Fair employment practices law: Employers can’t refuse to reasonably accommodate employees’ and applicants’ disabilities, unless employers can show that these accommodations would impose a hardship on their business. Hardship means undue hardship as defined in R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-87-1.1.
Disability discrimination law: Employees or applicants with disabilities aren’t required to accept accommodations that they choose not to accept.
Under Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), employers, including state and local governments, with 15 or more employees, are prohibited from discriminating against people with disabilities. Title I protects qualified individuals with disabilities in several areas, including job application procedures, hiring, firing, advancement, compensation and job training. It is also unlawful to retaliate against someone for opposing employment practices that discriminate based on disability, or for filing an ADA discrimination charge. The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) shares enforcement authority for Title I of the ADA with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which has primary responsibility for enforcing the employment provisions of the law. (Note: Federal employees and job applicants are covered by Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 instead of the ADA.
Specific provisions for the state of Rhode Island.
Fair employment practices law: Employers can’t refuse to reasonably accommodate employees’ and applicants’ disabilities, unless employers can show that these accommodations would impose a hardship on their business. Hardship means undue hardship as defined in R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-87-1.1.
Disability discrimination law: Employees or applicants with disabilities aren’t required to accept accommodations that they choose not to accept.
Under Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), employers, including state and local governments, with 15 or more employees, are prohibited from discriminating against people with disabilities. Title I protects qualified individuals with disabilities in several areas, including job application procedures, hiring, firing, advancement, compensation and job training. It is also unlawful to retaliate against someone for opposing employment practices that discriminate based on disability, or for filing an ADA discrimination charge. The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) shares enforcement authority for Title I of the ADA with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which has primary responsibility for enforcing the employment provisions of the law. (Note: Federal employees and job applicants are covered by Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 instead of the ADA.
