[HumanSer] Work Accommodation Concerns

Mon Jun 2 13:59:30 UTC 2025

Hi Sarah, I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with all of this at your current job. I am visually impaired and work for a nonprofit. When I receive my new position, one of the first things I did was receive a workplace assessment. With the workplace assessment, there is a middleman who will write up a report of exactly what you need to fulfil your job. The workplace assessment is paid by the employer.
Sent from my iPhone

> On Jun 2, 2025, at 2:24 AM, Justin Williams via HumanSer <humanser at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> You can try your center for independent living to assist with advocacy, =
> and just to have another person helping you in the disability field.
> 
> Make sure you show them this e-mail, and or tell them what you have =
> attempted.
> 
> Justin
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: HumanSer <humanser-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Sarah Meyer =
> via HumanSer
> Sent: Sunday, June 1, 2025 11:10 PM
> To: humanser at nfbnet.org
> Cc: sarah.meyer55 at gmail.com
> Subject: [HumanSer] Work Accommodation Concerns
> 
> Hello,
> 
> I have been employed at a community mental health agency for 2 years now =
> =3D as a therapist and it has been the most challenging experience of my =
> life =3D in terms of not having effective reasonable accommodations to =
> do my job. I =3D will try to keep this as brief as possible because it =
> has become such a =3D complex situation but apologize in advance for the =
> length. I will share some of =3D the major issues and my questions =
> below. This is honestly a very vulnerable message for me so I just ask =
> for grace and some gentleness in responses.
> 
> =3D20
> 
> Problems:
> 
> *    Despite having discussions prior to my hire and ongoing advocacy
> efforts, as well as reassurances from the agency for months that they =
> =3D were prioritizing accessibility to the EMR because they recognized =
> that our work-arounds would not be sustainable/effective, I have never =
> had access =3D to use any aspect of our EMR (NextGen) with JAWS or any =
> other screen =3D reading options. I believe some of the issues are that =
> NextGen is housed on a =3D Remote Desktop, but most notably that the =
> agency has never used the latest =3D version of the EMR which NextGen =
> has indicated would be most likely to be compatible/accessible with JAWS =
> because that is where their developers =3D have invested their efforts =
> to meeting accessibility guidelines/requirements.
> *    The agency has indicated JAWS scripting is too expensive. They never
> engaged with me or VR when trying to reach out to explore if VR could =
> =3D help with some of the cost.
> *    I had to fight to get them to consider work-arounds for months
> because they insisted they were "so close" to providing accessibility =
> =3D for me to independently access NextGen. Eventually I got them to be =
> willing to =3D try using Word templates for me to do documentation, =
> which I then sent to my supervisor and other leadership to upload into =
> the database. The =3D templates have had a lot of accessibility barriers =
> themselves, and it has been challenging, to say the least, to acquire =
> information from client charts =3D in accessible formats. Additionally, =
> I can't access the calendar, =3D scheduling features, notifications of =
> client arrivals, communication intra-professionally with members of =
> other teams involved in clients' =3D care, etc. Other staff indicated =
> repeatedly that they knew our work-arounds =3D were short-term and not =
> truly sustainable (for me, for them, for quality =3D client care).
> *    I've proposed other options including Aira, Seeing AI on work cell,
> installation of my own provided Kurzweil 1000 and Duxbury Braille =
> Translation software onto work laptop to try to make various materials =
> =3D more accessible, and several other accommodations proposed. I also =
> use a =3D Focus 40 Braille Display which has had a lot of problems not =
> pairing via =3D Bluetooth. I have requested permission to transfer =
> documents via SD card between =3D Focus display and laptop but have =
> never received a solid response though they =3D have previously been =
> very hesitant to allow use of flash drives or anything =3D that could =
> potentially cause concerns about privacy, which I understand from their =
> perspective. Wired connection with laptop works better, though =3D still =
> has issues, and JAWS has had other issues as well.
> *    The toll of chronic inaccessibility and having to work so much extra
> to compensate for these barriers, which also apply to trainings and =3D =
> other aspects of the job beyond the EMR accessibility barriers, have =3D =
> repeatedly exacerbated symptoms of multiple other chronic health =
> disabilities. I eventually had to go on an extended medical leave last =
> year. I =3D continually have tried advocating and have frequently =
> received no response, =3D inaccurate follow-up, dismissiveness, and have =
> faced an often hostile and =3D intimidating work environment when I have =
> tried to speak up and advocate.
> *    When I returned from my leave last Fall, I truly hoped there would
> be improvements; however, the agency has actually doubled down and =3D =
> indicated that the supposedly temporary work-arounds, which failed =
> miserably =3D before, are now the ongoing "accommodation system." They =
> have come up with some =3D new methods for notifying me of client =
> arrivals, and there has been some improvement in support staff notifying =
> me of scheduled client =3D appointments and cancellations, but this has =
> been inconsistent. The client =3D documentation I've requested to =
> prepare for sessions and help with pre-filling my templates has at times =
> been missing crucial information, not provided, =3D and is filled with =
> accessibility problems in their efforts to convert inaccessible PDFs =
> into Word files. The templates I am using for =3D completing =
> documentation are still in process of being revised for accessibility =
> =3D and the burden has been placed on me to provide written narratives =
> of the =3D issues so they can "fix them". Until recently, leadership =
> would not meet with =3D me, and this has been inconsistent.
> *    I've requested having a visual assistant and have yet to receive a
> response.
> *    The agency has been through significant transitions with "merging"
> under a larger umbrella parent company which has also caused a lot of =
> confusion and worsened miscommunications. I also have had issues with =
> getting clear, accurate, timely, accessible information and =3D =
> determinations of my leave time accommodation requests to manage my =
> other health =3D concerns, especially during the transition to new leave =
> management entities. I was allowed to work remotely in the past when =
> seeing clients, and during the training refresher/catching up upon my =
> return to work, but I was =3D recently informed that I am only allowed =
> to conduct client sessions from the =3D office and only when team leader =
> coverage, support staff, and crisis staff are =3D on site. (Never mind =
> that many other staff are working hybrid due to =3D limited office =
> space, work modified schedules including seeing clients past 5PM, etc.).
> *    I have been told I've been provided all the necessary accommodations
> to fulfill the essential functions of my job, despite my and my medical =
> providers' statements that this is not accurate. I have received =3D =
> corrective action notices/statements and discussions which place all the =
> blame/responsibility on me for problems with note timeliness, session =
> =3D length (running over on time), running late to sessions, etc., =
> without acknowledgement of how the accessibility barriers play a =
> significant =3D role.
> *    I am burned out but I care so much about my clients and believe I
> have unique assets and skills to support them and the mission of the =3D =
> agency, plus I am not fully licensed and need the supervision (I am =
> close to =3D being able to apply for full LMHC licensure which would =
> open more options).
> 
> =3D20
> 
> Questions:
> 
> *    I know several folks here have shared about work-arounds to
> compensate for inaccessibility; I am wondering where you draw the line, =
> especially in community mental health where the service delivery and =
> documentation expectations/demands are so high and able-bodied staff =3D =
> even say they struggle to keep up with all of the expectations? I have =
> never =3D been able to reach a full case load and service delivery =
> because of the accessibility barriers and how much I've struggled to =
> keep up as a =3D result.
> It's hard to not internalize and beat myself up for not being able to =
> =3D put in all of the extra time and energy to compensate, especially =
> because of =3D the toll this has taken on my own physical and mental =
> health.
> *    If you have worked in a community mental health or otherwise
> fast-paced, high demand setting, and had either very limited or no =3D =
> access to the EMR, how did you keep up with service delivery and note =
> timeliness standards? How much work-life balance has been realistic? I =
> understand =3D this can vary for each person. What accommodations have =
> been non-negotiables =3D for you?
> 
> =3D20
> 
> There's unfortunately more but I have already shared quite a lot here.
> Please feel free to ask questions if you need additional clarification. =
> =3D I readily admit I do have areas I am constantly needing to improve =
> in, especially when it comes to time management and being more concise =
> (I do have ADHD which I am still learning to navigate and again I know =
> there =3D is overlap with the impact of my other chronic health =
> disabilities; I was =3D so much better at pushing past my limits in =
> school and college/grad school =3D but chronic override of self-care is =
> never sustainable).
> 
> Thanks in advance for taking the time to read and share any feedback.
> 
> =3D20
> 
> Sincerely,
> 
> Sarah
> 
> =3D20
> 
> Sarah K. Meyer, MA, LMHCA (she/her)
> 
> (317) 402-6632
> 
> <mailto:Sarah.meyer55 at gmail.com> Sarah.meyer55 at gmail.com
> 
> =3D20
> 
> "Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the =3D =
> overcoming of it. My optimism, then, does not rest on the absence of =
> evil, but on a glad belief in the preponderance of good and a willing =
> effort always to cooperate with the good, that it may prevail." =3DAF =
> Helen Keller
> 
> =3D20
> 
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