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About Phobias
Phobias are irrational, involuntary, and inappropriate fears of (or responses to) ordinary situations or things. The fear is persistent and out of proportion to the actual danger the object or situation poses. People who have phobias can experience panic attacks when confronted with the situation or object about which they feel phobic. A category of symptoms called phobic disorder falls within the broader field of anxiety disorders. Phobias are usually long-term, distressing disorders that keep people from ordinary activities and places. They can lead to other serious problems, such as social isolation and depression.
Phobias 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 Phobias
People with phobias 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 phobias 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?
Key Accommodations:
Managing Panic Attacks: For individuals with mental health impairments, having accommodations to help manage panic attacks can be helpful.
Accommodation Ideas:
By Limitation
Attentiveness/Concentration
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Products
- Alternative Lighting
- Applications (apps)
- Apps for Concentration
- Cubicle Doors, Shields, and Shades
- Desk Organizers
- Desk Pedal Exercisers
- Electronic Organizers
- Environmental Sound Machines / Tinnitus Maskers / White Noise Machines
- Fidget Devices
- Focus Enhancement
- Full Spectrum or Natural Lighting Products
- Noise Abatement
- Noise Canceling Earbuds
- Noise Canceling Headsets
- Simulated Skylights and Windows
- Sound Absorption and Sound Proof Panels
- Sun Boxes and Lights
- Sun Simulating Desk Lamps
- Timers and Watches
- Wall Calendars and Planners
- Services
- Strategies
Control of Anger/Emotions
- Products
- Services
- Strategies
Stress Intolerance
- Products
- Services
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Strategies
- Behavior Modification Techniques
- Communicate Another Way
- Complying with Behavior and Conduct Rules
- Flexible Schedule
- Instant Messaging and Texting Solutions for Businesses
- Job Restructuring
- Marginal Functions
- Modified Break Schedule
- On-site Mentoring
- One-on-One Communication
- Policy Modification
- Positive Feedback
- Supervisory Feedback
- Supervisory Methods
- Support Animal
- Support Person
- Telepresence
- Telework, Work from Home, Working Remotely
By Work Related Function
Stress
- Apps for Anxiety and Stress
- Behavior Modification Techniques
- Counseling/Therapy
- Flexible Schedule
- Job Restructuring
- Marginal Functions
- Modified Break Schedule
- Monitor Mirrors
- On-site Mentoring
- Service Animal
- Simulated Skylights and Windows
- Supervisory Methods
- Support Animal
- Support Person
- Telework, Work from Home, Working Remotely
- Uninterrupted Work Time
Situations and Solutions:

An employee with agoraphobia works from home full-time as a benefit of employment.
When new management comes on board, the whole telework program is scrapped and everyone is required to return to the office. The employee, who never had to disclose and ask for an accommodation, now asks for a policy modification that would allow him to continue to work from home. The new management considers his request and finds no hardship in allowing him to remain at home to complete his job tasks.

A paramedic was finding it increasingly difficult to go out on runs because of a phobia that involved roaches.
He asked that enough personnel be dispatched to each scene that would enable him to remain in the vehicle. The employer could not guarantee that it would always be possible, so they agreed to look into reassignment. He was successfully reassigned to a 911 dispatch position that was vacant, where he wouldn’t be required to go on the problematic runs.

An adjuster for an insurance company developed a fear of heights and using ladders after a recent fall from a roof.
The employer looked at the options of providing safety gear to the employee as well as reassigning him to a position without the height / use of ladders requirement. The adjuster truly wanted to stay in his job, and since the use of ladders for heights isn’t something he does every day, they decided to obtain safety gear so that he wouldn’t fall again.

An employer was notified that the only supervisor he had in a particular department had a phobia towards a specific group of people.
The supervisor asked to be excused from supervising a new employee from this people group. Since she was the only supervisor in that area, the employer could not remove the duty or give it to another. By attending the meetings himself with the supervisor and this particular employee, the employer was able to reduce the anxiety the supervisor was feeling and eventually enable her to meet with the person (and others) without the extra support.

An administrative assistant who worked in a small office was reassigned to another position when her position was eliminated due to a reduction in the work flow.
Her new environment was an open area that didn’t allow her to sit with her back to the wall, escalating her fear of being in open spaces. She was accommodated by a move to the outskirts of the large area. Her workspace was reoriented so she was able to sit with her back to a partition that was near a wall.

An employee with anxiety and a driving phobia takes public transportation to work.
After a company restructure, the employee was moved to work in a new location that would necessitate a lengthy commute involving two buses and a train. She disclosed her disability and asked for accommodations. She was accommodated by remaining at her current location, with a change in supervisor to the one who would oversee the employees in that location. Although her current supervisor was going to the new location, her job would remain the same.
JAN Publications & Articles Regarding Phobias
Publications
Accommodation and Compliance Series
Consultants' Corner Articles
- A Support Person as an Accommodation
- Accommodations Related to Commuting To and From Work
- Confidentiality of Medical Information under the ADA
- Dealing with Stress in the Workplace
- Emotional Support Animals in the Workplace: A Practical Approach
- Hidden Disabilities: Confidentiality and Travel
- Phobias in the Workplace
- Service Animals and Allergies in the Workplace
- Service Animals in the Workplace
Articles
- Accommodating Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia)
- Cognitive Impairment and the Interactive Process
- Dad was Claustrophobic
- Fear or Phobia? What is the difference? Why does it matter at work?
- I Understand You Are Stressed...But Aren’t We All?
- Phobias in the Workplace
- Return to Work After Hospitalization for Mental Health Treatment
- Suicidal Ideation in the Workplace
Blog Posts
Events Regarding Phobias
- 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 Phobias
External Links
- Accommodating Mental Illness in the Workplace
- American Psychiatric Association Foundation
- Complying with the EEOC’s Mental Health Requirements in the Workplace Corporate Wellness
- EEOC's Depression, PTSD, & Other Mental Health Conditions in the Workplace: Your Legal Rights
- EEOC's Performance And Conduct Standards, Applying to Employees With Disabilities under the ADA
- EEOC's Psychiatric Disabilities
- EEOC's Reasonable Accommodation and Undue Hardship under the Americans with Disabilities Act
- How Does Mental Illness Interfere with Work Performance?
- Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Parity
- PART 1630—Regulations to Implement the Equal Employment Provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act
- Performance and Conduct Issues in Employees with Mental Health Impairments
- Phobia Types and Treatment
- Preventing Workplace Violence: Think Twice About Claiming ‘Direct Threat’
- Specific Phobias
- Stress vs. Anxiety: Defining and Accommodating in the Workplace
Organizations
- Job Accommodation Network
- Office of Disability Employment Policy
- Anxiety and Depression Association of America
- Mayo Clinic
- MedlinePlus
- Mental Health America
- National Alliance on Mental Illness
- National Center for Biotechnology Information
- National Institute of Mental Health
- Remedy's Health Communites