ADA Title I prohibits disability discrimination in every stage of employment and requires employers (15+ employees) to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals—those who can perform the job’s essential functions, with or without accommodation. This applies equally to part-time and full-time workers, and to candidates during hiring. The PWFA adds parallel accommodation duties for limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related conditions.
Because part-time roles often have tighter schedules or narrower task sets, the accommodation analysis usually centers on when work is performed and which tasks are essential, not on whether the person is part-time.
Federal guidance explicitly lists part-time or modified work schedules, job restructuring, acquiring or modifying equipment, reassignment to a vacant role, readers/interpreters, and making workplaces accessible among reasonable accommodations.
For part-time contexts, the most common solutions include:
Under the PWFA, certain pregnancy-related adjustments may be required even where the ADA would not; the final rule recognizes, for example, that temporary suspension of an essential function can be a reasonable accommodation in some circumstances.
ADA protections begin in the application and interview stages. That means adjusting interview times or format, allowing assistive technology or interpreters, or providing extra time—so the person can be considered for the job on equal terms. You can (and should) use the same interactive process you use with employees to evaluate applicant accommodations quickly and consistently.
What matters is a prompt, good-faith interactive process and a clean record of what you did:
Following these steps consistently across part-time and full-time staff reduces disputes and demonstrates compliance if regulators ask for your file.
Disclo standardizes ADA/PWFA accommodations for candidates and employees in one confidential system. You capture requests, timelines, essential-function notes, and decisions; route sensitive medical verification to the right roles; give managers only the information they need to schedule or adjust duties; and maintain an auditable trail that shows what you did and when—no matter the person’s scheduled hours.
Disclaimer: This article is for general information only and not legal advice. Always consult counsel for jurisdiction-specific rules and your organization’s policies.
ADA and PWFA duties apply to part-time workers and candidates, not just full-timers. Here’s what changes in practice and how to standardize your process.
ADA Title I prohibits disability discrimination in every stage of employment and requires employers (15+ employees) to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals—those who can perform the job’s essential functions, with or without accommodation. This applies equally to part-time and full-time workers, and to candidates during hiring. The PWFA adds parallel accommodation duties for limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related conditions.
Because part-time roles often have tighter schedules or narrower task sets, the accommodation analysis usually centers on when work is performed and which tasks are essential, not on whether the person is part-time.
Federal guidance explicitly lists part-time or modified work schedules, job restructuring, acquiring or modifying equipment, reassignment to a vacant role, readers/interpreters, and making workplaces accessible among reasonable accommodations.
For part-time contexts, the most common solutions include:
Under the PWFA, certain pregnancy-related adjustments may be required even where the ADA would not; the final rule recognizes, for example, that temporary suspension of an essential function can be a reasonable accommodation in some circumstances.
ADA protections begin in the application and interview stages. That means adjusting interview times or format, allowing assistive technology or interpreters, or providing extra time—so the person can be considered for the job on equal terms. You can (and should) use the same interactive process you use with employees to evaluate applicant accommodations quickly and consistently.
What matters is a prompt, good-faith interactive process and a clean record of what you did:
Following these steps consistently across part-time and full-time staff reduces disputes and demonstrates compliance if regulators ask for your file.
Disclo standardizes ADA/PWFA accommodations for candidates and employees in one confidential system. You capture requests, timelines, essential-function notes, and decisions; route sensitive medical verification to the right roles; give managers only the information they need to schedule or adjust duties; and maintain an auditable trail that shows what you did and when—no matter the person’s scheduled hours.
Disclaimer: This article is for general information only and not legal advice. Always consult counsel for jurisdiction-specific rules and your organization’s policies.
