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The Measurement and Structural Modeling of the Reasonableness of Workplace Accommodations

Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal volume 19, pages 279–291 (2007)Cite this article

Abstract

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) guarantees protection from discrimination for persons with a disability. The ADA requires employers to make reasonable accommodations for persons with physical and mental disabilities unless doing so would produce undue hardship on the organization. Fifteen years after the passage of the ADA, the question as to what is a reasonable accommodation remains controversial, especially for some types of disabilities. In this study, a reasonable accommodation scale is proposed and tested using structural equation modeling in hopes that such a scale will aid the courts and organizations in determining what is reasonable. Individuals’ level of awareness of disability issues is also examined in the model to examine the relationship between awareness and willingness to accommodate. Results indicate acceptable fit of the model to the data and provide support for the proposed scale. Furthermore, the relationship between awareness of disability issues and willingness to accommodate was significant. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Management, Missouri State University, 901 S. National, Springfield, MO, 65897, USA

    Wesley A. Scroggins

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  1. Wesley A. Scroggins
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Correspondence to Wesley A. Scroggins.

Appendix

Appendix

Table 2 Items and accommodation types.
Full size table

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Scroggins, W.A. The Measurement and Structural Modeling of the Reasonableness of Workplace Accommodations. Employ Respons Rights J 19, 279–291 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10672-007-9056-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10672-007-9056-9

Key Words

  • reasonable accommodation
  • disability
  • americans with disabilities act
  • employment
  • structural equation modeling