When you are accustomed to working for a living, you don’t want anything to come between you and your paycheck. For people who suffer traumatic brain injuries (TBI), there are sometimes instances in which they need to seek specific accommodations to be able to continue to do their job duties. This can be a challenge, especially when they are used to doing the job without any.
One thing to remember if you have a TBI is that you might qualify for special protections under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This would require your employer to make reasonable accommodations that enable you to do your job. But in this context, “reasonable” can be hard to quantify. In the most basic sense, accommodation is only considered reasonable if it doesn’t place an undue hardship on the company to provide.
There are many different accommodations that might benefit workers and employers alike. For example, using note cards to write down steps for your job might help if you have memory challenges or trouble concentrating. Providing you with an adaptive computer with adjustable lighting or the ability to increase the font size might prevent you from suffering from headaches while doing your job.
Ergonomic equipment, modified workspaces, speech recognition software, checklists, rest areas, and similar accommodations also might be reasonable. You shouldn’t feel bad about asking your employer to accommodate your needs. Instead, be forthcoming about what you need so that you don’t have to suffer without help.
If your brain injury was the result of the negligence of another party, you might seek compensation for the damages that you suffered. This can help you to recover lost wages if you had to miss work because of the injury.