ADA compliance for behavioral health and neurodevelopmental disorders in the workplace – Are your managers prepared?
In today’s U.S. workplace, behavioral health conditions and neurodevelopmental disorders are both more commonplace and more manageable than ever. According to the Disability Management Employer Coalition (DMEC), millions of working Americans struggle with mental health and substance use conditions. These conditions can lead to challenges such as presenteeism, absenteeism, and reduced productivity, which in turn affect the workplace environment and employer costs1. Both employers and employees need to adapt; both have a role in ensuring that these conditions don’t exclude otherwise qualified people from success.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) protects employees with behavioral health conditions and neurodevelopmental disorders if their condition substantially limits one or more major life activities. This includes conditions such as anxiety disorders, depression, ADHD, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. The ADA mandates that employers provide reasonable accommodations to qualified employees with disabilities, ensuring they can perform essential job functions without undue hardship to the employer2.