Blog by Sumana Harihareswara, Changeset founder

06 May 2022, 23:11 p.m.

"How Do I Accommodate This Person?" Ask JAN

A couple years ago, through Ask a Manager comment threads (some links), I learned about the Job Accommodation Network which has a giant organized list of accommodations an employer could make, sorted "by disability, by limitation, by work-related function, by topic, and by accommodation".

For example, if you manage an autistic person, JAN can suggest accommodation ideas (including products to buy and strategies to implement) so you can talk about them with your employee and jointly consider them.

Or, if you're sensitive to fragrances, JAN can suggest accommodations you could request, such as a Powered Air Purifying Respirator -- including specific vendors and models, with links to buy.

Or, if you are having trouble with a particular limitation, even if you don't have a specific diagnosed disability, you can use the By Limitation tab to look up issues you've noticed and start trying out ideas for addressing them -- at work, at home, and elsewhere. And JAN helps you effectively request accommodations at work.

Or, if you want to make your community group more generally accessible, you can check out the By Work Related Function tab to look up relevant tasks and consider accommodations you can make available.

And if you aren't aiming to do anything at all, it's still fascinating to click around the site and find out that odor-absorbing underwear and simulated windows and a support person at work are possible!

What a lovely and utopian project, to help us learn and think of ways to help each other do stuff.

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