14 minutes
The interactive process, in order Follow six steps in sequence, keep them prompt and confidential, and know where the supervisor's part ends and the ADA coordinator's begins.
What you’ll be able to do Conduct the interactive process as an ordered sequence, respectfully, promptly and confidentially, including an interim arrangement while a request is being resolved and a clear hand-off to human resources or the ADA coordinator. Compare the responses to this question and explain your choice: What is the right sequence for the supervisor? Draft Accommodation conversation record for your work, including request, barrier and options, arrangement and follow-up. A sequence you can follow under pressure The interactive process is the name for the back-and-forth between a person who needs an accommodation and the organization that provides it. It is called interactive because neither side decides alone: the person knows the barrier and often knows what works; the organization knows the job, the program and what is feasible. The law expects the exchange to be prompt and made in good faith. It does not prescribe a form, but the process falls apart when steps are skipped, and it falls apart most often at the beginning, when a request is heard but not received, and at the end, when an accommodation is put in place and never checked.
The six steps below are in order for a reason. Clarifying the barrier before brainstorming keeps the solution attached to the problem. Weighing feasibility after identifying options, rather than before, keeps a supervisor from vetoing ideas nobody has examined. Documenting after implementing, rather than instead of it, keeps the record honest. The last step, addressing recurring barriers at the system level, is what separates an organization that accommodates from one that keeps re-solving the same problem one person at a time.
Roles matter as much as order. A supervisor receives the request, has the task-and-barrier conversation, arranges what can be arranged now and starts the hand-off. Human resources or the ADA coordinator owns the formal request, any medical documentation, the undue hardship analysis if one is needed, and the official decision and record. This division protects the employee's privacy, protects the supervisor from decisions they are not equipped to make, and makes the process consistent across the agency. A supervisor who tries to run the whole thing alone is not being helpful; they are being a single point of failure.
The six steps, in order Receive the request with respect and without judgment. Thank the person, confirm you understood that they are asking for a change related to a disability or health condition, and say what happens next and when.
Clarify the barrier and the functional access need. Ask what task is affected, what part of the current method fails and what has helped before. Do not ask for a diagnosis.
Identify possible effective options with the person. Start with what they suggest; add what you know about the job and what resources exist. More than one option is normal.
Consider feasibility, effectiveness, timing, privacy and essential requirements. Which options remove the barrier, can be put in place soonest, keep the person's information contained and leave the essential functions intact? Put an interim arrangement in place now if the formal answer will take time.
Implement, document and follow up. Make the change, record the request, the barrier, the options, the decision and the follow-up date, and check at that date whether it is working. Hand the formal record to human resources or the ADA coordinator.
Address recurring barriers at the system level. If the same barrier produces a second and third request, change the default so the fourth person never has to ask.
What each step sounds like Step 1, receive “Thank you for telling me. I understand you are asking for a change because of a health condition, and I want to get this right. Here is what happens next: we talk about what is getting in the way, we figure out what would help, I put something in place as soon as I can, and human resources or the ADA coordinator can put a formal accommodation on record. I will follow up with you by Friday.”
Step 2, clarify “Walk me through where it breaks down. Is it when the change is announced, when you get back to your desk or when you apply it to a case? Has anything worked before, here or at another job?”
Step 3, identify options “What would you want if you could design it? Here is what I can think of on my side: written changes posted after each huddle, a running document you can search, a short recorded summary, a check-in with the lead. What else?”
Step 4, weigh and bridge “Written changes after every huddle we can start today. A searchable running document is better and will take the lead a week to set up. Does that work? In the meantime, the written notes start tomorrow.”
Step 5, implement, document, follow up “I am writing down that you asked for instructions in writing, that verbal-only changes were the barrier, that we agreed on written notes now and a running document by next week, and that we will check on the 20th. I am sending the request to the ADA coordinator so it is on record; they may contact you and I will not share anything beyond what we discussed.”
Step 6, fix the system “This is the third person this year who has asked for changes in writing. From now on, every huddle change gets posted. Nobody has to ask.”
Bridge the gap with an interim arrangement What you can change You control whether the person has access while the formal process runs, or waits without it.
What to watch for Do not let “I have sent it to human resources” be the end of your part. Do not let a request sit for weeks because the formal answer is pending.
Your next step For each of the three most common requests in your unit, decide now what interim arrangement you can put in place the same day on your own authority.
Accommodation conversation record A one-page record the supervisor completes after the first conversation and hands to human resources or the ADA coordinator. It contains the barrier and the plan, never a diagnosis.
Request The date the request was received, in the person's own words where possible, and the task or service it concerns. Example: written work instructions instead of verbal-only changes announced at the huddle.
Barrier and options What part of the current method fails, what the person suggested, what else was considered, and what was ruled out and why. No diagnosis, no medical history, no speculation about the condition.
Arrangement and follow-up The interim arrangement and its start date, the longer-term option if different, the person responsible for each, and the date the supervisor and the person will check that it is working.
Hand-off The date the record was sent to human resources or the ADA coordinator, who received it, and a note that the person was told what was shared and with whom.
Use this record for the next request you receive. Keep your copy separate from performance files and share it only with the responsible office.
Browse and download only. Staff notes are not typed or saved on this page.
Download this published draft Where the supervisor's part ends The supervisor does
Receives the request, holds the task-and-barrier conversation, identifies options with the person, arranges interim relief, records the conversation without medical detail, starts the hand-off and follows up.
Human resources or the ADA coordinator does
Owns the formal request, requests and holds any medical documentation, conducts any undue hardship analysis, issues the official decision, keeps the confidential record and advises the supervisor on implementation.
Timeliness
Respond within days, not weeks. If the formal decision will take time, say how long and put interim access in place. Silence is a failure even when the eventual answer is yes.
Confidentiality
Tell only the people who need to know something, and tell them only what they need: the lead needs to post written changes, not the reason. Keep the record apart from the performance file.
When the person declines an option
The organization can choose among effective options, but an option that does not remove the barrier is not effective. Go back to step three together before deciding.
When you are not sure
Call human resources or the ADA coordinator before you answer, not after. Asking early is part of the process, not a sign you have failed at it.
Carry this forward The process has an order: receive, clarify the barrier, identify options with the person, weigh feasibility and effectiveness, implement and document, then fix the system if the barrier recurs. Skipping a step is where most failures begin.
The supervisor receives the request, talks about the task and the barrier, arranges interim relief and starts the hand-off. Human resources or the ADA coordinator handles documentation, the formal decision and anything involving medical information.
Timeliness is part of the duty. Weeks of silence are a failure even if the eventual answer is yes.
A scenario decision about a request to change how work instructions are given, a knowledge check and a completed conversation record for a real or practice request.
Write your unit's version of the six steps on one page, with the name of the person or office that owns each step and the expected time between them. Share it with your team.
Browse and download only. Course notes are not typed or saved on this page.
Reset this lesson
Previous lesson Next lesson Carry this into practice Recognize a request, run the interactive process in order, keep the focus on the job and the barrier instead of the diagnosis, and know exactly when to bring in human resources or the ADA coordinator.
Return to the experience: What did you notice or try, whose perspective informed it, and what would you keep or adjust?
Participation and course completion in this program do not count toward DHS-required training credits unless management, a director, or DHS leadership expressly approves an exception.
