National Disability Employment Awareness Month FAQs

Week 3 Information

Welcome to the third week of HPU’s celebration of National Disability Employment Awareness Month! This week's installment addresses the concern around confidentiality when it comes to sharing with your employer (HPU) that you have a disability and a need for an accommodation.

Disability-related information is treated as medical information. University employees do not have a right or a need to access diagnostic or other information regarding the disability of an employee or applicant; they only need to know what accommodations are necessary or appropriate to meet the individual's disability-related needs. To protect confidentiality by assuring limited access, all disability-related information must be filed with appropriate offices (such as HR for faculty and staff and the DRO offices for students) and kept separate from any other files.

We encourage anyone with a qualifying disability to come forward and share their reasonable accommodation needs.

Week 2 FAQs

Welcome to the second week of HPU’s celebration of National Disability Employment Awareness Month! This week will focus on FAQs around “reasonable accommodations” in the workplace for those eligible under ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act).

Q: How do I request an accommodation here at HPU?
A: HPU’s Disability Resources Office (DRO), a division within Student Services provides reasonable accommodations for students with a qualifying disability. They can be contacted at 808-566-2406 to set up an appointment and/or answer to questions.
For faculty and staff, contact Interim Associate VP of Human Resources Diana Niles-Hansen at 544-1188.

Q: What is a “reasonable accommodation” in relation to employment?
A: A reasonable accommodation is any modification or adjustment to a job or the work environment that will enable a qualified applicant or employee with a disability to participate in the application process or to perform essential job functions. Reasonable accommodations also include adjustments to assure that a qualified individual with a disability has rights and privileges in employment equal to those of employees without disabilities. Reasonable accommodations do not change the fundamental elements of a program or eliminate the essential functions of a job.

Q: Who pays for the accommodation?
A: The department is responsible for the cost of an employee’s accommodation in the work place.

Week 1 FAQs

National Disability Employment Awareness Month began on Thursday, Oct. 1. HPU wants to keep the momentum of this celebration by sharing a few FAQs on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Q: What is the ADA?
A: The ADA is a federal regulation originally passed in 1990 and amended in 2008 designed to guarantee civil rights to individuals with disabilities. The act prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability with regards to: employment, state and local government, public accommodations, commercial facilities, transportation, and telecommunications.

Q: Who is covered by the ADA at HPU?
A: The ADA applies to all individuals who work for, attend, or engage in the services provided by the university. This includes all students, faculty, staff and visitors.

View the Americans with Disabilities Act 25th Anniversary Timeline to understand the history of this legislation.