Are you a disabled employee who has asked for reasonable accommodations at your job? Is your employer refusing to comply with your need for accommodations because of a physical or mental disability? You may have grounds to file a legal action against your employer. For more information on suing your employer for not providing you accommodations for a disability, contact the employment lawyers of California Labor Law Employment Attorneys Group. Our attorneys are happy to meet with you for a free consultation, where you can learn about your rights as a disabled employee in California.
Disability and Its Impact in the Workplace
As of 2025, the U.S. has over 135 million full time employees, and around 28 million part time workers according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. A further breakdown of these numbers indicates that around 19% of all workers have a physical or mental condition that classifies as a “disability.”
Some cases of disability are serious enough to where one cannot engage in any type of meaningful employment. However, most people that are disabled can work many types of jobs – as long as reasonable accommodations are made by the employer. Unfortunately, many businesses refuse to implement changes or modifications that make employment opportunities accessible to everyone. As a result, the employee struggles to meet the employer’s demands and eventually loses their job or faces other negative consequences, like demotion or loss of work benefits.
Reasonable Accommodation for Disabled Employees
Not everyone who is disabled needs accommodations to perform their job duties. However, the vast majority of workers with a serious medical condition need some type of change, addition, or flexibility in the workplace, which must be approved by the employer. Most employers in California are required by law to provide accommodations that are within reason, meaning it does not pose an undue hardship. So, a refusal to approve disability accommodations or implement them in a timely manner may be a legal violation under state and/or federal law.
Examples of accommodations for a disabled worker include:
- Making physical changes to the layout of the office / work environment
- Providing the worker with assistive technology and ergonomic furniture
- Allow for a flexible work schedule so that the worker can attend doctor’s appointments
- Provide more rest breaks or longer rest breaks during the day
- If the job duties can be done remotely, permit the employee to work from home
- Modifications in the employee’s job description to eliminate non-essential duties
Are you interested in learning more about workplace accommodations you can request from your employer? If so, don’t hesitate to contact our office as soon as possible.
What are the Laws on Reasonable Accommodations?
As someone with a disability, your right to ask for disability modifications is protected by laws at the federal and state level. It’s essential that you understand these laws and how they can protect you from discrimination by your employer. Take a look at some of the statutes that have to do with reasonable accommodations for disabled employee:
The Americans with Disabilities Act
– employers cannot make adverse employment decisions on the basis of a disability. Employers must also provide reasonable accommodations that can help the worker perform essential job functions.
The Family Medical Leave Act
– this federal law provides long-term medical leave for those working for employers with at least 50 employees. The employer cannot fire the worker for taking time off under the FMLA.
The Fair Employment and Housing Act
– California law that prohibits discrimination in the workplace, including refusal to provide reasonable accommodations that are requested by a disabled employee.
The California Family Rights Act
– if you work for an employer with 5 or more employees, you may be eligible for up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected medical leave.
We can talk to you about these laws in detail and whether you can pursue an employment rights violation claim. A consultation with one of our legal experts is completely free, so don’t hesitate to call if you were denied disability accommodations by your employer.
What can I Do if My Employer Refuses to Accommodate my Request?
Despite the laws that are in place to protect you, your employer may not want to cooperate when you ask for accommodations that can help you in the workplace. As we said before, you cannot ask for accommodations that cause significant hardships for the employer. But most job settings can make changes on behalf of the employee, like providing them with a little extra time to get to work or letting them leave early once a week for medical treatments.
In the event you are not getting accommodations you are legally entitled to, you have the option of reporting your employer’s actions by:
- Filing a claim for disability discrimination with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
- Filing a claim with California’s Civil Rights Department (CRD)
Either agency will investigate the allegations against your employer and take punitive measures if they violated state or federal employment laws. But what is you are interested in filing a lawsuit? Can you sue your employer through the court system?
Could I Sue for Disability Discrimination?
You may have the right to file a lawsuit for disability discrimination if your employer is refusing to approve accommodations for your medical condition. However, employees must be given permission to by the EEOC or the CRD before they can proceed with litigation. That’s why you must file an EEOC or CRD complaint and wait for them to conclude their investigation.
We mentioned before that the agency may choose to penalize your employer for any legal violations. Alternatively, they will send you a Right to Sue letter if you have a case that merits monetary compensation. Upon receiving this notice, you have a limited amount of time to file a lawsuit, so working with a disability discrimination lawyer is crucial to your success.
Contact Us 24 Hours a Day, 7 Days a Week
That’s right – you can call us anytime if you have questions or concerns about your employment rights, including your right to ask for accommodations if you have a disability. We know that workers are frequently misled and taken advantage of by their employer. Our goal is to hold them accountable and ensure that you and other employees get the results you need and deserve.
We have a Zero Fee Guarantee policy, where clients pay $0 to hire us for a discrimination in the workplace lawsuit. Legal fees are collected at the end of your case, and only if you receive compensation from the employer. In other words, other payment is solely based on our ability to win your case.
If you are ready to discuss your situation with a California employment attorney, contact our law firm today.
