Georgia Southern University
Search Procedures

Complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the Employment Process

The Legal Framework

As an equal opportunity institution, Georgia Southern University is committed to nondiscriminatory practices consistent with federal and state requirements and objectives, including Executive Order 11246, as amended, Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1974, Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Act of 1974, as amended (#38 USC 2012), Sections 503 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and their implementing regulations.

It is the policy and practice of Georgia Southern University to comply fully with the Americans with Disabilities Act and ensure equal opportunity in employment for all qualified persons with disabilities. Georgia Southern University is committed to ensuring nondiscrimination in all terms, conditions, and privileges of employment. All employment practices and activities, whether provided or conducted by Georgia Southern University or by another entity on behalf of Georgia Southern University, are conducted on a nondiscriminatory basis.

The Role of Search Chairs

Search chairs are charged with ensuring compliance with the University’s commitment to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the recruiting, advertising, and job application procedures. If reasonable accommodations are requested by interested candidates, search chairs should contact the Associate Provost at (912) 681-5258. Search chairs should also advise members of the search committees and other individuals involved in the search process that pre-employment inquiries should only be made regarding an applicant’s ability to perform the essential duties of the position. The search chairs are also charged with ensuring that employment decisions are based on the merits of the situation, in accordance with defined criteria, not the disability of the individual.

Question: Who is “a Qualified Individual with a Disability”?
Answer:The term "qualified individual with a disability" means an individual with a disability who, with or without reasonable accommodation, can perform the essential functions of the employment position that such individual holds or desires.

Question: What are “Reasonable Accommodations”?
Answer:Reasonable accommodations are adjustments or modifications which range from making the physical work environment accessible to restructuring a job, providing assistive equipment, providing certain types of personal assistants (e.g., a reader for a person who is blind, an interpreter for a person who is deaf), transferring an employee to a different job or location, or providing flexible scheduling. Reasonable accommodations are tools provided by employers to enable employees with disabilities to do their jobs, just as the employer provides the means for all employees to accomplish their jobs.

The ADA requires that employers make reasonable accommodations in the workplace for employees with disabilities. Such accommodations must be made on a case-by-case basis and are not required when costs would constitute an undue hardship for an employer.

Question: How should Persons with a Qualified Disability be Handled in the Search Process?
Answer:The employment process for an individual with a disability should be no different than that for any other applicant. You should not make any assumptions about the individual’s physical or mental abilities based on stereotypical assumptions or myths. Persons with qualified disabilities should specifically request accommodation if needed in the search process; do not offer to provide accommodations without such requests. Questions concerning communicating with persons with disabilities can be addressed to the Director of Diversity Services at (912) 478-5136.

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