Requests for accommodation, and the type of accommodation requested, will determine how an individual will make such a request and how the Postal Service will process such a request. For all employees, including employees who are deaf or hard of hearing who seek reasonable accommodation other than communication accommodation, the employee or someone acting on the employee’s behalf may make an oral or written request for reasonable accommodation. To request an accommodation, an employee may do the following:
A family member, friend, or other representative may request reasonable accommodation on behalf of an employee with a disability. However, the Postal Service must communicate directly with the employee during the interactive process.
The employee must make a request for reasonable accommodation to one of the following:
When you receive an accommodation request, you are responsible for processing that request using the guidance contained in 22. Alternatively, districts and areas have Reasonable Accommodation Committees to whom supervisors and managers may refer the request. (If unsure, check with the manager, Field Human Resources, or the manager, Disability Programs, at Headquarters.)
In addition, if you observe an employee with a known impairment having difficulty performing essential functions of his or her job because of the impairment, you should initiate the interactive process.
The Postal Service has specific procedures in place to accommodate employees who are deaf or hard of hearing and who request communication accommodations. Each employee who is deaf or hard of hearing and seeks a communication accommodation must submit an oral or written request for a communication accommodation to one of the following:
Submitting an oral or written request for a communication accommodation initiates the interactive request and approval process.
You must document requests for reasonable accommodation for the following reasons:
Exception to record-keeping requirements: Once an employee requests and you grant a type of reasonable accommodation that he or she is likely to need repeatedly (e.g., an interpreter or computer software that enlarges text), you are not required to document for record-keeping purposes each time the employee needs the accommodation.
