If you believe you’ve been discriminated against at work or in another capacity due to a disability, then it might be time to consult with an attorney who specializes in ADA law. In the United States, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 established laws around making accommodations for people with disabilities in the workplace and public facilities. You might also need an ADA lawyer if you’re a business owner working to be sure your workplace is ADA compliant.
Regardless of your specific situation, it’s important to first understand the role of an ADA attorney. If you have questions about what they can do for you, or about disability law in general, read on.
1. To Advocate for You
Learning to manage life with a new disability or chronic illness will already be a challenge. It’s important that you have a lawyer who understands your struggles and will work hard to advocate for you. Whether your plan is to do what you can to maintain employment through reasonable accommodations, or to file for social security benefits, you’ll want a lawyer on your side to help you through the difficult legal process.
Stay close to home, it won’t help to secure an ADA lawyer in Sacramento to handle an ADA compliance issue at your work in San Diego. An experienced and local lawyer will be able to help you get your employer to follow the law when it comes to supporting your ability to work in spite of a disability. This could mean accommodations for the long or short term, and your lawyer will be able to help you to put yourself in the best situation to succeed while you recover from injury or adjust to your disability.
2. Untangling Legal Information
Maybe your disability is due to an injury, and you had to cancel a short term mission, you’ll need an attorney to help reduce undue hardship in losing out on income in the immediate future. One great reason to hire an experienced ADA attorney is to help you understand the complicated paperwork that comes with cases of noncompliance or the remedies involved in maintaining employment.
Other needs for a lawyer are to help understand what is and isn’t an ADA violation and to know when to file for social security benefits instead of either short-term disability or worker’s compensation. Having a lawyer on your side will uncomplicate the process of any legal decisions around your specific situation and give you peace of mind.
3. Helping Your Case or Claim
ADA and disability cases are complicated. On top of the ability to untangle legal jargon and to advocate for your specific case, an experienced lawyer will be able to offer you resources when it comes to your personal circumstances. For some, this could be a referral to another lawyer to handle a personal injury suit or another part of your overall claim.
When considering which lawyer to hire, be sure to ask about any other protections they suggest you look at for both your short and long-term financial future. You’ll want to choose someone who seems invested in your overall quality of life and a good outcome over an attorney who’s only focused on compliance issues at your place of employment, especially if you aren’t sure you’ll be able to maintain that employment.
In conclusion, an ADA attorney could be the right answer if you need someone to advocate for you, to help you untangle disability law, or to prove a case or claim. Whether you’re a business owner looking to do good business and support your employees or an employee with a claim of workplace discrimination, calling an experienced attorney for a free consultation is always a good idea when weighing out legal options.