5 Workplace Accommodations You Might Be Able to Request Because of COPD

If your COPD limits you, you can request reasonable accommodations from your employer under the Americans With Disabilities Act.

COPD can make going to work and accomplishing your tasks challenging, but learning what workplace accommodations you can ask for might make it a little bit easier.

The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) protects and gives people living with a disability opportunities to thrive in the workplace. Your COPD may fall under the category that the ADA says “substantially limits” one or more major life activities.

The ADA, Office of Disability Employment Policy, and the Job Accommodation Network offer various resources if you’re seeking accommodations for your COPD.

Here’s what you need to know about flexible working arrangements, modified work tasks, accessibility changes, changes to the work environment, and special equipment or technology.

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Flexible working hours

COPD can be unpredictable sometimes. Flare-ups can and will happen with COPD. That’s why it’s important to ask for flexible working arrangements. These might include:

• changing the start or end time of the workday
• allowing work to be completed when you feel your best or most alert
• combining smaller, regularly scheduled breaks into an extended break to get much-needed rest or pace yourself
• breaking up a large break into smaller breaks throughout the day
• asking for more wiggle room for attendance due to appointments and unexpected flare-ups

Well-used rest breaks can help you stretch, adjust your seating position, or change how you complete work-related tasks.

Modified work tasks

COPD can make it difficult to complete specific work tasks, especially if you work in a field that requires physical activity or walking long distances.

It might be helpful to ask for modifications for your tasks based on your ability to complete them. You might be able to request these if you need to:

• sit while completing a task that’s typically done while standing
• get reassigned to another area of the business that fits both your skillset and abilities
• rotate or restructure your tasks and position among colleagues

Your employer is required to provide reasonable accommodations, but they’re not required to change the essential functions of a job.

Changes to the environment

Environmental triggers are something to consider after a COPD diagnosis. Still, you might learn that the necessary changes will benefit your colleagues, too.

One example is improving the air quality in the workplace, especially for people with respiratory illnesses. Some ways employers might modify the air quality where you work are:

• testing the indoor air quality
• enforcing a strict no-smoking policy
• regularly maintaining the HVAC system
• providing air purifiers throughout the building or in your work area
• issuing a fragrance-free work environment
• using nontoxic cleaning products
• advanced notice for any construction or cleaning

Check with your workplace to find out if they can honor these environmental changes or if you can work from home on a hybrid or full-time schedule.

Special equipment or technology

Special equipment may help you do your job well. For example, a retail store worker might be able to request a scooter or a motorized cart. These options may be beneficial if you need to walk a long distance as part of your role.

Using a mobility aid shouldn’t get in the way of your work performance. Your employer may be able to upgrade your workstation to make using wheelchairs, scooters, supplemental oxygen equipment, and other tools easier.

Accessibility modifications

You might benefit from a few accessibility changes, including:

• entering through a ramp or elevator
• requesting to work closer to the exit
• working closer to where your primary duties are focused
• having a workstation near the bathrooms

Takeaway

COPD can make work challenging at times, but if COPD is limiting your abilities at work, you have the right to ask for reasonable accommodations under the ADA.

Consider asking your employer for modifications that will make it easier for you to do your job well, despite the challenges of COPD.

This might include flexible working hours, modification to work tasks, changes to the work environment, use of special equipment or technology, and accessibility modifications.