Reasonable accommodations under the ADA

If you have a disability, the state of California requires your employer to provide reasonable accommodations. In most cases, you’ll have to talk to your employer first. They’re not required to provide accommodations unless you specifically ask for them. Once you do, your employer must accommodate you to a certain extent.

What are reasonable accommodations?

Reasonable accommodations are anything that your employer can provide without spending large amounts of money or compromising their job operations. For example, if you have frequent medical appointments, your job could adjust your schedule to ensure that you get to them on time. This doesn’t cost the employer much (if any) money and allows the company to keep running smoothly.

An employer might also have to supply different materials for people who are blind, deaf or hard of hearing. If you use a wheelchair, your company might adjust the layout of your workspace to ensure that you have plenty of room, access to the bathroom or a ramp. Your employer could also assign you to a different position if you can’t fulfill your current job responsibilities.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires your employer to accommodate your disability up to a certain point. The law doesn’t require them to accommodate you if they would have to spend vast sums of money or completely restructure their business. Your employer can also expect you to perform basic job functions. If you can’t do that, your employer might be within their legal rights to fire you.

However, millions of Americans suffer from disability-related discrimination every year. If your place of employment refuses to provide reasonable accommodations, you might want to contact a discrimination attorney who is knowledgeable in employment law. You might be able to file a lawsuit against your employer.

How do you know if you’ve experienced discrimination?

You might have experienced discrimination if your employer refuses a completely reasonable request like adjusting your desk so you can use your wheelchair. Talk to an attorney if you suspect that your employer has broken the law. An attorney could tell you if you’re dealing with an ADA violation, and if so, how to proceed.