DISABILITY MANAGEMENT IN HUMAN RESOURCES
Disability Management in Human Resources offers specialized support and guidance through an interactive process, assisting employees, supervisors, and Human Resources professionals in identifying reasonable accommodation options. These accommodations are designed to help staff, faculty, academic employees, and student workers who have disability-related limitations or restrictions continue to effectively carry out their essential job duties.
Reasonable Accommodation
A reasonable accommodation refers to any change or adjustment made to a job role or work environment that allows an applicant or employee with a disability to effectively participate in the hiring process or carry out their essential job responsibilities. This also encompasses modifications that ensure individuals with disabilities are afforded the same employment rights and privileges as their non-disabled colleagues.
Please be aware that Disability Management exclusively processes accommodation requests that are directly related to an employee's own medical condition. Requests stemming from caregiving responsibilities, childcare obligations, or personal reasons that are not medically related, fall outside the scope of reasonable accommodations.
Ergonomics Information
Health:
Contact Yvonne Ybarra
at ybarray@hs.uci.edu
Campus:
https://ehs.uci.edu/safety/
REQUEST AN ACCOMODATION
For Staff: Contact Sedgwick at (855) 922-2152 or go online at hr.uci.edu/Sedgwick.
For Faculty: Contact the Employee Experience Center at 949-824-0500 or go online at eec.hr.uci.edu.
An “interactive process” is an on-going, timely, and good faith communication between the employee and supervisor/department. The purpose of this communication is to determine whether reasonable accommodations are needed for the employee to effectively perform their essential job functions, and if so, to identify the most appropriate solutions. Both parties are expected to participate in good faith, and Disability Management helps facilitate the interactive process.
Responsibilities for the Employee
- Start the process by either making a request for accommodation to your supervisor or by opening an accommodation case with Sedgwick by calling (855) 922-2152 or online at hr.uci.edu/Sedgwick.
- Provide information from a health care provider regarding limitations/restrictions to Sedgwick.
- Notify your supervisor/manager that you have medical restrictions/functional limitations and that you have sent qualifying documentation to Sedgwick.
- Engage with your supervisor, Sedgwick, and/or Disability Management in good faith to explore accommodation options.
- Provide updated medical documentation to Sedgwick if medical documentation expires or if limitations/restrictions continue.
- Start the process by either making a request for accommodation with the EEC by calling 949-824-0500 or going online to https://eec.hr.uci.edu/. If you initiate the process with your supervisor, please also notify Disability Management.
- Provide information from a health care provider regarding limitations/restrictions to Disability Management at wcdm@uci.edu.
- Notify your supervisor/chair that you have medical restrictions/functional limitations and that you have sent qualifying documentation to Disability Management.
- Engage with your supervisor, chair, and/or Disability Management in good faith to explore accommodation options.
- Provide updated medical documentation to Disability Management if medical documentation expires or if limitations/restrictions continue.
Responsibilities for the Supervisor
- Provide the employee with a referral to Sedgwick by calling (855) 922-2152 or initiate the request online at hr.uci.edu/Sedgwick to begin the accommodation process.
- Ask the employee to submit their documentation from their medical provider to Sedgwick.
- Engage with the employee, Sedgwick, and/or Disability Management in good faith to explore accommodation options.
- Provide the employee with the accommodation decision(s).
- Ensure that the approved reasonable accommodations are provided to the employee in an effective and timely fashion, which may include ongoing discussions, review, and new decisions.
If the University knows of an employee’s disabling condition, the supervisor is encouraged to initiate a discussion with the employee to determine if there is a need for accommodation.
- Provide the employee with a referral to the EEC by calling 949-824-0500 or having them contact the EEC online at https://eec.hr.uci.edu/ to initiate the accommodation process.
- Refer the employee to the Disability Management office at wcdm@uci.edu to submit their documentation from their medical provider.
- Engage with the employee and Disability Management in good faith to explore accommodation options.
- Provide the employee with the accommodation decision(s).
- Ensure that the approved reasonable accommodations are provided to the employee in an effective and timely fashion, which may include ongoing discussions, review, and new decisions.
If the University knows of an employee’s disabling condition, the supervisor/chair is encouraged to initiate a discussion with the employee to determine if there is a need for accommodation.