National Return to Work Week – Part 3 -- JAN

The Tuesday webcasts for National Return to Work Week were all very good. It would be a disservice to try to include everything in a quick overview. Instead I'm going to just focus on just one. All previous webcasts are available for immediate viewing here.

The focus of this blog is the webcast - “Creating Positive Return to Work Experiences” with Anne Hirsh and Dr. Beth Loy of the Job Accommodation Network (JAN). The Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy provides the Job Accommodation as a resource for both employers and employees. JAN is a collaborative effort with the U.S. DOL Office of Disability Employment Policy, the International Center for Disability Information at West Virginia University, and private industry throughout North America. JAN can be found at: http://www.jan.wvu.edu/.

JAN's mission is to facilitate the employment and retention of workers with disabilities by providing employers, employment providers, people with disabilities, their family members, and other interested parties with information on job accommodations, entrepreneurship, and related subjects. Anyone may call JAN for information about job accommodations and the employability of people with functional limitations.

JAN provides consultation to employers in order to:

• Increase the hiring, retention, and promotion of qualified employees with disabilities;

• Create accommodation solutions to benefit both employer and employee;

• Protect their business by educating employers about their responsibilities under the ADA,

• Rehabilitation Act and other disability related legislation;

• Reduce workers' compensation and other insurance costs; and

• Address issues pertaining to accessibility.

JAN provides consultation to people with disabilities in order to:

• Increase the hiring, retention, and promotion of qualified employees with disabilities;

• Create accommodation solutions to benefit both employee and employer;

• Educate people with disabilities about their rights under the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act and other disability related legislation;

• Inform people with disabilities of the local, regional, and national resources that can assist them in pursuing employment opportunities; and

• Address issues pertaining to accessibility.

JAN provides consultation to rehabilitation professionals in order to:

• Facilitate placement of clients through accommodation assistance,

• Brainstorm accommodation options, and

• Find local resources for workplace assessment and discover resources for device fabrication and modification.

JAN provides consultation to people affected by disability in order to:

• Discover local, regional, and national organizations, resources, and support groups; and

• Obtain helpful accommodation and legislative information.
  

JAN provides a multitude of information to help negotiate the issues involved with the new Americans with Disabilities Act from how to write a job description, to helping an employer determine if their employee is disabled, to how to recognize and deal with an accommodation request. JAN provides employers with accommodation ideas so that injured and disabled employees can return to work in an effective manner. According to JAN, for every dollar an employer invests in an accommodation, the employer will receive back $10 in increased productivity.

I personally have had occasion to discuss accommodation issues with JAN. In all cases the information has been invaluable. Of all of the resources provided in the National Return to Work Week webcasts, this is perhaps the most important.

More information on JAN:

http://www.jan.wvu.edu/

http://www.dol.gov/odep/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Job_Accommodation_Network

http://www.jan.wvu.edu/soar/index.htm

http://www.jan.wvu.edu/janondemand.htm

http://www.jan.wvu.edu/webcast/archive/index.htm