Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 6, March 17, 2025
PURPOSE: The Missouri Commission
on
Human Rights has the power and authority to adopt
suitable rules to carry out the provisions of the state Fair Employment
Practices Act pursuant to 213.030(6), RSMo (1986). The rules represent the
commission's construction of provisions dealing with handicap discrimination in
employment.
(1) Definitions.
When used in these rules-
(A) The phrase
physical or mental impairment means-
1. Any
physiological disorder or condition, cosmetic disfigurement, or anatomical loss
affecting one (1) or more of the following body systems: neurological;
musculoskeletal; special sense organs; respiratory, including speech organs;
cardiovascular; reproductive; digestive, genitourinary; hemic and lymphatic;
skin; and endocrine; or
2. Any
mental or psychological disorder, such as mental retardation, organic brain
syndrome, emotional or mental illness, and learning disabilities;
(B) Disability means a person
either has a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one (1)
or more of that person's major life activities; or has a record of such
impairment; or is regarded as having such an impairment.
1. Minor temporary illnesses shall not be
considered physical or mental impairments resulting in a disability. Examples
of minor temporary illnesses include, but are not limited to, broken bones,
sprains, or colds;
(C)
Major life activities means those life activities which affect employability
such as communication, ambulation, self-care, socialization, education,
vocational training, employment, and transportation;
(D) Has a record of such an impairment means
a person has a history of, or has been misclassified, as having a physical or
mental impairment that does not substantially limit major life activities but
that is treated by an employer as constituting such a limitation;
(E) Is regarded as having such an impairment
means a person-
1. Has a physical or mental
impairment that does not substantially limit major life activities but is
treated by an employer or by others as constituting such a limitation;
or
2. Has none of the impairments
defined in paragraph (1)(A)1. Or 2. of this rule, but is treated by an employer
or by others as having an impairment which substantially limits a major life
activity;
(F) Disability
unrelated to a person's ability to perform the duties of a particular job or
position means a disability which does not substantially interfere with a
person's ability to perform the essential functions of the employment for which
the person applies, is engaged in or had been engaged.
1. Uninsurability or increased cost of
insurance under a group or employee insurance plan does not render a disability
job related.
2. A disability is not
job related merely because the job may pose a threat of harm to the employee or
applicant with the disability unless the threat is one of demonstrable serious
harm to his/her safety.
3. A
disability is job related if placing the disabled person in the job would pose
a demonstrable threat of harm to the health and safety of others.
4. A disability is not job related if, with
reasonable accommodation, it does not prevent performance of the essential
functions of the job in question; and
(G) Reasonable accommodation means-
1. An employer shall make reasonable
accommodation to the known limitations of a handicapped employee or
applicant;
2. Accommodation may
include:
A. Making facilities used by
employees readily accessible to and usable by handicapped persons;
and
B. Job restructuring, part-time
or modified work schedules, acquisition or modification of equipment or
devices, the provision of readers or interpreters and other similar actions;
and
3. In determining
whether an accommodation is reasonable, factors to be considered include, but
are not limited to:
A. The nature and cost of
the accommodation needed;
B. The
size and nature of a business, including the number and type of facilities and
the structure and composition of the work force;
C. The good faith efforts previously made to
accommodate similar disabilities; and
D. The ownership interest in the subject of
the proposed accommodation including the authority to make the accommodation
under the terms of any
bona fide agreement such as a
lease.
(2) Preemployment Inquiries.
(A) An employer, labor organization, or
employment agency shall not make preemployment inquiry of an applicant as to
whether the applicant has a physical or mental impairment or as to the nature
or severity of this impairment. However, an employer, labor organization, or
employment agency may make preemployment inquiry into an applicant's ability to
perform specific job-related functions.
(3) Employment Criteria.
(A) An employer, labor organization, or
employment agency shall not make use of any employment test or other selection
criterion which screens out or tends to screen out handicapped persons or any
class of handicapped persons unless-
1. The
test score or the selection criterion is shown to be job related for the
position in question; and
2.
Alternative job-related tests or criteria that do not screen out or tend to
screen out as many handicapped persons are shown to be unavailable.
(B) An employer, labor
organization, or employment agency shall select and administer tests concerning
employment to ensure that, when administered to the applicant or employee who
has a handicap that impairs sensory, manual, reading or speaking skills, the
test results accurately reflect the applicant's or employee's job skills,
aptitude, or whatever other factor the test purports to measure, rather than
reflecting the applicant's or employee's impaired sensory, manual, reading, or
speaking skills, except where those skills are the factors that the test
purports to measure.
(C) The
requirements of 8 CSR 60-3.030 regarding
employment testing shall apply to the handicapped.
(4) The requirements of
8 CSR
60-3.010 regarding employer reporting and preservation
of records shall apply to the handicapped.
(5) The requirements of
8 CSR
60-3.020 regarding employment advertising practices
shall apply to the handicapped.
(6)
The requirements of Chapter 8 CSR 60-2 regarding practice and procedure shall
apply to the handicapped.
AUTHORITY:
section 213.030(6),
RSMo 2016.* This rule was previously filed as 4 CSR 180-3.060. Original rule
filed July 1, 1980, effective Nov. 13, 1980. Amended: Filed April 27, 2018,
effective Nov. 30, 2018.