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In 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed into law, granting workplace protections for individuals with disabilities. One of those protections involves reasonable accommodation at work. If you are an employee who requires accommodations to do your job, know your rights—and what you can do if they are violated.
What Is a Reasonable Accommodation?
Under the ADA, a reasonable accommodation is an adjustment or restructuring of your tasks or work environment that enables you to do your job. Examples of reasonable accommodations in the workplace include, but are not limited to:
- Sign language interpreters
- Large-print training manuals and other documents
- Modified or restructured work schedules
- Remote work arrangements
Employers are required to accommodate employees with disabilities unless they can prove that the accommodation would place undue hardship on the company.
Which Accommodations Are Unreasonable?
The key word when discussing workplace accommodation is “reasonable.” Some accommodations, while they may help you do your job, place a level of hardship on the company. The following accommodations are not considered reasonable under the ADA:
- Your own personal assistant
- Eliminating essential job responsibilities
- More paid leave than is given to workers without disabilities
- Placing extra work on other employees
If an accommodation is particularly expensive or would disrupt other employees’ ability to do their jobs, your supervisor may deem it unreasonable.
Asking for Accommodations
In order to receive accommodations at work, you must ask for them. You do not have to invoke the ADA or use the term “reasonable accommodation” if you’re uncomfortable doing so. Asking your supervisor, “My wheelchair won’t fit under my desk; may I use a desk that fits better?” is an adequate request.
If your supervisor denies your request, even though you don’t believe it would place undue hardship on the company, talk to a disability attorney in Boise, Idaho. The attorneys at Rossman Law Group are highly familiar with the ADA and will ask clarifying questions about the nature of your request. If we find that your employer denied a reasonable request, we can provide more information about how to move forward with a discrimination suit.
If you are a worker with a disability, the Americans with Disabilities Act grants you rights to reasonable accommodations in the workplace. In order to advocate for yourself, you’ve got to know those rights! Keep this guide from Rossman Law Group on hand if you are considering asking for workplace accommodations.
