Do I have to disclose my specific diagnosis to request an ADA accommodation?

No. You are not required to provide a specific diagnosis. Under EEOC guidance and 42 U.S.C. § 12102, you must demonstrate that you have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity — but that does not require naming a diagnosis. Courts have held that an employee satisfies notice requirements by describing the limitation, not the condition causing it.

What is the "interactive process" and why does it matter?

29 CFR § 1630.2(o)(3) requires employers and employees to engage in a good-faith, flexible, interactive process to identify and implement appropriate reasonable accommodations. An employer's failure to engage in the interactive process is independent evidence of bad faith in ADA litigation, even if no accommodation would ultimately have been found reasonable.

What is an "undue hardship" defense?

An employer can deny an accommodation if it would impose an undue hardship — significant difficulty or expense — on the employer's operations. 42 U.S.C. § 12111(10). The factors include the cost of the accommodation, the employer's financial resources, the nature of the business, and the impact on other employees. The employer, not the employee, bears the burden of proving undue hardship.

How long does my employer have to respond to an accommodation request?

The ADA does not specify a fixed deadline, but EEOC guidance and court decisions establish that prompt, good-faith engagement is required. A response within 30 days is the general standard courts apply. Unreasonable delay (months without explanation) is itself actionable as a failure to accommodate.

What if my employer denies the accommodation?

You have the right to file a charge of discrimination with the EEOC within 180 days of the denial (or 300 days in states with a Fair Employment Practices Agency). You must exhaust administrative remedies before filing a federal civil suit under 42 U.S.C. § 12117. This letter expressly reserves those rights.

Federal benefits hubADA § 12112 accommodation request

Request a reasonable accommodation — and put your employer on the clock.

The Americans with Disabilities Act requires covered employers to provide reasonable accommodations for known disabilities unless doing so would cause undue hardship. But the obligation does not arise until you request it in writing. This wizard builds a formal accommodation request citing 42 U.S.C. §§ 12111–12112 that invokes the interactive process, demands a response within 30 days, and explicitly reserves EEOC charge rights if the request is denied.

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Why a written request matters

ADA accommodation claims live or die on the paper trail. Courts have consistently held that an employer's obligation to accommodate does not arise until the employee provides notice — and oral requests are easy to deny or mischaracterize. A written request with a clear description of the limitation and the accommodation eliminates ambiguity.

The interactive process obligation arises immediately on receipt of this letter. If the employer ignores the request, delays unreasonably, or summarily denies it without exploring alternatives, that conduct is independently actionable. Courts treat an employer's failure to engage as evidence of discriminatory intent, even where the requested accommodation might have been denied as unreasonable.

Send the letter certified mail with return receipt. The 180/300-day EEOC charge clock runs from the date of the denial — not the date of your first oral request. A certified-mail record establishes exactly when the employer received the formal request and when the clock started.

Not legal advice. SynthCounsel is not a law firm. ADA coverage, qualified individual determinations, and undue-hardship analyses are fact-specific. The EEOC charge filing deadline is strict — consult an employment attorney promptly if your request is denied.