As with all requests for a reasonable accommodation, the sponsor should engage in an interactive process with the individual to identify the precise limitations resulting from the disability and potential reasonable accommodations that could overcome those limitations. However, a sponsor may require that an individual be able to perform the essential functions of the position in question without posing a direct threat to the health or safety of the individual or others in the workplace. Thus, if an individual with a disability cannot perform a job safely, even with a reasonable accommodation, the sponsor need not hire or retain him or her for that job.
At the same time, not all disabilities include physical limitations, and not all physical limitations will be relevant to the job in question. Each situation requires a specific assessment of the individual’s current ability to safely perform the essential functions of the job.