What is the duty to accommodate?

Employers and service providers have an obligation to adjust rules, policies, and/or practices to enable you to fully participate. The duty to accommodate applies to personal needs that are related to the grounds of discrimination. The duty to accommodate means that sometimes it is necessary to treat someone differently in order to prevent or reduce discrimination. When we take the needs of an individual into consideration for them to function effectively in an environment, we are giving them equitable treatment.

Examples of accommodations include:

Providing a special screen and software for people who are not fully sighted
Allowing an employee to take time off to attend a medical appointment
Managing an employee’s schedule in a way that balances their work and caregiving obligations
Making wheelchair access available to people with disabilities

Contact Us
Phone: 709-729-2709
Toll-Free: 1-800-563-5808
Fax: 709-729-0790
E-mail: humanrights@gov.nl.ca
St. John’s, NL