Denied a Reasonable Accommodation? Your Rights While Still on the Job

You asked for a reasonable change at work, a modified schedule for medical treatment, a chair or equipment, time off to recover, a limit on heavy lifting during pregnancy, and the answer was a shrug, a stall, or a flat no. Maybe you were told to just push through, or pushed onto unpaid leave you did not ask for. If that is happening, you may have more rights than your employer is letting on, and you have them right now, while you are still employed.

Here is what the accommodation laws actually require, what a proper request and response look like, and what to do when an employer stonewalls.

The Laws That Require Accommodation

Several laws can require your employer to accommodate you:

• The ADA requires covered employers to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified employees with disabilities, unless doing so would cause undue hardship.
• The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) requires reasonable accommodations for known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions, and limits the documentation an employer can demand. We cover it in detail in our article on the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act in Ohio.
• Ohio R.C. 4112 provides parallel state protection for disability and pregnancy.
• The FMLA can provide job-protected leave as part of the picture, though it is a separate framework.

What a Reasonable Accommodation Is

A reasonable accommodation is a change to a job or the workplace that allows a qualified employee to perform the job or enjoy equal terms of employment. Common examples include a modified or part-time schedule, adjusted duties or lifting limits, assistive equipment, remote work, more frequent breaks, a leave of absence, or reassignment to a vacant position. The accommodation does not have to be the exact one you asked for; the employer can offer an effective alternative.

The Interactive Process

This is the part employers most often get wrong. When you request an accommodation, the employer is expected to engage in an interactive process, a good-faith, individualized discussion to identify your limitation and a workable accommodation. An employer cannot simply ignore the request, give a blanket no, or sit on it indefinitely. A failure to engage in the interactive process at all can support a claim, separate from whether any particular accommodation was owed.

When an Employer Can Say No, and When It Cannot

An employer is not required to grant every request. It can decline a specific accommodation if providing it would impose an undue hardship, meaning significant difficulty or expense, or if you could not perform the essential functions of the job even with the accommodation. What it cannot do is refuse to consider accommodations at all, demand more medical documentation than the law allows, or default to forcing you onto unpaid leave when a workable on-the-job accommodation exists. Under the PWFA in particular, the documentation an employer may require is limited, and pushing a pregnant worker out on leave instead of accommodating can be unlawful.

What Stonewalling Looks Like

• Ignoring or endlessly delaying your request.
• A flat refusal with no discussion of alternatives.
• Demanding excessive or intrusive medical records.
• Forcing you onto unpaid leave instead of considering an on-the-job change.
• Treating you worse, writing you up, or threatening your job after you asked.

That last one matters: requesting an accommodation is protected activity, and punishing you for asking can be retaliation, which we discuss in our article on protecting yourself from retaliation.

What to Do While Still Employed

• Put the request in writing. Describe your limitation and the change you need. A written request starts the clock and creates a record.
• Be specific and reasonable. Identify a concrete accommodation, and be open to effective alternatives.
• Provide appropriate support, but know the limits. You may need a brief note from a provider; you generally do not have to hand over your entire medical history.
• Follow up in writing if the employer goes silent, and keep copies of everything.
• Document any backlash. If treatment worsens after you asked, write down what changed and when.
• Get advice early, especially if you are being stonewalled, pushed onto leave, or pressured to resign.

The Bottom Line

If you need a reasonable change at work because of a disability, pregnancy, or a medical condition, your employer usually cannot just say no. The ADA, the PWFA, and Ohio R.C. 4112 require a real, good-faith process, and they limit when and how an employer can refuse. Make your request in writing, keep the record, and watch for retaliation. If you are being ignored, stonewalled, or punished for asking, that is exactly the kind of situation worth reviewing with an employment lawyer while you still have the job.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a reasonable accommodation?

A change to a job or workplace that lets a qualified employee with a disability, or an employee affected by pregnancy or childbirth, do the job or enjoy equal terms of employment. Examples include modified schedules, equipment, remote work, light duty, reassignment, or leave.

Can my employer deny my accommodation request?

Only in limited circumstances. The employer must engage in a good-faith interactive process and can deny a specific accommodation if it would cause undue hardship or if you cannot perform the essential functions even with it. Simply ignoring or refusing the request without that process can be a violation.

Is my employer required to accommodate my pregnancy?

Often yes. The federal Pregnant Workers Fairness Act requires covered employers to provide reasonable accommodations for known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, and related conditions, absent undue hardship, and it limits the documentation an employer can demand.

Can I be retaliated against for requesting an accommodation?

No. Requesting an accommodation is protected activity. An employer cannot lawfully punish you for asking, and a write-up, demotion, or termination that follows a request can support a retaliation claim.