[nagdu] employment and guide dogs

[Angie Matney]

Rebecca asked:

>Why hasn't NFB tried to do something close to FMLA, where a person
>cannot be fired from a job if he or she needs to do something to
>mitigate a disability, i.e. getting a guide dog, learning to use a piece
>of technology, what have you? 

Can you clarify what you mean?

It is my understanding that an employer would have to accommodate you if you needed to go train with a guide dog, unless accommodating you would pose an undue hardship for the employer. "Accommodating" doesn't mean that the employer 
would have to provide paid leave, though I know that some employers do provide a certain amount of paid time off for people to receive guide-dog training.

I have heard of instances where people invoked FMLA to train with a guide dog. I personally would not feel comfortable doing so, since it's bending the law a bit. But it has been done.

Angie