Living with a disabling medical condition can create a variety of challenges for individuals. They may need special vehicles or housing accommodations to ensure their safety. They may also require support from their employers to effectively perform job tasks without injuring themselves.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) creates an obligation for employers to support workers with disabling medical conditions. Is it ever legal for employers in Michigan to deny accommodation requests made by workers with disabling medical conditions?
The ADA has limitations
In a perfect world, all business entities, educational institutions and housing providers would treat everyone with the same care and respect. In reality, the law often has to close the gap between what organizations agree to do voluntarily and what is necessary for fair access.
As such, the law must balance the needs of individuals against what organizations require to be successful and solvent. The ADA has limits that prevent it from protecting all workers.
The ADA generally only applies to employers with at least 15 staff members. People who work for particularly small businesses may not be able to request accommodations under the ADA.
Additionally, employers can deny accommodation requests that impose undue hardship on the company. Both expenses and disruptions to business operations could justify a company declining an accommodation request. Companies can also impose specific procedural requirements on employees requesting accommodations under the ADA and can deny requests not made via the appropriate process.
Employees frustrated by the lack of support they have received from their employers may potentially have grounds for a disability discrimination lawsuit. Documenting communication with an employer and reviewing the situation carefully with a skilled legal team can help frustrated employees understand and more effectively utilize their legal protections.