Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
The University of Alabama is committed to nondiscrimination and employment of qualified individuals with physical and mental disabilities in accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and state and local laws and ordinances. Specifically, the ADA prohibits discrimination against a qualified individual with a disability in employment practices such as job application procedures, hiring, promotion, discharge, compensation, training, benefits and other conditions of employment, and requires that employers provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals.
A qualified individual is one who can perform the essential functions of their job with or without a reasonable accommodation. An individual is considered to have a disability if they have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, has a record of such an impairment, or is regarded as having such an impairment. A reasonable accommodation is designed to assist an employee in the performance of their job without placing an undue hardship on The University or posing a direct threat to the employee or to other individuals.
The Employee Accommodation Coordinator in the Department of Human Resources has been designated to coordinate applicant and employee requests for workplace accommodations. Applicants and employees should click on the appropriate link below and follow the outlined procedures. If you requested and were granted an accommodation, you must report changes in your ongoing need for accommodation.
Please contact the HR Service Center at hr@ua.edu or call (205) 348-7732 with any questions.
Reasonable Accommodations Policy and Procedures
All employee requests for reasonable accommodations under the ADA are managed through AbsenceTracker. AbsenceTracker is available via single sign-on in myBama. To access AbsenceTracker, login to myBama with your username and password, navigate to the Employee page and select the AbsenceTracker logo to access your Employee Self-Service (ESS) portal.
- Employee Reasonable Accommodations Policy
- Applicant Procedures for Requesting Reasonable Accommodations
- Employee Procedures for Requesting Reasonable Accommodations
- Reasonable Accommodations: A Guide for Supervisors
- Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability Instructions
AbsenceTracker User Guides
Instructional resources are available to help employees and supervisors use AbsenceTracker:
| How-To Topic | Reference Guides | Videos |
|---|---|---|
| Requesting a new leave | View Step-by-Step Instructions (PDF) | Watch Recording |
| Requesting a new accommodation | View Step-by-Step Instructions (PDF) | Watch Recording |
| Submitting an intermittent time off request (ITOR) | View Step-by-Step Instructions (PDF) | Watch Recording |
| Supervisor requesting leave on an employee’s behalf | View Step-by-Step Instructions (PDF) | Watch Recording |
| Uploading attachments and case notes | View Step-by-Step Instructions (PDF) | Watch Recording |
Pregnancy Accommodations
The University of Alabama is committed to providing an environment for employees that is free from illegal harassment based on several protected categories such as sex, which includes discrimination on the basis of pregnancy. Per the University’s Pregnant Employee Policy, reasonable accommodations may be provided for a pregnant applicant or employee’s known limitations – specifically, any physical and/or mental conditions related to, affected by, or arising out of pregnancy, childbirth, or other pregnancy-related medical conditions – unless the requested accommodations are unreasonable and/or would pose an undue hardship on the University’s operations. For more information on how to request a reasonable accommodation related to physical and mental disabilities, please review the section of information above.
All employee requests for pregnancy-related accommodations or leave are managed through the AbsenceSoft Leave Management System, known as AbsenceTracker. AbsenceTracker is available via single sign-on in myBama. To access AbsenceTracker, employees should login with myBama username and password, navigate to the Employee tab and select the AbsenceTracker logo to access your Employee Self-Service (ESS) portal.
- Procedures for Employee Reasonable Accommodation for Pregnancy
- Procedures for Applicant Reasonable Accommodation for Pregnancy
Religious Accommodations
The University of Alabama provides reasonable accommodations for employees’ and applicants’ sincerely held religious beliefs or practices unless doing so would impose an undue hardship on the University. For more information or to request an accommodation, please select the appropriate form:
PLEASE NOTE: COVID-19 vaccine exemption requests must be made using the COVID-19 Vaccine Exemption Form when it becomes available.
- Procedures for Employee Religious Accommodations
- Employee Religious Accommodation Request Form
- Procedures for Applicant Religious Accommodations
- Applicant Religious Accommodation Request Form
Temporary Job Duty Modification
A temporary job modification should be requested if a staff employee presents a return-to-work note from a treating physician listing temporary restrictions of certain physical demands of their job due to illness or injury. Temporary restrictions are typically short term in nature and should not exceed six weeks. If temporary restrictions will exceed six weeks in duration, then the employee may submit a request a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in AbsenceTracker. Faculty should contact their Department Chair and/or dean to request a temporary job duty modification.
Temporary Job Duty Modification Process:
The staff employee should notify their supervisor of the temporary work restriction(s) and remain off work until the request is approved. To submit the request, employee must complete the Temporary Job Duty Modification Form in k2 Everest and attach a note from their physician that includes the following information:
- DESCRIPTION of the temporary job restrictions (e.g., a blanket statement of ‘light duty’ will not provide sufficient detail), and
- DURATION of the temporary job restrictions
The HR Employee Accommodation Coordinator will review the request and make a determination. The request will be denied if the physician’s note does not contain a 1) description of the restriction(s), and 2) anticipated duration for the restriction(s). The employee will be contacted by HR or notified of a determination within five business days of submitting the request. Faculty should contact their Department Chair and/or dean to request a temporary job duty modification.
If an employee’s request is related to a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act, then the employee should apply for a reasonable accommodation. If an employee needs a leave of absence for a family or medical reason, then the employee should apply for Family Medical Leave.