It’s illegal for workers to be discriminated against purely because of their disability. Everyone has the right to work without fear of being judged, harassed or discriminated against because of their disability or impairment. Workers who are visually impaired can thrive in a broad range of careers when they have the support of their workplace.
If you are vision-impaired, you likely need specific technology to help you get your job done with ease, especially if you work at a computer. If you have been struggling to obtain such equipment at your workplace or you feel that your employer is resistant to helping you succeed at work, make yourself aware of your rights as a visually impaired employee.
Reasonable adjustments
If you have been successful in being hired for a particular job, it means that your manager has determined that you have the necessary skills, experience and education to get that job done. You may or may not have disclosed to your manager that you have a visual impairment before you were hired.
However, once you start your job, you may need to request certain equipment such as screen-reading software or you may need documents to be formatted differently so that you can easily read them.
Adjustments such as these tend to be minor, and they are fairly inexpensive and time-efficient. These changes and adaptations are known as reasonable adjustments in employment law: They are things that your employer is expected to do to help a disabled employee get their job done.
Employers who are resistant to helping you with your needs as a visually impaired person may be considered to acting in a discriminatory way toward you. Additionally, if you are fired without reason after asking for reasonable adjustments, you may deduce from this that you were fired because of your disability. If you are able to prove this, you may be successful in filing a workplace discrimination claim.
You should be confident in standing up for your rights in Oregon as a visually impaired person in the workplace. Keeping a record of interactions you have with managers regarding your visual impairment may be helpful when taking action further down the line.
