Reasonable Accommodation in the Irish workplace - how far must employers go?

Under the Employment Equality Acts 1998–2015, employers have a strict legal duty to provide "reasonable accommodation" (also referred to as appropriate measures) to enable disabled employees to participate and advance in their employment. Examples of such measures include adaptation of the premises to improve accessibility, modification of working hours, or the acquisition of special equipment to assist employees in performing their duties. The particular accommodation required must always be determined on a case-by-case basis in accordance with the needs of the employee in question.

However, the law recognises that not every proposed accommodation is realistic or feasible. Employers are not required to provide measures that would impose a disproportionate burden. Practical challenges often arise because assessing individual capabilities and necessary accommodations can make it difficult for an employer to determine whether a proposed measure is reasonable or genuinely disproportionate.