A study on the Reasonable Accommodation Duty and the Job Accommodation Scheme for People with Disabilities

Abstract

2007년 제정된 장애인차별금지법은 특히 정당한 편의제공 의무를 통해 장애인의 노동시장 통합에 크게 기여할 것으로 기대되었다. 하지만 시행 10년이 지난 현재 실질적인 파급 효과는 크지 않은 것으로 평가된다. 정당한 편의제공 의무는 ‘과도한 부담’이라는 면제 조건을 갖기 때문에 실효성 강화를 위해서는 의무 이행을 위한 지원 제도의 마련과 법적 관계 설정이 중요할 수 있다. 이에 본 연구에서는 정당한 편의제공 의무의 이행에 대한 국내외 제도 및 실태를 분석하고, 고용편의 지원 제도와의 상호 보완적 관계를 강화할 수 있는 방안을 제시하였다.

Generally, the disability anti-discrimination law considers a failure to make a reasonable accommodation as discrimination in addition to general discrimination such as direct discrimination, indirect discrimination, and harassment. And the reasonable accommodation duty is thought to play a key role particularly in the area of employment for persons with disabilities. However, when making an accommodation would impose a disproportionate burden or undue hardship on the duty bearer, the duty can be exempted. Therefore, public support for the implementation of the duty is required for the substantial fulfillment of the employers’ duty and the guarantee of the rights of persons with disabilities. A legal relationship is also needed between the reasonable accommodation duty and the job accommodation support scheme. This study focuses on this point and aims to propose a strategy for strengthening the reasonable accommodation duty of Korea. To this end, the interpretation and the principles of application of the reasonable accommodation duty under international norm such as United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Employment Equality Directive of European Union were examined. In addition, we analyzed the actual application of the reasonable accommodation duty in Korea by reviewing cases of the court and National Human Rights Commission for 10 years, and analyzing job accommodation scheme of Korea. After that, the reasonable accommodation duty and the job accommodation support scheme in the United States, United Kingdom, and Germany were analyzed and compared with Korea. Based on the results of these analyses, the legislative and the institutional improvement plans for the reasonable accommodation duty of Korea were suggested.