BOISE STATE UNIVERSITY
ADA: PHYSICAL / MENTAL REQUIREMENTS QUESTIONNAIRE
INSTRUCTION SHEET
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law July 26,1990. Title I of the Act governs
employment issues and became effective July 16, 1992. The purpose of Title I of the Act is to ensure that
qualified individuals with disabilities are protected from discrimination on the basis of their disability. The
ADA provides equal opportunities for qualified individuals with disabilities who can perform the “essential”
functions of a position with or without reasonable accommodation. As part of our compliance with this
legislation, the ADA Questionnaire will gather specific information regarding the essential physical activities
and mental requirements as well as essential and non-essential duties required for this position.
The information on the ADA Questionnaire should be completed by someone who is totally familiar with all the
physical and mental aspects of this position and any specific equipment or devices used in this job.
A carefully drafted, comprehensive position / job description (PDQ or JDQ) is the best piece of documented
evidence submitted to a court identifying the essential functions of the job. In addition, a job description should
be an especially helpful tool to be used when recruiting and filling a vacant position and a historical overview of
often overlooked aspects of individual jobs. Please elaborate on any areas you think need additional
information or clarification to describe these aspects of the position.
Compliance with the ADA requires us to categorize the duties or tasks assigned to this position as being
“essential” or “non-essential” job functions. Please indicate whether the duties listed on the PDQ or JDQ are
ESSENTIAL [E] or NON-ESSENTIAL [N] using the following guide:
E--ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS
Those duties and responsibilities that an individual in this position must be able to perform unaided or with the
assistance of reasonable accommodations. A job function may be considered essential for several reasons,
including:
1) Job tasks that are fundamental and not marginal, or the reason the position exists is to perform that
function, OR
2) The number of employees available to perform that function is limited; OR
3) The function may be so highly specialized that the person in the position is hired for his / her
expertise or ability to perform the particular function.
N--NON-ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS
Those job functions than an employer may transfer or reassign to other individuals or that are not
required to be performed by an individual with a disability.
Questions regarding the ADA Physical / Mental Requirements Questionnaire should be directed to the office
that provided the form to you (either Human Resource Services or Affirmative Action). Please return the
completed Questionnaire to the office that provided the form to you.