Frequently Asked ADA Accommodation Questions
An ADA accommodation is a workplace adjustment that enables an employee with a disability to perform the essential functions of their job. Accommodations must be reasonable and effective; they are not required to remove essential duties.
Employees with a disability that substantially limits one or more major life activities and who can perform the essential functions of their position with or without accommodation.
No. HR requires documentation describing functional limitations—not a diagnosis. Providers may outline work-related limitations without naming the specific medical condition.
HR gives strong consideration to provider recommendations; however, the ADA assigns the employer—not the provider—the responsibility to determine what accommodations are reasonable and effective in the workplace. HR may approve accommodations that differ from the provider’s suggested option if they are effective and feasible.
Accommodations vary because they must be tailored to each employee’s job description, essential functions, documented functional limitations, and departmental operational needs. ADA accommodations are individualized, not uniform.
Job descriptions help HR determine the essential job functions. Accommodations must allow those functions to be performed; the ADA does not require employers to remove or permanently excuse essential duties.
No. The ADA does not require removing essential duties or fundamentally altering the nature of a position. Accommodations must support performance of essential job functions.
No. Remote or hybrid work may be considered only when a disability-related limitation prevents on-campus performance of essential duties and when the role’s essential functions can be effectively performed remotely. In many cases, on-campus accommodations can fully address functional limitations without requiring remote work.
No. Accommodations must be based on functional limitations. Preferences such as specific office locations, parking spaces, workspace layouts, or structural changes are not typically required unless directly tied to essential job functions and supported by documentation.
Possibly. ADA may allow a finite, medically supported leave of absence as a reasonable accommodation when the employee temporarily cannot perform essential job functions, there is an expected return-to-work date, and the leave does not create undue hardship. Open-ended or indefinite leave is generally not considered reasonable under the ADA.
Requests requiring facilities modifications, construction, or significant expense may undergo review by Facilities or the Vice President for Finance & Administration to assess feasibility and undue hardship.
Employees should contact HR to revisit accommodations. The interactive process is ongoing, and HR may request updated documentation or explore alternative reasonable accommodations if functional needs change.
All ADA documentation is stored confidentially in HR and separate from personnel files. Information is shared only with those who need to implement accommodations.
