Main Content

The Interactive Process

The Interactive Process

To determine reasonable and appropriate employment accommodations for qualified SJSU employees, the EARC engages in an interactive process with the employee and employee’s manager/supervisor.  The interactive process is the collaborative process by which an employee and an employee’s manager/supervisor engage in discussion, review, and/or implementation of reasonable and appropriate employment accommodations.  Furthermore, the interactive process may be an ongoing process as the employee’s condition and/or position description change overtime.

Upon notification and/or request from an employee with a disability for employment accommodation, the EARC will invoke the interactive process with the employee and his/her manager/supervisor.  The EARC will:

  1. Review employee's medical/professional disability verification documentation to determine if the employee qualifies as an employee with a disability under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

  2. Meet with the employee to discuss his/her specific functional limitations resulting from the disability as they relate to his/her job functions.  EARC and the employee assess potential barriers to job performance to determine if they can be mitigated with a reasonable and appropriate employment accommodation(s).

  3. Consult with the employee's manager/supervisor to identify any undue hardship, discuss business necessities, and assess the effectiveness of the proposed accommodation(s) in enabling the employee to perform his/her essential job functions.*

  4. If appropriate, prescribe reasonable employment accommodation(s) to the employee and the employee's manager/supervisor.

*Manager/supervisor is responsible for maintaining the information discussed during the interactive process confidential.  EARC does not disclose confidential medical/professional verification of employee's disability to supervisor.

More