, and doorway openings) with your employer and/or relocation agent. Also discuss travel arrangements for visiting the city such as hotel and transportation requirements.
• When you visit the new city, look for public buildings such as restaurants, banks and malls that will accommodate your special needs. If you do not locate the services or accesses you require, contact the local township authority.
• Request that your employer send audio/visual tapes or other detailed information about the new area, houses that meet special requirements and specific materials on nearby medical facilities.
• Begin your housing search by contacting the organization in your new community that represents you or your family member's specific needs, i.e. the Blind Association or the Multiple Sclerosis Society.
• Check to see if you are eligible for a V.A. grant or insurance which can facilitate househunting by providing home modifications based on your needs.

Moving Details

• The movers need to know what special needs equipment will have to be moved as well as the care that it requires.
• The moving company should be aware of all equipment such as outside ramps, bathroom grab bars and ceiling-mounted pull-ups that require a third-party service to dismantle and then reinstall at the new home.
• Remember, the more information that the mover has, the easier and swifter the moving day activities will proceed.

For Your Information

Myth: Employees with disabilities have a higher absentee rate than employees without disabilities.
Fact: Studies by firms such as DuPont show that employees with disabilities are not absent any more than employees without disabilities.

Myth: Considerable expense is necessary to accommodate workers with disabilities.
Fact: Most workers with disabilities require no special accommodations, and the cost for those who do is minimal or much lower than many employers believe.

Myth: Hiring employees with disabilities increases workers' compensation insurance rates.
Fact: Insurance rates are based solely on the relative hazards of the operation and the organization's accident experience, not on whether workers have disabilities.

According to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): A qualified individual with a disability as defined by the ADA is one who with or without reasonable accommodation can perform the essential functions of the job. An employer is required to make an accommodation to the known disability of a qualified applicant or employee if it would not impose an undue hardship on the operation of the employer's business.