How must an employer respond to a request for accommodation?
An employer who has received a request for accommodation of a disability from an employee or applicant, or who has been informed by an employee or applicant that he or she is disabled and may need assistance, has an obligation under the Americans with Disabilities Act to engage in an “interactive process” with the employee or applicant. When accommodation is sought by an employee, the employer may ask an employee to show that he or she is, in fact, disabled and in need of some accommodation, and then must work with the employee and, if appropriate, his or her health provider, to determine what accommodation would be appropriate. The employee likewise has an obligation to cooperate with the employer in providing information, and must notify the employer if an offered accommodation is not sufficient. An employer is not expected to be a mind-reader nor must it take entire responsibility for finding an appropriate accommodation. Furthermore, an employee may not request an accommodation and
