The Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO) administers accommodations for WSU faculty and staff. OEO and WSU provide reasonable accommodations to all faculty and staff with documented disabilities and applicants for employment who seek accommodation in the job application process due to a disability.

Under both federal and Michigan state law, an individual with a disability is someone who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more "major life activities", and has a record of such impairment, or is regarded as having such an impairment. "Major life activities" include various everyday tasks such as walking, standing, talking, hearing, and caring for oneself.

Temporary injuries, such as a broken bone or time where someone is weakened and recovering after a surgery may also be covered as a disability requiring accommodations if said condition substantially limits a major life activity and so long as the injury in question is not "transitory and minor." An injury will generally not be considered transitory if it lasts longer than 6 months. Whether an injury is classified as minor, however, is determined on a case-by-case basis. Factors to consider include the severity of the injury, and the level of care that wil be needed. Something else to consider might be the impact of the injury on a person's ability to perform their job. For example, a person with a desk job who is already able to work remotely from bed might not need any further accommodation to deal with a broken leg, whereas a bus driver would be significantly affected in their ability to do their job if they broke their leg.

Reasonable accommodations 

A reasonable accommodation is any adjustment to a job, work environment, work policy or practice that would help a person with a disability and does not cause an undue hardship to the University. OEO can help provide people with accommodations for their disability in order to help them:

• Apply for a job 
• Perform their job duties 
• Enjoy equal benefits and privileges of employment. 

Common accommodations

Some common accommodations include:

• Assistive technology 
• Flexible work arrangements 
• Workspace/office adjustments and/or reassignment
• Furniture accommodations
• American sign language interpreter services
• Job restructuring materials in alternate formats (large print, braille, etc.)

How to request an accommodation 

If you are a person with a disability that requires a reasonable accommodation, please submit your request here:

Request for Reasonable Accommodation of Disability

Employees may update their disability and veteran status through the Account Management menu in Academica. If you have any questions, please contact the Office of Equal Opportunity at oeo@wayne.edu or call (313) 577-2280.