Reference no: EM133159018

Chapter Opening: Scenario

Christina Jacobs worked as a clerk at a courthouse in North Carolina. She suffered from a social anxiety disorder characterized by a persistent fear of social situations. This disorder hindered her ability to perform the task of providing customer service at the courthouse front counter. She requested an accommodation that would excuse her from performing this essential duty of her position. The court administrator denied the request. Thereafter, Jacobs was fired. In her lawsuit, Jacobs claimed that she was denied a reasonable accommodation and terminated because of her disability-social anxiety disorder-in violation of the ADA. When reading this chapter, recognize that when an employee informs the employer that he or she has a physical or mental impairment and requires an accommodation, the employer should not analyze in detail if the impairment rises to the level of a disability under the ADA. The employer should engage in a good-faith, interactive process with the employee to determine if the employer can provide a reasonable accommodation to allow the employee to perform the essential duties of theirtheir position.

What reasonable accommodations might have been offered to Jacobs in this situation?