Reasonable Accommodation and the Job Coach as Key Elements in the Employment Inclusion of People with Disabilities

Knowledge Offer, Oferta Tecnológica

Economía. Empresa. Ciencias Sociales Aplicadas

13 October 2026

Reasonable Accommodation and the Job Coach as Key Elements in the Employment Inclusion of People with Disabilities

The social model of disability emphasises the need to address the barriers that prevent people with disabilities from achieving equality in their working lives. This highlights the importance of addressing this issue through an instrument provided for in our legal system: reasonable accommodation. This involves taking the necessary measures to adapt tools, working hours, premises, spaces, transport, clothing and other aspects to the needs of employees with disabilities, with the aim of ensuring equality with other employees. The job coach who works with the person with a disability and the company needs to be familiar with all these measures.

TECHNOLOGY DESCRIPTION

At this stage of the project, the focus is not so much on technological aspects of improving working conditions for people with disabilities. Instead, the research adopts a business and legal perspective, examining issues such as the application of specific measures for this group, including greater flexibility in working hours, the provision of adaptations that improve access to work tools and, in particular, the protection of their specific rights. It also addresses the identification of discriminatory situations arising from a person’s disability, and provides advice on companies’ obligations and the rights of employees with disabilities.

TECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS

  • Companies, associations supporting people with disabilities and public institutions committed to the employment inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities. This includes, in particular, people in supported employment, as well as organisations operating within the framework of corporate social responsibility (CSR).
  • The reasonable accommodation approach is also applicable to job coaches working for various organisations that support people with disabilities.

ADVANTAGES AND INNOVATIVE ASPECTS

Although the legal dimension is the main focus of our research, the business dimension has also yielded valuable results. Interviews with companies about the challenges involved have produced important findings, which we have subsequently presented in several focus groups involving local associations specialising in support for people with disabilities, as well as companies that employ workers with disabilities. These two activities distinguish our work from research at other universities, which has focused more heavily on theoretical study.

DEVELOPMENT STAGE

One part of the project, specifically the research into “reasonable accommodation”, concerns an issue that, although clearly defined in legislation, still lacks detailed development covering the different aspects of working life. We consider this one of the most important areas of our project, and we are working to develop solutions by putting forward proposals addressing different work activities. There is still further work to be done in this area.

APPLICATION SECTORS

  • Human Resources

PRINCIPAL RESEARCHER

Francisco Javier Fernández Orrico – Legal Science