Applying for Workplace Accommodations

EHA and Workplace AccommodationsÌý

The University of À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ is committed to ensuring you can access and participate fully in your employment.Ìý EHA is the centralized office for the management of workplace accommodations for all employees.Ìý EHA is the designated office for the management of accommodation requests related to disabilities.  The term ‘disability’ covers a broad range and degree of conditions that can be permanent, temporary, episodic, and suspected, including temporary disabilities, chronic conditions, disabling illness, as well as the physical, emotional, and psychological effects of a trauma (e.g., sexual violence, geographic violence).Ìý You will not be asked to share your experiences of racial trauma or violence – only to express the specific impacts on your workplace functioning (e.g., impacts on short-term memory, ability to focus, etc.) You should not feel pressured to disclose any information about your experiences that you do not want to.Ìý

At Employee Health and Accommodations, we design and implement your accommodation plan by working closely with you, your Supervisor, and relevant campus partners to remove barriers and build capacity for success.ÌýConsent and confidentiality are crucial principles within this process.Ìý More information about consent, confidentiality and how we protect your private health information can be found on our Consent and Confidentiality website.Ìý If you have questions or need more information before initiating this application process, please contact our office. We are here to help!ÌýThere may be times where you have information and support needs that cannot be met within the scope of this office.  In these instances, we will ensure you are informed of, and connected with, the campus resource that is best suited to meet your needs (e.g., Human Resources Partners, Conflict Management Office, UWSA, FAUW, etc).ÌýÌý

Who We SupportÌý

  • Staff (including full time and contract)Ìý

  • Faculty (including sessional instructors)Ìý

  • Casual, Part Time, Contract EmployeesÌý

  • CUPE membersÌýÌý

  • Student-Staff:Ìý Active students who may be employed by the University during their studies, including teaching or research assistantships, sessional instruction, post-doctoral fellowships, and other employment arrangements.Ìý

  • Note: students who require academic accommodations (including course-based accommodations and accommodations for graduate milestones) should contact AccessAbility Services. Ìý

Have questions? Contact our team: OccupationalHealth@uwaterloo.ca for support.ÌýÌý

Application Process

Step 1: Complete the Employee Health and Accommodations (EHA) online application to begin the process.

This will take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete.ÌýÌý If you have an EHA – Medical Disability Verification Form or alternate documentation, you will be prompted to upload it with your application.ÌýÌýÌý It’s okay if you don’t have documentation at this time – apply if you believe you require workplace accommodations, and we will help guide the rest!Ìý

Please note: If a paper-based submission method is more accessible to you, you are welcome to print this page. If you require a paper version to be made available to you, please contact our office and we will make the arrangements.ÌýÌý

Step 2: Monitor your À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ email for next steps.Ìý

We will email you within the next 14 calendar days (2 weeks) to schedule your Accommodation Intake appointment and share further information about Consent and Confidentiality. You have the choice to bring a supportive person with you to the appointment, at your request. That might include a spouse, an association member, or a union member. Should you have any questions, let us know. If you don’t use your UÀ¶Ý®ÊÓƵ email in your role at UW, no problem. We can communicate with you via a personal email address, or arrange an appointment by phone.ÌýLet us know how you’d like to be contacted using the webform fields below.ÌýÌý

Step 3: Meet with EHA.Ìý

During your appointment EHA staff will discuss your application, gather information from you about your lived experience and the barriers/challenges you are encountering in the workplace, and explore options for accommodation and accommodation-based supports.Ìý EHA staff will speak with you about the information/documentation on file, and let you know if updated or additional information is required.ÌýThis will also be an opportunity for you to ask any questions you may have about consent and confidentiality, and the accommodations process.ÌýÌýÌýÌý

Step 4: EHA will meet with your Supervisor.Ìý

The appointment with your supervisor will be used to understand essential job requirements and explore possible accommodation solutions (e.g. assistive technology, alternate equipment, workplace strategies, etc).Ìý EHA will never share personal health information (e.g. medical information) with your supervisor.

Step 5: EHA will finalize the Workplace Accommodation Plan.Ìý

The plan document will be shared with you and your supervisor for implementation.ÌýÌý

Please note: This form requires you to complete an hCAPTCHA challenge, but you can bypass it by signing into the form instead.

Workplace Accommodation Request Form

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Section 1: Employee Contact Information

Section 2: Supervisor Contact Information

Section 3: Workplace Accommodation Request Information

For example, if your request is related to a medical condition/disability/disabling condition, please describe the nature of your condition, and/or the primary symptoms you are experiencing related to your request for accommodation.  You are not required to disclose your diagnosis or any details of a traumatic event or experience.   
We invite you to think broadly - this may include core/primary job functions (such as designing and planning lectures, providing in-person client services etc), participating in training, attending mandatory workplace events, team building events or social opportunities, engaging in applications/hiring practices for a new opportunity at UW, etc. 
None Mild Moderate Severe Unable to assess or unknown at this time
Do you require accessible formats of materials through this process?
Please provide any other information about your symptoms, impacts, functional limitations that Employee Health and Accommodations should consider.   Please note EHA does not require you to share the details of your traumatic experience, and does not require you to disclose your diagnosis. 
If you have available documentation, upload your completed EHA Medical Disability Verification Form or alternate documentation here. Documentation can be submitted at a later time through the following options 1) email to occupationalhealth@uwaterloo.ca, 2) using the University’s Secure File Transfer Service (send to occupationalhealth@uwaterloo.ca) , or 3) In-person using our secure Drop Box located at Commissary – COM 115 (University of À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ - Main Campus).
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Following all applicable legislation and privacy standards, your information is kept confidential within the Employee Health and Accommodations (EHA) department.

The information provided through this webform is received confidentially and securely by the EHA department.  Your information will be stored in EHA’s confidential records.  Your information is deleted from the webform once securely stored in EHA’s records.

By submitting this webform, you verify the accuracy of the information above, and you consent to the use of this information for the purposes of exploring workplace accommodations.