Accommodations

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act all require Tufts University to provide appropriate academic and employment accommodations to employees and students with disabilities - including those who are pregnant or have a pregnancy-related condition - unless doing so would create an undue hardship, compromise the health and safety of members of the University community, or fundamentally alter the nature of the university’s employment or academic program or mission.

As part of Tufts' commitment to provide an academic and work environment that is respectful of religious beliefs, Tufts will make good faith efforts to provide reasonable religious accommodations to students and employees whose sincerely held religious beliefs conflict with a university policy, procedure, or other academic or employment requirement unless such an accommodation would create an undue hardship.  Tufts and the employee or student with the sincerely held religious belief shall engage in an interactive dialogue to determine if the requested accommodation is reasonable.

Tufts University  is committed to supporting and meeting the needs of individuals experiencing pregnancy or pregnancy-related conditions. Discrimination and harassment based on pregnancy or pregnancy-related conditions, including but not limited to childbirth, termination of pregnancy, or lactation will not be tolerated.  Tufts University will reasonably accommodate employees and prospective employees for pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions, absent undue hardship for the University.

Tufts University is committed to supporting and meeting the needs of nursing individuals returning to work, school, or visiting the campus. Any nursing individual who is a member of the Tufts community (faculty, staff, students, patients, visitors, third parties or community members) can use the designated lactation rooms. In addition, faculty and staff are entitled to reasonable breaks to express breast milk as well as sufficient time to get to the lactation room.

Tufts welcomes service animals on all of our campuses to accommodate an individual with a disability but may exclude an animal from campus if it causes disruption, threatens the health or safety of others or otherwise fails to meet the criteria set forth in the Pets and Service Animals policy.

If you have a sincerely held religious or spiritual belief, practice, or observance that prevents you from receiving a vaccination, you can contact OEO to request an immunization exemption from the University’s vaccine requirements. It’s important to know that Massachusetts Law does not allow for philosophical exemptions, even if signed by a physician. Only medical and religious exemptions are acceptable.

For medical exemptions, contact Health Services or complete the medical exemption request form (Medford/Somerville/SMFA students) OR contact the Office of Occupational Health at OccupationalHealth@tufts.edu (Grafton/Boston students and Tufts employees).