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The Americans with Disabilities Act

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The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) makes it unlawful for an employer with 15 or more employees to discriminate against a qualified individual with a disability. The Michigan Persons with Disabilities Civil Rights Act, which is similar to the ADA in many respects, covers employers with one or more employees. This article addresses a number of disability law issues relevant to employers.
The ADA applies to a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities (like walking, standing, or breathing). Examples include individuals who have physical conditions such as epilepsy, diabetes, severe forms of arthritis, hypertension, or carpal tunnel syndrome, as well as individuals with mental impairments such as major depression, bipolar (manic-depressive) disorder, and mental retardation.
An individual with a disability must be able to perform the essential functions of the job, with or without an accommodation, in order to be protected by the ADA. The individual must also be otherwise qualified for the position. This means that an individual must be able to satisfy the job requirements for educational background, employment experience, skills, licenses, and any other job-related qualification standards.
Essential functions are the fundamental job duties of the position. Relevant factors include: whether the reason the position exists is to perform that function; the number of other employees available to perform the function; and the degree of expertise or skill required to perform the function.The ADA makes it unlawful to discriminate in allemployment practices, including recruitment, hiring, firing, pay, promotions, job assignments, training, leave, layoffs, benefits, etc. In addition, the ADA prohibits an employer from retaliating against an applicant or employee for asserting his or her rights under the ADA.

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