Accommodating Disabilities

Overview of Reasonable Accommodations

The LHA will make a reasonable accommodation to a rule, policy, practice, or service to afford a person with disabilities an equal opportunity to use and enjoy a home or program within the LHA. Our steps to ensure individuals with disabilities have full access to programs and services begin during the application process and continue throughout a resident's stay at the LHA.

Federal regulations allow for a reasonable accommodation request to be denied if it would create an "undue financial and administrative burden," if it would result in a "fundamental alteration" to the essential nature of the LHA's operations, or if the request had no direct connection to an individual's disability. If an undue burden or fundamental alteration exists, the LHA will still provide any other reasonable accommodation up to the point that would not result in an undue financial and administrative burden and/or constitute a fundamental alteration of the program.

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General Examples of Reasonable Accommodations:

  • Allowing authorized care advocates to participate in LHA processes or meetings
  • Distribution of multilingual information and translation services for residents with limited English proficiency
  • Adjusting a rent payment schedule to accommodate when an individual receives income assistance
  • Adding a grab bar to a tenant’s bathroom
  • Permitting an assistance animal in a "no pets” building for a person who is deaf, blind, or has seizures

Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation

The LHA reviews requests for reasonable accommodations on a case-by-case basis. If an individual’s disability is not obvious, the LHA may need a verification of how the requested accommodation is related to the individual’s disability. Verification can be provided by a reliable third party who knows about the individual’s disability. This may include a doctor or other medical professional, a peer support group, a non-medical service agency, or any other reliable third party.

Third-Party Verification of Disability Related Need for Reasonable Accommodation Consent Form (pdf)