The ADA and Managing Reasonable Accommodations
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The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), signed into law in 1990, stands as the most transformative civil rights legislation supporting individuals with disabilities in the United States. This comprehensive law protects individuals with a wide array of physical and mental impairments, focusing heavily on preventing workplace discrimination and setting standards for accessibility in public spaces, including hotels, restaurants, and other public accommodations.
This in-depth webinar will examine the requirements of the ADA and the 2008 ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA), which reinforced and expanded the scope of the original law. Participants will gain practical insights into the employer’s duty to provide reasonable accommodations throughout the employment lifecycle—from hiring and onboarding to job performance and workplace integration.
The session will also explore the legal boundaries of "undue hardship," and what constitutes acceptable modifications in tasks or workspace environments. Attendees will learn about the necessity and structure of the interactive dialogue process required between employers and employees with disabilities to ensure a fair and effective accommodation strategy.
Your Benefits for Attending:- Gain a clear understanding of the ADA and ADAAA’s requirements and employer responsibilities.
- Learn the five essential steps of the interactive process to better navigate accommodation discussions.
- Understand the overlap and interactions between the ADA, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
- Explore real-world examples of reasonable accommodations and how to determine if a request constitutes an undue hardship.
- Learn how to properly engage in the legally required interactive dialogue process with employees seeking accommodations.
By attending this webinar, you'll be better equipped to protect your organization from legal risks while fostering a more inclusive and compliant workplace environment.
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Cynthia Keaton
Cynthia C. Keaton, SHRM-SCP is a senior human resources executive and consultant with extensive experience leading HR strategy, operations, and transformation across a range of industries including government, manufacturing, life sciences, and heavy equipment. As Founder and Chief Consultant of Keat [...]
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This webinar received a total of 1 survey responses. Attendees have given an average rating of 5.0 stars out of a possible 5, reflecting the quality and value of the content presented.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and its 2008 Amendments Act (ADAAA), a reasonable accommodation is any modification or adjustment to a job, work environment, or the way work is typically performed that enables a qualified individual with a disability to enjoy equal employment opportunities. Examples include modified work schedules, remote work options, assistive technology, physical workspace modifications, reassignment to a vacant position, or adjusted job duties that are non-essential. When an employee or applicant requests an accommodation—or when the need for one is reasonably apparent—the employer must engage in the interactive process, a good-faith dialogue to identify and evaluate effective accommodation options. Employers cannot delay, ignore, or unilaterally deny requests without engagement. The accommodation must be provided unless it would cause undue hardship—significant difficulty or expense given the employer's size, resources, and operations. Documentation may be requested but must be limited to information about the functional limitations relevant to the request. Aurora Training Advantage's HR webinar with Cynthia Keaton provides HR professionals with the five-step interactive process framework and real-world examples to manage accommodation requests compliantly and effectively.
The interactive process is the ADA-required good-faith dialogue between an employer and an employee with a disability to identify an effective, reasonable accommodation. The EEOC identifies this process as a key compliance obligation—failing to engage in it is itself an ADA violation, regardless of whether an accommodation would have been required. The five essential steps are: (1) Recognize the accommodation request—requests don't need to use specific ADA language; any indication that a medical condition is affecting job performance triggers the obligation. (2) Gather information—work with the employee and, where appropriate, their healthcare provider to understand functional limitations. (3) Identify potential accommodations—explore a range of options collaboratively. (4) Evaluate and select an accommodation—the employer may choose among effective options; the employee's preferred option is not required if another effective accommodation is available. (5) Implement and follow up—monitor whether the accommodation is working and adjust if needed. Documentation throughout is essential. Aurora Training Advantage's ADA webinar with Cynthia Keaton provides HR professionals with a practical interactive process framework, documentation templates, and guidance on navigating difficult accommodation scenarios.
Undue hardship is the legal standard that allows an employer to deny an accommodation request when providing it would require significant difficulty or expense relative to the employer's resources and operations. It is not a low bar—mere inconvenience, coworker discomfort, or minor cost does not meet the undue hardship threshold. Courts and the EEOC consider several factors: the nature and cost of the accommodation, the overall financial resources of the employer and the affected facility, the type of business and its operations, the impact of the accommodation on the workplace. Large employers with substantial resources face a much higher bar to demonstrate undue hardship than small businesses. Critically, undue hardship must be evaluated for each specific accommodation request—a blanket policy against certain accommodations does not satisfy the analysis. If an accommodation would create undue hardship, the employer must explore whether an alternative effective accommodation is available before denying the request outright. Documentation of the analysis is essential for legal defensibility. Aurora Training Advantage's HR webinar on ADA compliance with Cynthia Keaton provides HR professionals with a structured framework for conducting and documenting undue hardship analyses that withstand legal scrutiny.
The ADA, FMLA, and HIPAA frequently overlap when managing employee health and disability situations, and HR professionals must navigate all three simultaneously. The FMLA provides eligible employees up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave for serious health conditions—a condition may qualify as both a serious health condition under FMLA and a disability under the ADA. When FMLA leave is exhausted, the ADA may require additional leave as a reasonable accommodation if the employee's condition qualifies as a disability and the extended leave would not create undue hardship. The ADA's accommodation obligations continue throughout the employment lifecycle, while FMLA leave is time-limited. HIPAA intersects by governing the confidentiality of employee medical information—medical documentation gathered in the accommodation or FMLA process must be stored separately from the general personnel file and shared only on a need-to-know basis. Managers should receive only the functional limitation information necessary to implement the accommodation, not a full medical diagnosis. Violations of any of these three laws can occur simultaneously. Aurora Training Advantage's HR webinar with Cynthia Keaton provides guidance on managing the intersection of these three statutes to protect both employees and organizations.
The ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA) significantly broadened the definition of disability and overturned a series of Supreme Court decisions that had narrowed the ADA's scope. The ADAAA instructs courts to interpret 'disability' broadly, making it easier for individuals to establish coverage under the law. The amendments clarified that major life activities include bodily functions such as immune system operation, cell growth, and neurological and reproductive functions—expanding coverage to conditions like cancer in remission, epilepsy, and diabetes that might be well-controlled. The ADAAA also clarified that mitigating measures—medications, prosthetics, hearing aids, and other treatments—should be disregarded when determining whether a condition substantially limits a major life activity, except for ordinary eyeglasses and contact lenses. The 'regarded as' prong of disability was similarly expanded, making it easier to claim protection against discrimination even without a formally documented disability. Practically, this means employers should apply a generous interpretation of disability coverage and focus their compliance energy on the interactive process and accommodation analysis rather than debating whether someone qualifies. Aurora Training Advantage's ADA webinar with Cynthia Keaton provides HR professionals with post-ADAAA coverage analysis and practical compliance guidance.