EEOC Updates Disability Guidance Documents

Pursuant to the agency’s Strategic Plan, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has revised and updated four disability guidance documents. Among other goals outlined in the Strategic Plan is to ensure the EEOC “provides up-to-date guidance on the requirements of antidiscrimination laws.” To that end, the agency has made available revised question and answer documents on how the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) applies to applicants and employees with cancer, diabetes, epilepsy, and intellectual disabilities.

According to the EEOC:

the revised documents reflect the changes to the definition of disability made by the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA) that make it easier to conclude that individuals with a wide range of impairments, including cancer, diabetes, epilepsy, and intellectual disabilities, are protected by the ADA. Each of the documents also answers questions about topics such as: when an employer may obtain medical information from applicants and employees; what types of reasonable accommodations individuals with these particular disabilities might need; how an employer should handle safety concerns; and what an employer should do to prevent and correct disability-based harassment.

Photo credit: timmy

Information contained in this publication is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice or opinion, nor is it a substitute for the professional judgment of an attorney.