What You Should Know About Disability Discrimination In The Workplace

Disabled individuals now have a number of protections in the workplace. Federal law prohibits discrimination in the workplace on the basis of disability or a perceived disability. An employer with fifteen or more employees is subject to the federal law, known as the Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA. The ADA also requires that employers provide reasonable accommodations to disabled workers, so long as the accommodation does not constitute an undue hardship for the employer. What is considered a "reasonable accommodation," or an "undue hardship" depends on a number of factors, including, among other things, the size of the employer, the nature of the accommodation requested and the cost to the employer of granting the accommodation.

Minnesota law provides similar protections to disabled workers. The Minnesota Human Rights Act applies to any Minnesota employer with one or more employees, prohibiting discrimination on the basis of disability or perceived disability. The "accommodation" provisions of the Minnesota Human Rights Act, however, only apply to Minnesota employers with fifteen or more employees.

Disability law is an evolving and growing area of the law. In recent years, the number of disability discrimination claims being filed with federal and state administrative agencies enforcing such laws has grown dramatically. As individuals become more aware of the protections available to the disabled community, this trend is expected to continue.

If you would like more information about disability discrimination or other employer law subjects, please contact us through this site's e-mail or by calling (612) 339-4295.