Employment

Your Rights as an Employee with a Disability

Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 prohibits discrimination in the workplace. Title I has been designed to address and remove barriers to employment so individuals with disabilities can enjoy the same employment opportunities as people without disabilities.

A qualified individual with a disability has a right to engage in America’s workforce free of discrimination by businesses with 15 or more employees.

• A Fact Sheet on Reasonable Accommodations in the Workplace (PDF, 185k)
• View a Presentation on Workplace Accommodations  (PowerPoint Show file, 336k)
• Ten Steps for being an Effective Self-Advocate

For additional information on the ADA and reasonable accommodations, you can visit these links:

• Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
  1-800-669-4000 (voice)
  1-800-669-6820 (TTY)
  http://www.eeoc.gov
• Job Accommodation Network (JAN)
  1-800-ADA-WORK
  1-800-526-7234
  1-877-781-9403 (TTY)
  http://www.jan.wvu.edu/media/fact.html#emp
• The U.S. Department of Justice ADA Technical Assistance Program
  1-800-514-0301 (voice)
  1-800-514-0383 (TTY)
  http://www.ada.gov/adahom1.htm
• The Able Trust
  1-888-838- ABLE (toll-free in Florida)
  (850) 224-4493 (voice or TDD)
  http://www.abletrust.org/links/ada.shtml
• The Florida Alliance for Assistive Services and Technology (FAAST)
  (850) 487-3278 (voice)
  (850) 922-5951 (TDD)
  http://www.faast.org/

Looking for a Job?

Contact these resources for further assistance:

• EmployFlorida is a network of workforce services, resources, and job openings from over 100 One-Stop Centers in Florida. Call them toll free at 1-866-352-2345 or visit http://www.employflorida.net
• The Employer Assistance & Recruiting Network (EARN) has a database of jobs from companies interested in hiring qualified individuals with a disability. Contact them at 1-866-327-6669 or visit http://www.earnworks.com
• The Able Trust is a non-profit public/private partnership whose goal is to help Floridians with disabilities in achieving employment. Contact them at 1-888-838-ABLE (toll-free in Florida) / (850) 224-4493 (voice or TDD) http://www.abletrust.org/links/ada.shtml
• The Chamber of Commerce for Persons with Disabilities, Inc., mission is to help persons with disabilities and their direct caregivers to form and grow businesses. Visit them at http://disabilitychamber.org

Have you been thinking about starting your own business or seeking ways to increase the business prosperity? You may find these resources useful:

• Keys to My Dream (PDF, 467k)

Additional Information

For additional information about other workplace issues, such as unemployment compensation, worker’s compensation, wage and hour laws, and the Family Medical Leave Act, you can contact the phone numbers/websites below.

• For Unemployment Compensation contact the Agency For Workforce Innovation at 1-800-204-2418 or http://www.fluidnow.com or http://www.floridajobs.org
• For Workers’ Compensation contact the Division of Workers’ Compensation at 1-800-342-1741 or http://www.fldfs.com/wc/
• For Wage & Hour Laws and the Family Medical Leave Act contact the U.S. Department of Labor National Call Center at 1-866-487-2365 or http://www.dol.gov
• To apply for Social Security Disability Benefits contact the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213 or http://www.socialsecurity.gov