OPENING DOORS

Accommodations allow employees with disabilities to focus on doing

their jobs.

HR Magazine, June 2012

Ann Marie Geiger, a change control specialist at Merck, was born with brittle bone disease and uses a wheelchair. Her accommodations include a lower desk, a larger cubicle to maneuver her wheelchair, an assistive-listening device and electronic door openers. Photo courtesy of Merck Visual Communications.

Ian Elliott, who is legally blind, reviews contracts for The Boeing Co. in Germantown, Md. He uses screen magnification software to enlarge the text of electronic documents and a desktop video magnifier to enlarge paper contracts. Photo courtesy of The Boeing Co.

Curtis Wyse, who is hearing impaired, locates and treats corrosion in natural gas pipelines for Michigan Gas Utilities. In the field, he relies on text messages to communicate. At the office, he uses a government-funded video relay service. An interpreter translates the caller’s message into American Sign Language, which he views on a desktop monitor. Photo courtesy of Michigan Gas Utilities.

Kyle Weafer, who is on the autism spectrum, is a film crew associate at an AMC Entertainment movie theater in Leawood, Kan. An inexpensive and easy accommodation involved simplifying workers’ schedules and printing them in large type. Photo courtesy of AMC Entertainment.

Robert Kowalski, who has muscular dystrophy and uses a wheelchair, is a vice president and business project manager at SunTrust Mortgage Inc. in Richmond, Va. Accommodations provided by SunTrust include: a lower desk top, a larger cubicle with room to maneuver his wheelchair, electronic access to the entry doors and restroom, and a laptop so he can work at home on days when his specially-equipped van is in the shop. Photo courtesy of SunTrustMortgage Co.

SunTrust Mortgage Co. Vice President Robert Kowalski, who uses a wheelchair, meets with First Vice President Jonathan Coccaro at their Richmond, Va., office. SunTrust has provided Kowalski with a lower desk and a laptop for telecommuting. Photo courtesy of SunTrustMortgage Co.