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About Bladder Impairment
Bladder impairments tend to be caused by neurologic conditions, including spinal cord injuries, disease, cerebrovascular accidents, brain injuries, multiple sclerosis, and dementia. However, other conditions can also trigger bladder impairments, such as pregnancy, childbirth, weight, and medications. Some of the most common symptoms of a bladder impairment can be an inability to hold urine (functional incontinence), a strong need to urinate (urge incontinence), and leakage due to activity (stress incontinence). These can also lead to infections, stones, or renal damage. Interstitial cystitis is a specific bladder condition that can cause pressure and pain in the bladder. It also has symptoms similar to other bladder disorders, such as frequent urination, pain during sex, and waking at night to urinate.
Bladder Impairment and the Americans with Disabilities Act
The ADA does not contain a list of medical conditions that constitute disabilities. Instead, the ADA has a general definition of disability that each person must meet. A person has a disability if he/she has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a record of such an impairment, or is regarded as having an impairment. For more information about how to determine whether a person has a disability under the ADA, see How to Determine Whether a Person Has a Disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA).
Accommodating Employees with Bladder Impairment
People with bladder impairments may develop some of the limitations discussed below, but seldom develop all of them. Also, the degree of limitation will vary among individuals. Be aware that not all people with bladder impairments will need accommodations to perform their jobs and many others may only need a few accommodations. The following is only a sample of the possibilities available. Numerous other accommodation solutions may exist.
Questions to Consider:
- What limitations is the employee experiencing?
- How do these limitations affect the employee and the employee’s job performance?
- What specific job tasks are problematic as a result of these limitations?
- What accommodations are available to reduce or eliminate these problems? Are all possible resources being used to determine possible accommodations?
- Has the employee been consulted regarding possible accommodations?
- Once accommodations are in place, would it be useful to meet with the employee to evaluate the effectiveness of the accommodations and to determine whether additional accommodations are needed?
- Do supervisory personnel and employees need training?
Accommodation Ideas:
By Limitation
Decreased Stamina/Fatigue
- Aide/Assistant/Attendant
- Job Restructuring
- Periodic Rest Breaks
- Telework, Work from Home, Working Remotely
- Worksite Redesign / Modified Workspace
Effect of/Receive Medical Treatment
Lifting
- Agriculture/Farm
- Industrial
- Office or Retail Goods
- Other
- People
Toileting/Grooming Issue
- Accessible Toilets and Toilet Seats
- Aide/Assistant/Attendant
- Flexible Schedule
- Grab Bars - Toilet Hinged Arm Support
- Grooming and Dressing Aids
- Independent Living Aids
- Modified Break Schedule
- Swing Away Grab Bars
- Telework, Work from Home, Working Remotely
- Toileting Aids
- Transfer Aids
- Worksite Redesign / Modified Workspace
Situations and Solutions:

An employee who experienced incontinence requested accommodations because he was having accidents at work.
The employer allowed the employee to keep a change of clothes at the office and additional restroom breaks.

An employee recently had surgery, which was needed as a result of a bladder condition.
She was not able to commute to work so she asked to telework. The telework policy was extended to only senior employees. The employer agreed to modify the telework policy for the employee, who was considered a new employee, on a temporary basis, to see how the accommodation works.

An employee with a bladder condition requested leave in order to go to doctors’ appointments.
The employer offered a modified schedule instead, so that the employee could make up the time missed without needing to use accrued leave.

Because of medications being taken for a bladder condition, and employee experienced fatigue in the afternoon.
The employer modified the employees break time and provided a space for the employee to rest during the afternoon.

An employee with interstitial cystitis needed to use the restroom once every hour.
The employer modified the company break policy, just for the employee, so that frequent restroom breaks could be taken.
JAN Publications & Articles Regarding Bladder Impairment
Publications
Accommodation and Compliance Series
Consultants' Corner Articles
Articles
Blog Posts
- No Blog Posts available for Bladder Impairment
Events Regarding Bladder Impairment
- Upcoming Events
- Past Recorded Module
- Past In-person Training
- Past Exhibit Booths
- Past Remote Monthly Series Training
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DEAM - A Disability Inclusion Intervention: What DE Members Need to Know to Move the Inclusion Needle ForwardApril 26, 2018
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DMEC - ADA Basics: Competence Builds ConfidenceApril 30, 2018
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DMEC - Who Wants to Be an ADA Guru?May 1, 2018
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ADA Symposium - Unpacking the Reasonable Accommodation Conversation: Achieving Win/Win OutcomesJune 20, 2018
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APSE - Employer Resource PanelJune 27, 2018
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USBLN - JAN Academy 2018: Developing a NextGen Disability Inclusive WorkplaceJuly 9, 2018
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EXCEL - Beyond the Diagnosis: A Transparent Look at Job Accommodations for Mental HealthJuly 10, 2018
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ILG - Tools, Techniques, and Technologies for Creating Inclusive WorkplacesAugust 2, 2018
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DMEC - Tools, Techniques, and Technologies for Creating Inclusive WorkplacesAugust 9, 2018
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FDR - Disability Inclusion and Reasonable AccommodationsAugust 13, 2018
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AK State HR Conference - Tools, Techniques, and Technologies for Creating Inclusive WorkplacesSeptember 21, 2018
Presenters:
- Tracie DeFreitas , Lead Consultant — ADA Specialist
Presenters:
- Linda Carter Batiste , Principal Consultant/Legislative Specialist
Presenters:
- Louis E. Orslene , JAN Co-Director
Presenters:
- Melanie Whetzel , Lead Consultant – Cognitive/Neurological Team
Presenters:
- Louis E. Orslene , JAN Co-Director
Presentations
Handouts
Presenters:
- Beth Loy , Principal Consultant/Technical Specialist
Presentations
Presenters:
- Louis E. Orslene , JAN Co-Director
Presenters:
- Anne E. Hirsh , Co-Director
Presentations
Handouts
Presenters:
- Beth Loy , Principal Consultant/Technical Specialist
- Derek Shields, EARN
- Dexter Brooks, EEOC
Presenters:
- Louis E. Orslene , JAN Co-Director
Presentations
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DMEC - FMLA/ADA Employer Compliance ConferenceApril 30, 2018
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DMEC - FMLA/ADA Employer Compliance ConferenceMay 1, 2018
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DMEC - FMLA/ADA Employer Compliance ConferenceMay 1, 2018
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APSE Employment First, Employment for All National ConferenceJune 26, 2018
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APSE Employment First, Employment for All National ConferenceJune 27, 2018
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EEOC's 21st Annual EXCEL ConferenceJuly 10, 2018
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EEOC's 21st Annual EXCEL ConferenceJuly 10, 2018
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EEOC's 21st Annual EXCEL ConferenceJuly 11, 2018
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EEOC's 21st Annual EXCEL ConferenceJuly 12, 2018
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ILG National Conference - Navigating the Waves of ChangeAugust 1, 2018
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ILG National Conference - Navigating the Waves of ChangeAugust 2, 2018
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DMEC Annual ConferenceAugust 6, 2018
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DMEC Annual ConferenceAugust 6, 2018
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DMEC Annual ConferenceAugust 7, 2018
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DMEC Annual ConferenceAugust 8, 2018
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DMEC Annual ConferenceAugust 9, 2018
Presenters:
- Louis E. Orslene , JAN Co-Director
Presenters:
- Louis E. Orslene , JAN Co-Director
Presenters:
- Louis E. Orslene , JAN Co-Director
Presenters:
- Beth Loy , Principal Consultant/Technical Specialist
Presenters:
- Beth Loy , Principal Consultant/Technical Specialist
Presenters:
- Beth Loy , Principal Consultant/Technical Specialist
Presenters:
- Beth Loy , Principal Consultant/Technical Specialist
Presenters:
- Louis E. Orslene , JAN Co-Director
Presentations
Handouts
Presenters:
- Louis E. Orslene , JAN Co-Director
Presentations
Handouts
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TransitionMay 9, 2017
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JAN - R U Ok?October 17, 2017
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JAN - Give Us Your Challenging, Your Bewildering, Your Unusual ADA IssuesNovember 14, 2017
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JAN - Ask the JAN Motor TeamDecember 12, 2017
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JAN - PAS and the New Section 501 Affirmative Action RequirementsJanuary 10, 2018
Presenters:
- Melanie Whetzel , Lead Consultant – Cognitive/Neurological Team
Presentations
Transcripts
Presenters:
- Louis E. Orslene , JAN Co-Director
- Lori Golden, EY Abilities Strategy Leader, Americas Talent Team
- Mike Weiner, LMSW, Associate Director EY Assist, Ernst & Young, LLP
Presentations
Handouts
Presenters:
- Tracie DeFreitas , Lead Consultant — ADA Specialist
Presentations
Transcripts
Presenters:
- Lisa Mathess , Lead Consultant, Motor Team
- Matthew McCord , Consultant – Mobility Team
Presentations
Transcripts
Presenters:
- Linda Carter Batiste , Principal Consultant/Legislative Specialist
- Beth Loy , Principal Consultant/Technical Specialist
- Anupa Iyer, Esq., CLMS, Policy Advisor, Office of Federal Operations (OFO), U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Presentations
Transcripts
Additional Notes:
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Other Information Regarding Bladder Impairment
External Links
Organizations
- Job Accommodation Network
- Office of Disability Employment Policy
- Bladder and Bowel Foundation
- Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network
- International Paruresis Association
- Interstitial Cystitis Association
- Interstitial Cystitis Network
- Kidney & Urology Foundation of America
- Mayo Clinic
- MedlinePlus
- National Association for Continence
- National Center for Biotechnology Information
- National Institute on Aging
- National Organization for Rare Disorders
- Office on Women's Health
- Remedy's Health Communites
- Urology Care Foundation