Eligibility

Are You Protected by the ADA?

If you have a disability and are qualified to do a job or be a student, the ADA protects you from discrimination on the basis of your disability.  Under the ADA, you have a disability if you have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity.  The ADA also protects you if you have a history of impairment, or if an employer or MTSU faculty/staff regard you as having an impairment.  A substantial impairment is one that significantly limits or restricts a major life activity, such as hearing, seeing, speaking, walking, breathing, performing manual tasks, caring for oneself, learning, or working.

If you have a disability, you also must be otherwise qualified to perform the essential functions or duties of a job or course, with or without reasonable accommodation.

First,  you must satisfy the requirements of the job or course, such as education, employment experience, skills, or licenses.  Second, you must be able to perform the essential functions with or without reasonable accommodation.  Essential functions are the fundamental requirements that you must be able to perform on your own or with a reasonable accommodation.

What is Reasonable Accommodation?

Reasonable accommodation is any change or adjustment to an environment that permits a qualified person to perform the essential functions, or to enjoy associated benefits and privileges equal to those enjoyed by qualified people without disabilities.  Some examples of accommodations are:

• providing or modifying equipment or devices;
• modifying work schedules;
• adjusting or modifying training materials or policies;
• providing readers and interpreters; and
• making the workplace readily accessible to and usable by people with disabilities.

Reasonable Accommodation Process

It is the responsibility of the applicant, employee, or student with a disability to inform MTSU in order to participate in applicable processes and receive all associated benefits and privileges.  All requests for accommodations are evaluated on an individual basis to determine the appropriateness of the request.

Personal Assistance Services

Along with reasonable accomodations, the university will provide Personal Assistance Services to eligible employees.  Personal Assistance Services are those that provide assistance with performing activities of daily living that an individual would typically perform if he or she did not have a disability, and that is not otherwise required as a reasonable accomodation, including but not limited to assistance with removing and putting on clothing, eating, using the restroom, pushing a wheelchair, and assistance getting into and out of a vehicle in the workplace.