Subchapter 9 (Disability Discrimination)
DISABILITY DISCRIMINATION
§12-46-181 General provisions. Chapter 378, HRS, prohibits any employer or other
covered entity from discriminating in employment against individuals or persons
because of a disability. Persons with a
disability are entitled to equal employment opportunities as are available to persons
without a disability. In 2009 the
Legislature passed Act 30 and in 2010 the Legislature passed Act 139, which
directed the commission to adopt administrative rules to conform, at minimum,
to the definitions contained in the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments
Act (ADAAA), P.L. 110-325. Consistent
with the ADAAA and its implementing regulations, the definition of disability
is to be construed broadly in favor of expansive coverage to the maximum extent
permitted by Chapter 378, HRS. The primary
object of attention in cases brought under Chapter 378 and these administrative
rules should be whether covered entities have complied with their obligations
and whether discrimination has occurred, not whether the person meets the
definition of disability. The
determination of whether a person has a disability should not demand extensive
analysis. The examples are used to provide guidance to the public and only
illustrate the particular point or principle to which they relate in the
rules. They should not be taken out of
context as statements of policy that would apply in different
circumstances. To the greatest extent
possible, the commission will interpret the rules consistent with the examples,
however, the commission shall review each case on an individual basis in an
effort to seek an equitable application of this subchapter. [Eff 8/18/94; am 3/5/12 ] (Auth: HRS §368-3) (Imp: HRS §§378-1, 378-2)
§12-46-182 Definitions. As used in this subchapter, unless the context
otherwise requires:
"Being regarded as having such an
impairment"
means is subjected to a prohibited action because of any actual or perceived
physical or mental impairment that is not both transitory and minor, whether or
not that impairment substantially limits, or is perceived to substantially
limit, a major life activity. For purposes of this subchapter, “transitory” is
defined as lasting or expected to last six months or less.
Example:
If an employer refuses to
hire an applicant because of skin graft scars, the employer has regarded the
applicant as a person with a disability.
Example:
If an employer refuses to
hire an applicant because of skin graft scars, the employer has regarded the
applicant as a person with a disability.
"Bona
fide occupational qualification" means:
(1) Standards, tests, criteria, methods of
administration, or other employment actions which exclude or discriminate
against a class of persons on the basis of a specified physical or mental impairment, medical condition, or disability;
and:
(A) All or
substantially all persons with the impairment, condition, or disability:
(i) Are unable
to perform the essential job functions with or without reasonable
accommodation; or
(ii) Pose a
direct threat which cannot be eliminated or reduced by reasonable
accommodation; and
(B) The essence
of the business would be undermined if all persons with the impairment,
condition, or disability were not excluded.
Example:
A policy of not hiring any person with a particular back condition excludes a
class of persons based upon a specified physical impairment. In order to justify the policy as a bona fide
occupational qualification, the employer must establish through factual
evidence that all or substantially all persons with the back condition cannot
do the essential functions of the particular job or pose a direct threat to
self or others and no reasonable accommodations are possible. It is not enough to show that
"some" people cannot do the job or pose a direct threat. The employer must also establish that the
essence (central purpose or principal function) of the business would be
undermined without the exclusionary policy.
(2) The bona
fide occupational qualification exception will be strictly and narrowly
construed and based upon an examination of the employer's business requirements
and the totality of circumstances on a case-by-case basis.
"Contractual or other
arrangement" means, but is not limited to, a relationship with an
employment or referral agency; labor union, including collective bargaining
agreements; an organization
providing fringe benefits to an employee of the employer or other covered entity; or an
organization providing training and apprenticeship programs.
"Direct threat" means:
(1) A
significant risk of substantial harm to the health or safety of the person or
others that cannot be eliminated or reduced by reasonable accommodation based
upon an individualized assessment. The
risk of harm should be
identifiable,
substantial, current, and probable.
(2) The factors to be considered include:
(A) The harm
that may result if the person with a disability performed the essential job
functions;
(B) The duration
of the risk of harm;
(C) The nature
and severity of the potential harm;
(D) Whether the
harm may be "significantly greater" than if a non-disabled person
performed the essential job functions;
(E) The
likelihood that the potential harm will occur;
(F) The imminence of the potential harm; and
(G) Whether a
reasonable accommodation can eliminate or reduce the risk of harm below the
level of direct threat.
Example:
An employee with epilepsy who works with
hazardous machinery may not automatically pose a direct threat to self or
others. The employer must first make an
individualized evaluation taking into account such factors as the type of job;
the aspect of the disability and harm it may cause if the employee performed
the essential job functions; the duration of the risk of harm; the types of
seizures which have occurred; whether there is warning of seizures; the degree
of seizure control; the employee's reliability in taking medication; any side
effects; whether the harm resulting from the employee's epilepsy is
significantly greater than for employees without epilepsy; and possible
reasonable accommodations. Persons who
have had no seizures because they regularly take medication, or who have
sufficient
advanced
warning of a seizure so that they can stop hazardous activity, would not pose a
direct threat to self or others because the risk of harm was not substantial,
current, or probable.
(3) The belief
that a person may pose a direct threat to self or others shall not be based
upon subjective perceptions, irrational fears, patronizing attitudes, or
stereotypes about the nature and effect of a particular disability or
disabilities in general. Generalized
fears about risks from the employment environment, such as exacerbation of the
disability caused by stress, cannot be used to disqualify a person with a
disability.
Example:
A person with a history of disabling mental
illness cannot be rejected by an employer because of a generalized fear that
the work would trigger a relapse of the illness. The mere possibility that a person with a
disability may harm the health or safety of self or others is insufficient to
establish a direct threat because the risk of harm is not identifiable,
substantial, current, or probable.
"Disability" means:
(1) With
respect to a person:
(A) Having a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits
one or more major life activities;
(B) Having a record of such an impairment; or
(C) Being regarded as having such an impairment, as described in these
rules.
(2) Disability
does not include transvestism, transsexualism, or gender identity disorders not
resulting from physical impairments. Disability also does not include pedophilia, exhibitionism, voyeurism,
other sexual behavior disorders, compulsive gambling, kleptomania, pyromania,
or psychoactive substance use disorders resulting from current illegal use of
drugs.
"Drug" means a controlled substance, as defined in the
Uniform Controlled Substances Act, chapter 329, HRS. Illegal use of drugs means the use of drugs
not taken under the supervision of a licensed health care professional or other
use not authorized by the Uniform Controlled Substances Act.
"Essential
functions" means:
(1) The
fundamental job duties of the employment position the person with a disability
holds or desires. The term
"essential functions" does not include the marginal functions of the
position.
(2) In determining
whether a job function is essential, the focus should be on the purpose and
importance of the function as it relates to the result to be accomplished,
rather than on the manner in which the function is presently performed. Although it may be essential that a certain
function be performed, often it is not essential that it be performed in a
particular way, as long as the same result is achieved.
(3) A job
function may be considered essential for any of several reasons, including, but
not limited to, the following:
(A) The function
may be essential because the reason the position exists is to perform that
function;
(B) The function
may be essential because of the limited number of employees available among
whom the performance of that job function can be distributed; or
(C) The function
may be highly specialized so that the incumbent in the position is hired for
his or her expertise or ability to perform the particular function.
(4) Evidence of
whether a particular function is essential should reflect the actual
functioning and circumstances of the particular job. Factors to be considered include, but are not
limited to:
(A) The
employer's judgment as to which functions are essential;
(B) Written job
descriptions prepared before advertising or interviewing applicants for the
job;
(C) The amount
of time spent on the job performing the function;
(D) The
consequences of not requiring the incumbent to perform the function;
(E) The terms of
a collective bargaining agreement;
(F) The work
experience of past incumbents in the job; or
(G) The current
work experience of incumbents in similar jobs.
"Having a record of
such impairment" means having a
history of, or having been misclassified as having, a mental or physical
impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.
Example:
Persons who have had cancer, heart disease,
other debilitating illnesses, or mental illness, which substantially limited a
major life activity, and whose illnesses are either cured, controlled, or in
remission, have a history of having a physical impairment that substantially
limits a major life activity.
"Job-related and consistent with business
necessity" means:
(1) A legitimate
measure or qualification for a specific job which has a substantial relationship
to successful performance of essential job functions. Factors to be considered include, but are not
limited to:
(A) Ability to
perform the essential job functions;
(B) Manifest
relationship to the job in question;
(C) Manifest
relationship to a legitimate job performance objective of the employer, such as
safety and efficiency; or
(D) Unavailability
of any less discriminatory alternatives.
(2) Factors that
are not to be considered include, but are not limited to:
(A) Customer preference;
(B) Employee
morale;
(C) Corporate
image;
(D) Convenience;
(E) Future need
to fill other positions in a line of progression where the other positions have
qualification standards or other criteria, which are bona fide occupational
qualifications based upon disability, not applicable to the particular
position;
(F) Possibility
of increased insurance costs because of disability; and
(G) Possibility
that the person may have a high rate of absenteeism in the future because of
disability.
"Major
life activities"
means:
(1) Basic activities that most people in the general population can
perform with little or no difficulty, including, but not limited to, caring for
oneself, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking,
breathing, learning, reading, sitting, standing, lifting, reaching, eating,
sleeping, bending, concentrating, thinking, communicating, interacting with
others, and working; and
(2) The operation of a major bodily function, including, but not
limited to, functions of the immune system, special sense organs and skin;
normal cell growth; and digestive, genito-urinary, bowel, bladder,
neurological, brain, respiratory, circulatory, cardiovascular, endocrine,
hemic, lymphatic, musculoskeletal, and reproductive functions. The operation of a major bodily function
includes the operation of an individual organ within a body.
"Physical or mental impairment" means:
(1) In
general:
(A) Any physiological disorder, or condition, cosmetic disfigurement,
or anatomical loss affecting one or more of the following body systems: neurological, musculoskeletal, special sense
organs, respiratory (including speech organs), cardiovascular, reproductive,
digestive, genito-urinary, immune, circulatory, hemic and lymphatic, skin, and
endocrine; or
(B) Any mental
or psychological disorder, such as an intellectual disability
(formerly termed mental retardation), organic brain
syndrome, emotional or mental illness, and specific learning disabilities.
(2) Physical or mental impairments include, but are not limited to,
such conditions, diseases, and infections as: orthopedic, visual, speech, and
hearing impairments; deafness; blindness; partially or completely missing
limbs; mobility impairments requiring the use of a wheelchair; autism; cerebral
palsy; epilepsy; muscular dystrophy; multiple sclerosis; AIDS; HIV infection or
seropositivity; cancer; heart disease; diabetes; alcoholism; intellectual
disability (formerly termed mental retardation); emotional illness; specific
learning disabilities; developmental disabilities; bipolar disorder; post
traumatic stress disorder; obsessive compulsive disorder; schizophrenia; and
major depression.
(3) Physical or mental impairments do not include physical,
psychological, environmental, cultural, or economic characteristics, such as,
but not limited to, eye or hair color; left-handedness; height, weight, or
muscle tone that do not result from a physiological disorder; a characteristic
predisposition to illness or disease; pregnancy; personality traits such as
poor judgment or a quick temper when they are not symptoms of a mental or
psychological disorder; poverty; a lack of education or illiteracy; a prison
record; and sexual orientation. However, a pregnancy-related impairment that
substantially limits a major life activity is a disability under the first
prong of the definition. Alternatively,
a pregnancy-related impairment may constitute a “record of” a substantially
limiting impairment, or may be covered under the "regarded as"
prong if it is the basis for a prohibited employment action and is not
transitory and minor.
(4) Drug use shall be considered a mental or physical impairment when a
person:
(A) Has successfully completed a supervised drug rehabilitation program
and is no longer engaging in current illegal use of drugs;
(B) Has
otherwise been rehabilitated successfully and is no longer engaging in current
illegal use of drugs;
(C) Is participating in a supervised rehabilitation program, a
recognized self-help program, or an employee assistance program, and is under
the supervision of a licensed health care professional for the treatment of
drug use and is no longer engaging in current illegal use of drugs; or
(D) Is erroneously regarded as engaging in such use, but is not
engaging in such use.
"Qualification
standards" means:
(1) The personal
and professional attributes including the skill, experience, education,
physical, medical, safety, and other job-related requirements established by an
employer or other covered entity as requirements which a person must meet in
order to be eligible for the position held or desired.
(2) The term
"qualification standard" may include a requirement that a person
shall not pose a direct threat to the health or the safety of the person or
others in the workplace.
"Qualified" with
respect to a person with a disability means a person with a disability who satisfies:
(1) The requisite skill, experience, education, and other job-related
qualification standards of the employment position such person holds or
desires; and
(2) Who, with or without reasonable accommodation, can perform the
essential functions of such position.
"Reasonable accommodation" means:
(1) In
general:
(A) Modifications or adjustments to a job application process that
enable an applicant with a disability to be considered for the position such
applicant desires;
(B) Modifications
or adjustments to the work environment, or to the manner or circumstances under
which the position held or desired is customarily performed, that enable a
person with a disability to perform the essential functions of that position;
(C) Modifications or adjustments that enable a covered entity's
employee with a disability to enjoy the same or equal benefits and privileges
of employment as are enjoyed by its other similarly situated employees without
disabilities; or
(D) Modifications or adjustments to
schedules or leave policies to enable an employee with
record of an impairment that previously substantially limited, but no longer
substantially limits a major life activity, to attend follow-up or monitoring
appointments from a health care provider.
(2) Reasonable accommodation may include, but is not limited to:
(A) Making existing facilities used by employees readily accessible to
and usable by persons with disabilities; and
(B) Job restructuring; part-time or modified work schedules;
reassignment to a vacant position; acquisition or modifications of equipment or
devices; appropriate adjustment or modifications of examinations, training
materials, or policies; the provision of qualified readers or interpreters; and
other similar accommodations for persons with disabilities.
"Substantially limits":
(1) In general means limited in the ability to perform a major life
activity as compared to most people in the general population. An impairment need not prevent, or severely
or significantly restrict, a person from performing a major life activity in
order to be considered substantially limiting.
(2) The
following factors may be considered in determining whether a person is substantially
limited in a major life activity:
(A) The condition under which the person performs the major life
activity;
(B) The duration of time it takes the person to perform the major life
activity; and
(C) The manner
in which the person performs the major life activity.
(3) Certain impairments such as blindness, deafness, an intellectual
disability (formerly termed mental retardation), partially or completely
missing limbs, mobility impairments requiring the use of a wheelchair, autism,
cancer, cerebral palsy, diabetes, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, muscular
dystrophy, major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress
disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, HIV infection, and AIDS
should easily be concluded to be substantially limiting.
(4) The limitation resulting from an impairment is determined without
regard to mitigating measures such as medicines; medical supplies, equipment or
appliances; low vision devices; prosthetics including limbs and devices;
hearing aid(s) and cochlear implant(s) or other implantable hearing devices;
mobility devices; oxygen therapy equipment and supplies; use of assistive
technology; reasonable accommodations; auxiliary aids or services; learned
behavioral or adaptive neurological modifications; or psychotherapy, behavioral
therapy or physical therapy.
(5) Non-ameliorative effects of mitigating
measures, such as negative side effects of medication or burdens associated
with following a particular treatment regimen, may be considered when determining
whether an individual’s impairment substantially limits a major life activity.
(6) An impairment that is episodic or in
remission is a disability if it would substantially limit a major life activity
when active. Examples of impairments that may be episodic or in remission
include, but are not limited to, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, cancer,
hypertension, diabetes, asthma, major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder and
schizophrenia.
(7) An
impairment substantially limits the major life activity of "working"
if it substantially limits a person’s ability to perform either a class of jobs
or a broad range of jobs in various classes as compared to most people having
comparable training, skills, and abilities. The inability to perform a single,
particular job does not constitute a substantial limitation in the major life
activity of working.
Example:
A baseball pitcher who
develops a shoulder injury and can no longer pitch would not be substantially
limited in working because of not being able to perform the single, particular
job of pitching in baseball.
Example:
A person whose job requires
heavy lifting develops a disability that prevents her from lifting more than
fifty pounds and from performing not only her existing job but also other jobs
that would similarly require heavy lifting.
That person would be substantially limited in working because she is
substantially limited in performing the class of jobs that require heavy
lifting.
(8) Multiple impairments that combine to substantially limit one or more
major life activities can constitute a disability.
(9) In determining whether a person has a disability under the "actual disability" or "record of"
prongs of the definition of disability, the focus is on how a major life
activity is substantially limited, and not on what outcomes an individual can
achieve.
Example:
A person with a learning
disability may achieve a high level of academic success, but may nevertheless
be substantially limited in the major life activity of learning because of the
additional time or effort he or she must spend to read, write, or learn
compared to most people in the general population.
"Undue hardship" means:
(1) Significant
difficulty or expense incurred by an employer or other covered entity with
respect to the provision of an accommodation.
(2) In
determining whether an accommodation would impose an undue hardship on an
employer or other covered entity, factors to be considered include:
(A) The nature
and net cost of the accommodation needed under this part, taking into
consideration the availability of tax credits and deductions or outside
funding, or both;
(B) The overall
financial resources of the facility or facilities involved in the provision of
the accommodation, the number of persons employed at such facility, and the
effect on expenses and resources;
(C) The overall
financial resources of the employer or other covered entity, the overall size
of the business of the employer or other covered entity with respect to the
number of its employees, and the number, type, and location of its facilities;
(D) The type of
operation or operations of the employer or other covered entity, including the
composition, structure and functions of the work force, and the geographic
separateness and administrative or fiscal relationship of the facility or
facilities in question to the employer or other covered entity;
(E) The impact
of the accommodation upon the operation of the facility, including the impact
on the ability of other employees to perform their duties and the impact on the
facility's ability to conduct business; and
(F) The impact
of the accommodation upon collective bargaining agreements or civil service
laws. [Eff 8/18/94; am 3/5/12 ] (Auth: HRS§368-3) (Imp: HRS §§378-1, 378-2, 378-3)
§12-46-183 Discrimination prohibited. (a) It is
unlawful for an employer or other covered entity to discriminate on the basis
of disability against a qualified person in regard to:
(1) Recruitment, advertising, and job application procedures;
(2) Hiring, upgrading, promotion, award of tenure, demotion, transfer,
layoff, termination, right of return from layoff, and rehiring;
(3) Rates of pay or any other form of compensation and changes in
compensation;
(4) Job assignments, job classifications, organizational structures,
position descriptions, lines of progression, and seniority lists;
(5) Leaves of absence, sick leave, or any other leave;
(6) Fringe benefits available by virtue of employment, whether or not
administered by the employer or other covered entity;
(7) Selection and financial support for training, including
apprenticeships, professional meetings, conferences, and other related
activities, and selection for leaves of absence to pursue training; and
(8) Any other term, condition, or privilege of employment, including
activities sponsored by an employer or other covered entity such as social and
recreational programs.
(b) The
term discrimination includes, but is not limited to, the acts made unlawful in
sections
12-46-184
through 191, inclusive. [Eff 8/18/94;
am 3/5/12 ] (Auth: HRS §368-3) (Imp: HRS §§378-1, 378-2)
§12-46-184 Limiting,
segregating, and classifying. It is unlawful for an employer
or other covered entity to limit, segregate, or classify a job applicant
or employee in a way that adversely affects his or her employment
opportunities or status on the basis of disability. [Eff 8/18/94]
(Auth: HRS §368-3) (Imp: HRS §§378-1, 378-2)
§12-46-185 Contractual
or other arrangements. (a) It is unlawful for an employer
or other covered entity to participate in a contractual or other
arrangement or relationship that has the effect of subjecting the
employer's or entity's own qualified applicant, employee, member,
beneficiary, apprentice, trainee, or other related person with a
disability to the discrimination prohibited by this subchapter.
(b) This section applies to an employer or other covered entity, with
respect to its own applicants, employees, members, beneficiaries, apprentices,
trainees, or other related persons whether the employer or entity offered
the contract or initiated the relationship, or whether the employer
or entity accepted the contract or acceded to the relationship. An
employer or other covered entity is not liable for the actions of the
other party or parties to the contract which only affect that other
party's employees, applicants, or other related persons. [Eff 8/18/94]
(Auth: HRS §368-3) (Imp: HRS §§378-1, 378-2)
§12-46-186 Standards,
criteria, or methods of administration. It is unlawful for
an employer or other covered entity to use standards, criteria, or
methods of administration:
(1) That have the effect of discriminating on the basis of disability;
or
(2) That perpetuate the discrimination of others who are subject to
common administrative control;
unless the employer or covered entity justifies the need for having
the standard, criterion, or method of administration. Standards, criteria,
or methods of administration which exclude a class of persons on the
basis of a specified physical or mental impairment, medical condition,
or disability must be shown to be bona fide occupational qualifications.
Other standards, criteria, or methods of administration which have
the effect of discriminating on the basis of disability or perpetuate
the discrimination of others subject to common administrative control
must be shown to be job-related and consistent with business necessity.
[Eff 8/18/94] (Auth: HRS §368-3) (Imp: HRS §§378-1, 378-2)
§12-46-187 Failure to make reasonable
accommodation.
(a) It is
unlawful for an employer or other covered
entity
not to make reasonable accommodation to the known physical or mental
limitations of an applicant or employee with a disability who is otherwise
qualified, unless such employer or entity can demonstrate that the accommodation
would impose an undue hardship on the operation of its business. An employee does not have to specifically
request a "reasonable accommodation", but must only let the employer
know that some adjustment or change is needed to do a job because of
limitations caused by a disability.
(b) To determine the appropriate reasonable
accommodation, it shall be necessary for an employer or other covered entity to
initiate an interactive process, after a request for an accommodation, with the
person with a disability in need of the accommodation. This process
shall
identify the precise limitations resulting from the disability and potential
reasonable accommodations that could overcome those limitations.
(c)
It is unlawful for an employer or other covered entity to deny
employment opportunities to an applicant or employee with a disability based on
the need of such employer or entity to make reasonable accommodation to such
person's physical or mental impairments.
(d)
A person with a disability is not required to accept an accommodation,
aid, service, opportunity, or benefit which such qualified person chooses not
to accept. However, if such person,
after notice by the employer or other covered entity of the possible
consequences of rejecting, rejects a reasonable accommodation, aid, service,
opportunity, or benefit that enables the person to perform the essential
functions of the position held or desired and cannot, as a result of that
rejection, perform the essential functions of the position, the person will not
be considered qualified.
(e) An employer
or other covered entity is not required to make a reasonable accommodation to a
person who meets the definition of disability solely under the "regarded as" prong. [Eff 8/18/94; am 3/5/12 ] (Auth: HRS §368-3) (Imp: HRS §§378-1, 378-2, 378-3)
§12-46-188 Qualification standards,
tests, and other selection criteria. (a) It is unlawful
for an employer or other covered entity to use qualification standards,
employment tests, or other selection criteria that screen out or
tend to screen out a person with a disability or a class of persons
with disabilities unless the employer or other covered entity justifies
the need for the standard, test, or selection criterion.
(b) Standards, tests, or selection criteria that screen out a person
with a disability or a class of persons with disabilities based upon
specified physical and mental impairments, medical conditions, or disabilities
must be shown to be bona fide occupational qualifications.
Example:
A qualification standard which excludes all persons who have back
impairments would not be considered a bona fide occupational qualification
unless the employer can establish that all or substantially all persons
with back impairments cannot perform the essential job functions or
pose a direct threat to self or others, with or without reasonable
accommodation, and the essence of the business would be undermined
without the standard.
(c) Other standards, tests, or selection criteria, not based upon
specified physical or mental impairments, medical conditions, or disabilities,
that screen out a person with a disability or a class of persons with
disabilities must be shown to be job-related for the position in question
and consistent with business necessity.
Example:
A qualification standard which excludes persons who cannot lift certain
weights would not be considered job-related and consistent with business
necessity unless the employer can establish that the lifting requirement
was an essential job function and there is no reasonable accommodation
available.
(d) It is unlawful for an employer or other covered entity to discriminate
against a person with a disability for reasons related to safety unless
the person poses a direct threat to self or others. The determination
that a person with a disability poses a "direct threat" shall be based
on an individualized assessment of the person's present ability to
safely perform the essential functions of the job, the person's past
and current job history, and reasonable medical judgment that relies
on the current medical knowledge or the best available objective or
scientific evidence, not speculation, considering the factors defined
in "direct threat". The individualized assessment made by the employer
or covered entity shall identify and document the aspect of the disability
and specific risk of harm that would pose the direct threat to self
or others. If a person poses a direct threat, the employer or other
covered entity must try to eliminate or reduce the threat to an acceptable
level through provision of a reasonable accommodation.
(e) It is unlawful for an employer or other covered entity to use
qualification standards, tests, or selection criteria to exclude a
person with a disability or a class of persons with disabilities because
the particular position is part of a line of progression to which persons
in the particular position are expected to advance even though the
qualification standard can be justified for some of the positions in
the line unless the standard, test, or criterion can be justified for
the particular position. The justification for the qualification standard,
test, or selection criterion shall be determined according to subsection
(b), (c), or (d).
Example:
A deaf person cannot be denied an entry level position because the
person to be hired is expected to progress to higher positions with
qualification standards which may exclude the deaf. Even though the
exclusion of the deaf for any higher position can be shown to be a
bona fide occupational qualification, the employer must also establish
that excluding deaf persons in the entry level position is a bona fide
occupational qualification.
(f) It is unlawful for an employer or other covered entity to fail
to select or administer tests concerning employment in the most effective
manner to ensure that, when a test is administered to a job applicant
or employee who has a disability that impairs sensory, manual, or speaking
skills, the test results accurately reflect the skills, aptitude, or
whatever other factor of the applicant or employee that the test purports
to measure, rather than reflecting the impaired sensory, manual, or
speaking skills of such employee or applicant (except where such skills
are the factors that the test purports to measure). [Eff 8/18/94] (Auth:
HRS §368-3) (Imp: HRS §§378-1, 378-2)
§12-46-189 Retaliation, coercion, interference,
or intimidation. (a) It is unlawful to discriminate or take
an adverse action against any person because that person has opposed
any act or practice made unlawful by this subchapter or because that
person made a charge, testified, assisted, or participated in any
manner relating to an investigation, hearing, or proceeding to enforce
any provision contained in this subchapter.
(b) It is unlawful to discriminate or take an adverse action against
an employee based upon the employee's refusal to participate in a medical
examination or inquiry under section 12-46-191(c), which is not job-related
and consistent with business necessity, or a voluntary medical examination
or inquiry under section 12-46-191(e).
(c) It is unlawful to coerce, intimidate, threaten, harass, or interfere
with any person in the exercise or enjoyment of, or because that person
aided, counselled, or encouraged any other person in the exercise of,
any right granted or protected by this subchapter.
(d) It is unlawful to aid, abet, incite, or compel any person to engage
in any act made unlawful by this subchapter.
(e) It is unlawful to attempt to engage in any act made unlawful by
this subchapter. [Eff 8/18/94] (Auth: HRS §368-3) (Imp: HRS §§378-1,
378-2)
§12-46-190 Prohibited medical examinations
and inquiries. (a) Except as permitted by section 12-46-191,
it is unlawful for an employer or other covered entity to:
(1) Conduct a medical examination of an applicant; or
(2) Make inquiries as to whether an applicant is a person with a disability
or as to the nature or severity of such disability.
(b) Except as permitted by section 12-46-191, it is unlawful for an
employer or other covered entity to:
(1) Require a medical examination of an employee; or
(2) Make inquiries as to whether an employee is a person with a disability
or as to the nature or severity of such disability. [Eff 8/18/94] (Auth:
HRS §368-3) (Imp: HRS §§378-1, 378-2)
§12-46-191 Medical examinations and
inquiries specifically permitted. (a) An employer or other
covered entity may make pre-employment inquiries into the ability
of an applicant to perform essential job functions and ask an applicant
to describe or demonstrate how, with or without reasonable accommodation,
the applicant will be able to perform essential job functions.
(b) An employer or other covered entity may require a medical examination
or inquiry, or both, after making an offer of employment to a job applicant
and before the applicant begins his or her employment duties, and may
condition an offer of employment on the results of such examination
or inquiry, or both, if all entering employees in the same job category
are subjected to such an examination or inquiry, or both, regardless
of disability. Information obtained under this subsection shall not
be used for any purposes inconsistent with this subchapter and must
be maintained in accordance with subsection (f). Such post-offer medical
examinations conducted in accordance with this subsection do not have
to be job-related and consistent with business necessity.
(1) If qualification standards, tests, or selection criteria are used
to screen out a person with a disability or a class of persons with
disabilities on the basis of a specified physical or mental impairment,
condition, or disability, the criteria must be shown to be a bona fide
occupational qualification. Other qualification tests, standards, or
selection criteria that screen out a person with a disability or class
of persons with disabilities must be shown to be job-related and consistent
with business necessity.
(2) If any adverse consequences result from a post-offer medical examination,
the employer or other covered entity shall base its action on a medical
examination conducted in accordance with subsection (d).
(c) An employer or other covered entity may require a medical examination
or inquiry, or both, of an employee that is job-related and consistent
with business necessity. The employer or other covered entity bears
the burden of establishing that such medical examination or inquiry,
or both, is job-related and consistent with business necessity and
must provide specific instances or examples of the employee's conduct
which raised concerns about his or her inability to perform essential
job functions or direct threat to self or others, except where an employee
is returning to work after receiving disability benefits, such as workers
compensation.
Example:
In order to justify requiring an employee to undergo a medical examination,
an employer must establish that an employee's recent work performance
raised reasonable concerns that the employee could not perform essential
job functions or posed a direct threat to self or others, with or without
reasonable accommodation. The employer must articulate specific instances
which raised such concerns, except where an employee is returning to
work after receiving disability benefits.
(d) An employer or other covered entity which requires an applicant
or employee to undergo a medical examination shall provide every examiner
with sufficient job information to assess the applicant's or employee's
ability to perform essential job functions or the applicant's or employee's
direct threat potential. The job information shall include an accurate
written description of the essential responsibilities and functions
of the job, and the following rules: the definition of reasonable accommodation
in section 12-46-182 and section 12-46-187. If the employer believes
that the applicant or employee may pose a direct threat to self or
others, the employer shall provide the following rules: the definition
of direct threat in section 12-46-182 and section 12-46-188(d). If
the applicant or employee wishes to go to a second examiner, the employer
or covered entity shall provide the examiner with the same job information.
Information obtained under this subsection shall be collected and maintained
in accordance with subsection (f).
(e) An employer or other covered entity may conduct voluntary medical
examinations and activities, including voluntary medical histories,
which are part of an employee health program available to employees
at the work site. An employer or other covered entity may make inquiries
into the ability of an employee to perform essential job functions.
Information obtained under this subsection shall be maintained in accordance
with subsection (f).
(f) All information related to or obtained under subsections (b),
(c), (d), and (e) regarding the medical examination, condition, or
history of any applicant or employee shall be collected and maintained
on separate forms and in separate medical files and be treated as a
confidential medical record, except that:
(1) Supervisors and managers may be informed regarding necessary restrictions
on the work or duties of the employee and necessary accommodations;
(2) First aid and safety personnel may be informed, when appropriate,
if the disability might require emergency treatment; and
(3) Commission employees investigating compliance with this subchapter
shall be provided any and all information on request.
Information obtained under subsections (b), (c), (d), and (e) regarding
the medical condition or history of any applicant or employee shall
not be disclosed to persons who are not entitled to have access to
the information or used for any purpose inconsistent with this subchapter.
(g) A test or inquiry to determine the illegal use of drugs is not
considered a medical examination or inquiry under this subchapter.
[Eff 8/18/94] (Auth: HRS §368-3) (Imp: HRS §§378-1, 378-2)
§12-46-192 Specific activities permitted. (a)
An employer or other covered entity:
(1) May prohibit the illegal use of drugs and the consumption of alcohol
at the workplace by all employees;
(2) May require that employees not be under the influence of alcohol
or be engaging in the use of illegal drugs at the workplace;
(3) May hold an employee who engaged in the use of illegal drugs to
the same qualification standards for employment or job performance
and behavior to which the employer or other covered entity holds its
other employees, even if any unsatisfactory performance or behavior
is related to the employee's use of illegal drugs;
(4) May hold an employee who is an alcoholic to the same qualification
standards for employment or job performance and behavior to which the
employer or other covered entity holds its other employees, even if
any unsatisfactory performance or behavior is related to the employee's
alcoholism, as long as reasonable accommodation, if requested, is provided
for the performance of essential job functions;
(5) May require that its employees employed in an industry subject
to such regulations comply with the standards established in the regulations
(if any) of federal agencies including, but not limited to, the Departments
of Defense and Transportation, and of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
regarding alcohol and the use of illegal drugs;
(6) May require that employees employed in sensitive positions comply
with the regulations (if any) of the United States Departments of Defense
and Transportation and of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that apply
to employment in sensitive positions subject to such regulations; and
(7) May require a medical examination or inquiry, or both, as permitted
in section 12-46-191, or a test or inquiry to determine the illegal
use of drugs. However, this subchapter does not encourage, prohibit,
or authorize an employer or other covered entity to conduct drug tests
of job applicants or employees to determine the illegal use of drugs
or to make an employment decision based on such test results.
(b) Any information regarding the medical condition or history of
any employee or applicant obtained from a test to determine the illegal
use of drugs, except information regarding the illegal use of drugs,
is subject to the requirements of section 12-46-191(f).
(c) Under title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C.
§12113(d)(1), the Secretary of Health and Human Services is to prepare
a list, to be updated annually, of infectious and communicable diseases
which can be transmitted through the handling of food. If a person
with a disability is disabled by one of the infectious or communicable
diseases included on this list, and if the risk of transmitting the
disease associated with the handling of food cannot be eliminated by
reasonable accommodation, an employer or other covered entity may refuse
to assign or continue to assign such person to a job involving food
handling. However, if the person with a disability is a current employee,
the employer shall consider whether he or she can be accommodated by
reassignment to a vacant position not involving food handling for which
he or she is qualified. [Eff 8/18/94] (Auth: HRS §368-3) (Imp: HRS
§§378-1, 378-2)
§12-46-193 Defenses.
An employer or other covered entity may raise
defenses to an allegation of discrimination under this subchapter including,
but not limited to, the following:
(1) Inability to perform. It
may be a defense to a charge of discrimination brought under this subchapter
that a person with a disability is unable to perform an essential job function
with or without a reasonable accommodation.
(2) Business necessity. It may be a defense to a charge of
discrimination brought under this subchapter that:
(A) An alleged
application of qualification standards, tests, or criteria used in the
selection of employees
screens out or tends to screen out or otherwise denies a job or benefit to a
person with a disability; or
(B) A uniformly applied standard, criterion, method of administration,
or policy has a disparate impact on a person with a disability or a class of
persons with disabilities; and
the challenged standard, test, criterion, method, or
policy has been shown by the employer or other covered entity to be job-related
and consistent with business necessity in light of the factors in the
definition of job-related and consistent with business necessity; and
performance of essential job functions cannot be accomplished with reasonable
accommodation, as required under this subchapter.
Example:
A job applicant for a field
sales representative position, who was not hired, challenges a driver's license
requirement as discriminating against persons who cannot obtain licenses
because of their disabilities. An
employer may be able to defend by showing that driving was an essential job
function, no other transportation alternative (i.e. bus or paratransit service)
having less adverse effects upon persons with disabilities was available; and
any accommodation would cause an undue hardship because field sales
representatives had to work alone.
(3) Bona fide
occupational qualification. It may be
a defense to a charge of discrimination that an application of qualification
standards, tests, selection criteria, policies, or methods of administration
which is applied to a class of persons on the basis of a specified physical or
mental impairment, medical condition, or disability has been shown by the
employer or other covered entity to be a bona fide occupational qualification.
Example:
An employer which does not
consider for employment a person with hypertension because of a policy against
hiring persons with hypertension due to safety concerns must establish that all
or substantially all persons with hypertension, regardless of severity, would
pose a direct threat to self or others; no reasonable accommodations are
possible; and the essence of the business would be undermined if all persons
with hypertension were not excluded.
(4) Undue hardship. It
may be a defense to a charge of not making reasonable accommodation that a
requested or necessary accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the
operation of the business.
Example:
An employer would not be
required to make unreasonable structural changes or expensive equipment
alterations if there is significant difficulty or expense based upon the
factors listed in the definition of undue hardship.
(5) Direct threat. It may
be a defense to a charge of discrimination under this subchapter that a person
with a disability posed a direct threat to the health or safety of the person
or others that cannot be eliminated or reduced by reasonable accommodation.
(6) Specific permitted activity.
It may be a defense to a charge of discrimination that the alleged
discriminatory action is specifically permitted under this subchapter or by
section 378-3, HRS.
(7) Good faith. If the employer or covered entity
demonstrates good faith efforts, in consultation with the person with a
disability who has requested an accommodation, to identify and make a
reasonable accommodation that would not cause an undue hardship on the
operation of the business, the employer or other covered entity may be liable
for compensatory damages and other relief but would not be liable for punitive
damages if the good faith offer of accommodation is found to be not reasonable.
(8) Claims
based on transitory and minor impairments under the "regarded as"
prong. It may be a defense to a
claim of discrimination by a person claiming coverage under the "regarded as" prong of the definition of
disability that the impairment is or would be transitory and minor. A covered entity must demonstrate that the
impairment is both "transitory" and "minor." Whether the impairment is or would be
transitory and minor is to be determined objectively. An employer or other covered entity may not
defeat "regarded as" coverage of a person simply by
demonstrating that it subjectively believed the impairment was transitory and
minor.
[Eff 8/18/94; am 3/5/12 ] (Auth:
HRS §368-3) (Imp: HRS §§378-1,
378-2, 378-3)
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