ADA Accommodations: What Employers Must Do

If you have a disability that affects your ability to perform your job, you may be entitled to a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). But here's what many employees don't realize: the accommodation process is highly technical, and how you request accommodations—and document everything—can determine whether your employer must help you or can legally ignore your needs.

The stakes are real. Employees who handle this process badly often find themselves without protection when their employer retaliates — not because the law failed them, but because they didn't create the record necessary to prove their case. Understanding the ADA's requirements in detail is the first step toward protecting yourself.

What the ADA Requires

The ADA prohibits employers with 15 or more employees from discriminating against qualified individuals with disabilities. At its core, this means employers cannot treat you differently because of your disability, and they must take affirmative steps to help you succeed in your role when doing so is reasonable.

The most important of these affirmative obligations is the duty to provide reasonable accommodations — modifications or adjustments to the work environment, job duties, or workplace policies that enable a qualified employee with a disability to perform the essential functions of their position. This is not a favor. It is a federal mandate backed by decades of enforcement action and case law.

What counts as a reasonable accommodation depends entirely on the circumstances. A warehouse worker with a back injury might need modified lifting requirements or a temporary transfer to lighter-duty work. An office employee with severe anxiety might benefit from a quieter workspace, noise-canceling headphones, or the ability to work remotely two days a week. Someone managing diabetes might need scheduled break times for blood sugar checks and meals. The point is not that every accommodation requested must be granted — it's that every request must be genuinely considered.

Accommodations can also include less obvious adjustments: restructuring non-essential job duties, providing assistive technology, modifying attendance policies for employees who need periodic medical leave, or allowing flexible scheduling around treatment appointments. The ADA's definition is intentionally broad because disabilities affect people in vastly different ways, and cookie-cutter solutions rarely work.

The Interactive Process

When an employee requests an accommodation — or when an employer becomes aware that one may be needed — the ADA requires both sides to engage in an interactive process. This is a genuine, good-faith dialogue aimed at identifying an accommodation that works for both the employee and the employer.

The process typically unfolds in stages. It begins when the employee communicates that they have a medical condition affecting their ability to work and need some kind of change or adjustment. The employer then has an obligation to respond — not weeks later, not when HR gets around to it, but promptly and meaningfully. The employer and employee discuss the specific limitations caused by the disability, explore what accommodations might address those limitations, and evaluate whether those accommodations are feasible given the employer's operations.

What makes this process legally significant is that both sides must participate in good faith. An employer who goes through the motions — asking for paperwork, scheduling meetings, but never actually implementing anything — can be held liable for failing to accommodate just as readily as one who flatly refuses. Courts look at whether the employer genuinely tried to find a solution or simply ran out the clock.

Similarly, employees have obligations in this process. You must provide adequate medical documentation when requested of you. You must communicate clearly about your limitations and what would help. And you must be willing to consider alternative accommodations if your preferred option isn't feasible. The interactive process is a two-way street, and employees who refuse to engage can lose their legal protections.

How to Request an Accommodation

You don't need to use the words "reasonable accommodation" or cite the ADA. Courts have consistently held that employees can trigger the interactive process with plain language — anything that communicates you have a medical condition affecting your work and that you need help. Telling your supervisor "my medication makes me drowsy in the mornings — can we shift my start time?" is enough.

That said, put it in writing. This is perhaps the most important practical advice any employment lawyer can give. A verbal conversation leaves no record. When your employer later claims you never requested an accommodation, you need documentation proving otherwise.

After any conversation about accommodations, send a follow-up email confirming what was discussed. Something like: "Per our conversation today, I'm requesting an accommodation for [medical condition]. As we discussed, I need [specific accommodation]. Please let me know the next steps." Keep a copy of everything — your written requests, your employer's responses or non-responses, medical documentation you provide, HR communications, and any denials or alternative proposals. Note the specific dates of each interaction. If litigation becomes necessary, this timeline is often the most critical piece of evidence in the case.

What Medical Information Employers Can Request

Employers are entitled to verify that your disability and need for accommodation are legitimate. They can ask for documentation from your healthcare provider confirming the disability, an explanation of the functional limitations it causes, how the requested accommodation would address those limitations, and whether alternative accommodations might also be effective.

But there are hard limits. Your employer cannot demand your complete medical records, your specific diagnosis (unless it is directly relevant to the accommodation needed), information about conditions unrelated to your workplace need, or direct access to speak with your doctor without your written consent. The medical inquiry must be narrowly tailored to the accommodation question — not a fishing expedition into your health history.

Employees sometimes make the mistake of handing over everything their doctor has on file, thinking it demonstrates the seriousness of their condition. This can backfire. Complete medical records may contain information about unrelated conditions, mental health treatment, or substance abuse history that the employer has no right to see and that could introduce bias into the decision-making process.

What Makes an Accommodation "Reasonable" — And When Employers Can Say No

An accommodation must be effective at enabling the employee to perform the essential functions of the job. It does not have to be the employee's first choice. When multiple effective accommodations exist, the employer has the right to choose among them, considering cost, operational impact, effects on other employees, and safety.

Employers can lawfully deny accommodations under limited circumstances, but only after genuinely engaging in the interactive process. The most common legal basis for denial is undue hardship — a showing that the accommodation would cause significant difficulty or expense relative to the employer's size, resources, and operations. For a five-person plumbing company, purchasing $50,000 in specialized equipment might be an undue hardship. For a Fortune 500 company, the same expense almost certainly is not.

An employer may also deny an accommodation if the employee poses a direct threat — a significant risk of substantial harm that cannot be eliminated or reduced through reasonable accommodation. This requires objective, individualized evidence — not stereotypes about what people with certain disabilities can or cannot do. The employer must show that the risk is real, not speculative, and that no accommodation would mitigate it.

Finally, an accommodation may be denied if the employee cannot perform the essential functions of the job even with the accommodation in place. But employers cannot inflate the "essential functions" of a position to exclude disabled employees. If a function is marginal — performed rarely, or easily redistributed — removing it from an employee's duties may itself be a reasonable accommodation.

The Red Flags That Signal ADA Violations

Knowing what violations look like is critical for employees navigating this process. The most common red flag is refusal to engage — an employer who ignores accommodation requests entirely, who tells you to "just deal with it," or who passes your request between departments without anyone taking ownership. The law does not tolerate bureaucratic indifference.

Watch for employers who demand more medical information than necessary, who reject requests without conducting any individualized assessment, or who suddenly find performance problems shortly after you request an accommodation. If you were meeting expectations before your request and are placed on a performance improvement plan or written up for trivial issues afterward, that pattern suggests retaliation — which is itself a separate violation under 42 U.S.C. § 12203.

Other warning signs include unreasonable delay (letting requests sit for weeks or months without response), creating new hardships (reassigning you to a worse position or reducing your hours), and pretextual termination (firing you for vague or shifting reasons shortly after your accommodation request). Workers who experience workplace retaliation in Oklahoma should document the timeline meticulously, as the proximity between the request and adverse action is often the strongest evidence of unlawful motive.

The Legal Framework in Oklahoma

The ADA's accommodation mandate is codified at 42 U.S.C. § 12112(b)(5)(A), which makes it unlawful for employers to fail to provide reasonable accommodations unless doing so would impose an undue hardship. The interactive process requirement comes from EEOC regulations at 29 C.F.R. § 1630.2(o), which define reasonable accommodation and outline the employer's obligations.

Oklahoma employees have additional protections beyond federal law. The Oklahoma Anti-Discrimination Act (OADA), 25 O.S. § 1101 et seq., mirrors many federal protections and may cover employers with fewer than 15 employees who fall outside the ADA's reach. Learn more about disability discrimination claims under the ADA. Filing deadlines differ between federal and state claims — you have 300 days to file with the EEOC but potentially shorter deadlines under state law.

For employees unsure whether their situation involves disability discrimination specifically versus broader hostile work environment claims, consulting with an employment attorney can clarify which claims apply and which administrative steps to take first.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to tell my employer my exact diagnosis?

Not necessarily. You need to provide enough information to establish that you have a disability and need an accommodation. Employers can request medical documentation, but they generally cannot demand your complete medical records or your specific diagnosis unless it's directly relevant.

Can my employer fire me for requesting an ADA accommodation?

No. Retaliation for requesting reasonable accommodations is illegal under the ADA. If you're terminated shortly after requesting an accommodation, that timing can be strong evidence of unlawful retaliation.

What if my employer offers a different accommodation than the one I requested?

Employers don't have to provide your preferred accommodation — they can choose among effective alternatives. However, the accommodation they provide must actually be effective at enabling you to perform your essential job functions.

Does the ADA apply to small businesses?

The ADA applies to employers with 15 or more employees. If your employer has fewer than 15 employees, the ADA may not apply, but Oklahoma state law or other protections might still cover you.