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Disability Management Services

Core Beliefs and Services

UC Santa Cruz believes that creating and fostering a diverse community, inclusive of employees with disabilities, enriches the UC experience for everyone. We support the equality of employment opportunity, full participation work related activates, and economic self-sufficiency for individuals with disabilities. Reasonable employment accommodations can mitigate the challenges created by work restrictions or limitations resulting from a disability.  

 

Disability Management Services (DMS) provides assistance to faculty, staff and employed students when a disability interferes with their ability to perform the essential job duties of their appointment. In accordance with laws and policy, UC Santa Cruz is obligated to engage employees in the Interactive Process, and whenever possible, provide reasonable employment accommodations.

 

Our services include:

  • Assisting employees with disabilities in overcoming disability related limitations or restrictions through reasonable employment accommodations
  • Providing consultation and training to supervisors and managers to ensure compliance with policy, laws and regulations related to confidentiality, disability access, and accommodation for work-related and non-industrial limitations or restrictions
  • Implementing UC Policy regarding reasonable employment accommodation and medical separation
  • Conducting the interactive process in consulting with employee, management and other Human Resource units regarding workplace disability issues
  • Conducts ergonomic evaluations for employees with a disability

 

Process to Request an Employment Accommodation

If you believe that you may need an accommodation in the workplace due to a disability, advise your supervisor or Chair that you are requesting an employment accommodation (no diagnosis or treatment information should be shared) and then, please email your request to DMS at JobAccommodations@ucsc.edu.

 

If, for any reason, you are unable to report your accommodation request to your supervisor or Chair, you may email your request directly to Disability Management Services at JobAccommodations@ucsc.edu.

 

 

California Fair Employment and Housing Act (Cal-FEHA)

Cal-FEHA prohibits discrimination and guarantees that individuals with disabilities have the same opportunities as everyone else to participate in society, including working. Under Cal-FEHA, a disability is defined as a physical or mental impairment only needs to limit a major life function, such as working. Cal-FEHA requires the Interactive Process and Reasonable Accommodation.

 

Interactive Process

The Interactive Process is an ongoing communication between an employee with a disability and Disability Management Services consultants, in an effort to explore potential workplace accommodations. The employee must fully participate in the Interactive Process in good faith, as must the University.

 

As a part of the Interactive Process, a Disability Management Services consultant will ask the employee to provide any functional limitations and restrictions associated with the disability or disabling condition from their licensed healthcare professional. DMS is not entitled to diagnosis or treatment information related to the disability, we only need the functional limitations and or restrictions. During the Interactive Process, all medical information will be kept confidential. We will only discuss your disability related work restrictions or limitations as it relates to your job functions.

 

Reasonable Accommodation

A reasonable accommodation is a reasonable adjustment to a job, department policy, or to the work environment that enables an individual with a disability to perform the essential functions of their job to the standards set for the position.

                                                                                                                       

Reasonable accommodations can include, but are not limited to:

  • Making existing facilities used by employees readily accessible and usable by individuals with disabilities.
  • Job restructuring – reallocating or redistributing non-essential job functions.
  • Leaves of absences to provide time away from work for healing and recovery.
  • Adjusting when, how or where an essential job function is performed.
  • Intermittent of reduced work schedules
  • Adjusted or flexible start or end time of the workday
  • Reassignment of an open, vacant position for which the employee meets the minimum qualifications and does not constitute a promotion.

 

PPSM 81 Reasonable Accommodation Policy

This policy and related procedures address the Interactive Process in which the University engages with employees with disabilities to identify and implement reasonable accommodations that will enable employees to perform the essential functions of their position. If there is no reasonable accommodation that would enable the employee with a disability to perform the essential functions of the employee’s current position absent undue hardship, we will explore the possibility of reassignment of the employee to a vacant position for which the employee is qualified.

 

Disability Management Consultants:

  • Kelly Roberts, Disability Management Services Manager (roberts@ucsc.edu)
  • David Ritz, Disability management Coordinator (dritz@ucsc.edu)

 

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