ADA Standards for Individuals with One-Arm [1]
An individual may have use of one hand for a variety of reasons. It could be from an injury or amputation. It may also be from a repetitive stress injury like carpal tunnel or it could be congenital. For some jobs an individual may not need an accommodation. In others, modifications may be needed to make the individual more productive.
People with limitations from a hand amputation 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 who are aging will need accommodations to perform their jobs and many others may only need a few accommodations. Numerous other accommodation solutions may exist.
In an effort to make a task more comfortable for someone adhering to these conditions, it is crucial to ask these questions when looking to make accommodations:
- 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?
Training
Although individuals with one-arm are not given a specific manual on how to perform daily tasks, there are many accommodations to be made. There are specific brands and tools designed to help amputees adapt while working in the kitchen (See Current Products – Background and Research). The Internet also provides lots of tips for individual tasks that you may encounter while working in the kitchen [2].
Sources:
[1] About hand amputation and amputees abilities according to the Job Accommodation Network
[2] Kitchen Tips for Upper Limb Amputees – Cutting and Chopping