Situation: A computer programmer for a small software business uses a wheelchair. Though the bathroom is fully accessible the water fountain is not.

Solution: A cup dispenser was placed next to the water fountain. Cost: $5


Situation: A production worker with mental retardation, who has limited fine motor dexterity, must use tweezersand a magnifying glass to perform the job. The worker had difficulty holding the tweezers.

Solution: Giant tweezers were purchased. Cost: $5.


Situation: A teacher with bipolar disorder, who works in a home-based instruction program, experienced reduced concentration, short term memory, and task sequencing problems.

Solution: At one of their weekly meetings the employee and the supervisor jointly developed a check list. This check list showed both the week's work and the following week's activities. Forms were adapted so that they would be easy to complete, and structured steps were developed so that paper work could be completed at the end of each teaching session. An unintended bonus to the company was the value of the weekly check-off forms in training newstaff. Cost: $0.


Situation: A garage mechanic with epilepsy was unable to drive vehicles.

Solution: The employer negotiated with the employee's union and reached an agreement that any qualified employee, regardless of job held, could drive the vehicles to the mechanic's work station. Cost: $0.


Situation: An individual with a neck injury, who worked in a lab, had difficulty bending his neck to use the microscope.

Solution: A periscope was attached to the microscope. Cost: $2,400.


Situation: A catalog salesperson, who had a spinal cord injury, had problems using the catalog due to difficulty with finger dexterity.

Solution: The employer purchased a motorized catalog rack, controlled by a single switch via the mouthstick, and provided an angled computer keyboard stand for better accessibility. Cost: $1,500.


Situation: A field geologist who was deaf and worked alone in remote areas was unable to use two-way radio communication to report his findings.

Solution: Text telephone technology was used to allow the geologist to communicate using a cellular telephone. Cost: $400 plus monthly service fee for the phone.


Situation: A saw operator with a learning disability had difficulty measuring to the fraction of an inch.

Solution: The employee was provided with a wallet-sized card on which the fractions were listed on an enlarged picture of an inch. This allowed the employee to compare the card with the location on the ruler to identify the correct fraction. Cost: $5.


Situation: An accountant with HIV was experiencing sensitivity to fluorescent light. As a result, she was not able to see her computer screen or written materials clearly.

Solution: The employer lowered the wattage in overhead lights, provided task lighting and a computer screen glareguard. Cost: $80.


Situation: A technician in the telephone service industry used a hearing aid. The job duties included installing andrepairing telephone lines, which included using a "butt-in" portable test phone that was attached to telephone lines being repaired. The test set interfered with the technician's hearing aid.

Solution: A "butt-in" test set equipped with an audio speaker was purchased which allowed the worker to test lines without having to place the test set against the ear. This device was also useful for workers NOT wearing hearing aids. In addition, the technician was provided with an amplified tone locator. Cost: $200


Situation: A clerk's hand had two large fingers instead of four fingers and a thumb, and her arms were unusually short. This made it difficult for her to perform some of her job duties, including answering incoming phone calls and accessing a computer to check information for customer service representatives.

Solution: A large button overlay was used on the telephone; and a ball-shaped device, with a pencil stylus going through it, was used to facilitate taking messages and typing. Also used was a strap-on hand stylus for straight typing. Cost: $15


Situation: A productive worker with schizophrenia that had been diagnosed and treated successfully years earlier had begun to show radical behavior changes.

Solution: When confidential talks with the employee were not beneficial, the employee and employer agreed that the employee would meet with a psychiatrist. The meeting resulted in a change of medication which regulated the problem behaviors. The employer paid for the counseling session. Cost: less than $200


Situation: An electro-mechanical assembly crew member acquired a cumulative wrist/hand trauma disorder whichaffected handling and fingering functions. This decreased his ability to use hand tools for the assembly of electro-mechanical devices.

Solution: A rechargeable electric screwdriver was purchased, to reduce repetitious wrist twisting. These were subsequently purchased for all employees as a preventative measure. Cost: $65


Situation: As the result of diabetes, a productive employee in a retail business was experiencing fatigue, and needed time during the day to administer medication. She was having difficulty performing her sales duties for a sustained period of time.

Solution: The employee's schedule was altered to allow for a longer meal break and for special brief time periods during the day to administer medication. Cost: $0


Situation: A worker with a polycystic renal (kidney) disease is a senior technician in the coal industry who is responsible for the preparation of samples for testing. This employee requires Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis (CAPD) four times daily, with one exchange occurring during working hours.

Solution: Space was made available in the dispensary for the employee to perform CAPD while at work. Storage space was also provided for extra supplies to be used in case of bad weather emergencies necessitating a second exchange at work. COST: $0.


Situation: An experienced electronics equipment inspector, paralyzed from the waist down needs to perform tasks related to using precision equipment and assembly inspection; he needs rapid mobility around the plant.

Solution: A heavy motorized wheelchair was stored on the premises overnight for his use in the plant. The employee uses his lightweight chair for travel. The bins containing items to be inspected were lowered, and a lap-board was provided for his specification books. COST: less than $200.


Situation: A computer service technician with cerebral palsy lost function of his lower extremities. The job related problems included bending, stooping, balancing, and getting underneath the mainframe equipment to perform needed repairs. Solution: An automotive repair creeper was purchased and modified with back support to enable the employee to slide easily under the mainframes. COST: $30.


Situation: A receptionist who is blind works at a law firm. She could not see the lights on the phone console which indicate which telephone lines were ringing, on hold, or in use by staff.

Solution: The employer purchased a light-probe, a penlike product which detects a lighted button. COST: $45.