What exactly constitutes a reasonable accommodation is unclear. However, the ADA indicates that the removal or architectural barriers and other changes to make a workplace readily accessible fall under accommodation for the disabled. In addition, the following list also falls under reasonable accommodations: restructuring jobs offering part-time or modified work schedules, reassignment to a vacant position purchasing of special equipment or job aids making appropriate adjustments or modifications to examinations and test, training materials, and policies providing a qualified reader or interpreter Other similar accommodations for individuals with disabilities may also be required. However, the law does not require an accommodation that would cause an undue hardship on the employer or cause the environment to be unsafe (n.a. no author. gopher://trace.wisc.edu/00/ftp/PUB/TEXT/ADA_INFO/HANDBOOK/HACT.TXT). What is defined as an undue hardship is also unclear, but it is defined as an action requiring significant difficulty or expense. There is not a dollar amount defined by the ADA. How the ADA determines if expense was an undue hardship is by evaluating the overall financial resources of the facility, number of employees, the effect on expenses and resources, and the overall impact of such an accommodation upon the operation of the facility. As anyone can see, undue hardship is very vague and unclear. The judicial courts on a case by case basis can only define and determine it. Since 1990, there have been thousands of ADA lawsuits filed by American citizens. Some of the lawsuits are obvious cases of discrimination that have resulted in favorable verdicts worth millions of dollars. On the other hand, there have been thousands of questionable lawsuits, which have also had favorable verdicts. These questionable lawsuits have also cost employers millions of dollars. Most believe that the favorable verdicts awarded on frivolous lawsuits are due to the vagueness of the ADA.
