Disability Inclusion · Applied inclusion

Accommodations and Interactive Problem-Solving

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.

45–55 minutes · 4 lessons · Voluntary learning

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Course outline

What reasonable accommodation is for
Understand the purpose of accommodation in employment and in services, and recognize a request when it arrives in ordinary words.
12 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.
14 minutes
Essential functions and barriers, not diagnosis
Keep every question on the job, the barrier and the options, and leave diagnosis and documentation to the office that is allowed to handle them.
12 minutes
Document, follow up and fix the system
Keep an appropriate record, check that the accommodation is working, know exactly who to involve, and turn repeated requests into a changed default.
11 minutes

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What you’ll be able to do

Explore and practice

Explain the purpose of reasonable accommodation in employment and in services, and recognize a request that starts the process even when it uses no formal words.
Conduct the interactive process as an ordered sequence, respectfully, promptly and confidentially, including an interim arrangement while a request is being resolved.
Ask questions that focus on essential functions, access barriers and effective options, and avoid questions about diagnosis, history or treatment.
Document an accommodation conversation appropriately, keep medical information separate and limited, and follow up to confirm the accommodation is working.
Identify when to involve human resources, the ADA coordinator, legal counsel, disability resource staff or accessibility specialists, and what to hand over.

What you can take into your work

Four scenario decisions with explanations of why each option supports or undermines a respectful, timely process.
Two completed sorts, one of requests that start the process and one of access-focused and diagnostic questions, plus four knowledge checks.
One applied next step: your unit's accommodation route written on a single card and shared with your team.

Find out who your ADA coordinator or human resources accommodation contact is, how a request reaches them, and how long the first response usually takes. Write it on one card, share it with your team, and use the six-step sequence the next time a request reaches you.

Read the introduction

An accommodation request usually arrives as an ordinary sentence: I am having trouble with the new headsets, or I need the instructions in writing. What happens in the next few minutes decides whether the person gets what they need, whether private information stays private, and whether the organization learns anything. This course teaches the interactive process as an ordered sequence you can follow under pressure, keeps the conversation on essential functions and access barriers rather than diagnosis, and shows exactly where a supervisor's part ends and human resources or the ADA coordinator's begins.

Accommodations and the interactive process

A one-page reminder for the moment a request arrives

Hear the request. Ask about the task. Bridge with interim access. Hand off the formal part. Follow up. Fix the default.

Keep the sequence, the boundaries and the routes in reach when an employee or participant asks for a change.

A request needs no form, no magic words and no diagnosis to start the process.
The conversation is about the task, the barrier and the options, never the condition.
The supervisor receives, bridges and hands off; human resources or the ADA coordinator decides, documents and holds medical information.
An accommodation without a follow-up date is an assumption; a request heard three times is a default to change.

Write your unit's accommodation route on one card and share it with your team before the next request arrives.

The six steps, in order

Receive the request with respect; say what happens next and when.
Clarify the task, the barrier and what has worked before; do not ask for a diagnosis.
Identify options with the person; start with theirs.
Weigh feasibility and effectiveness; put an interim arrangement in place now.
Implement, record the barrier and the plan, hand off the formal part, set a follow-up date.
If the same barrier keeps producing requests, change the default.

Questions to ask, questions to strike

Ask: which part of the job is affected, and when does it break down?
Ask: what would fully remove the problem, and what do we do on a day it is not enough?
Strike: what is your diagnosis, how bad is it, are you on medication, will it get worse.
Say: if documentation is needed, human resources or the ADA coordinator will ask for only what the decision requires.

Who to involve

Human resources or the ADA coordinator: every formal request, all documentation, leave, reassignment, undue hardship, anything you are unsure about.
Accessibility specialists: software, systems, documents and assistive technology compatibility.
Accessibility or language access office: interpreters, captioning, alternative formats, physical access, participant and public accommodations.
Civil rights or equal opportunity office: a person who believes a request was denied, delayed or punished because of disability.

What an accessible process looks like

Several ways in: a word to a supervisor, a message to the coordinator, a phone call, a union representative, or a health provider writing on the person’s behalf. No form and no special wording is required to begin.
A prompt acknowledgment that says what happens next and when, and a conversation about the task and the barrier before any paperwork is discussed.
Documentation only when it is needed to confirm a condition or shape an option, requested specifically, and held by the office responsible for it, never by the supervisor.
An interim arrangement the same week when the permanent one takes time; the person keeps working while it is arranged.
A check a month later: is it working, does it need adjusting, has the job changed. An accommodation is a relationship, not a transaction.

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.

Sources and further reading

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Enforcement Guidance on Reasonable Accommodation and Undue Hardship
How requests are made, the interactive process, limits on medical inquiries and documentation, and the undue hardship standard in employment.
Job Accommodation Network
Free, practical guidance on the interactive process, accommodation ideas by limitation and task, and the low typical cost of accommodations.
ADA.gov
Reasonable modifications, effective communication and program access obligations for state and local government services, and employment provisions.
ADA National Network
Training and technical assistance on employment accommodations and public program access under the ADA.
U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy
Employer-focused guidance on inclusive workplace practices and accommodation.
Minnesota Council on Disability
Minnesota technical assistance on disability access and rights in employment and services.

All research and sources across the program

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Course outline

What reasonable accommodation is for

Understand the purpose of accommodation in employment and in services, and recognize a request when it arrives in ordinary words.

12 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.

14 minutes

Essential functions and barriers, not diagnosis

Keep every question on the job, the barrier and the options, and leave diagnosis and documentation to the office that is allowed to handle them.

12 minutes

Document, follow up and fix the system

Keep an appropriate record, check that the accommodation is working, know exactly who to involve, and turn repeated requests into a changed default.

11 minutes

Sources and further reading

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Enforcement Guidance on Reasonable Accommodation and Undue Hardship

How requests are made, the interactive process, limits on medical inquiries and documentation, and the undue hardship standard in employment.

Job Accommodation Network

Free, practical guidance on the interactive process, accommodation ideas by limitation and task, and the low typical cost of accommodations.

ADA.gov

Reasonable modifications, effective communication and program access obligations for state and local government services, and employment provisions.

ADA National Network

Training and technical assistance on employment accommodations and public program access under the ADA.

U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy

Employer-focused guidance on inclusive workplace practices and accommodation.

Minnesota Council on Disability

Minnesota technical assistance on disability access and rights in employment and services.