ADA Information for Managers and Supervisors

ATTENTION: THIS PAGE IS UNDER REVISION

Effective April 1, 2026, HR Leaves & Accommodations will now facilitate employee workplace accommodation requests. To submit an employee accommodation request, navigate to the Workplace Accommodation FAQ(opens in new window) page on the HR website. If you have any questions, please email HR Leaves & Accommodations or call 530-898-4670 for assistance.

Under the Fair Employment and Housing Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, a manager or supervisor of an employee with a qualified disability has the following legal responsibilities:

1. Engage in the interactive process in a timely manner, which includes:

• Refer employee to the HR Leaves & Accommodations(opens in new window) website to complete the online "Request for Workplace Accommodation" form, when an employee approaches you regarding a disability or medical condition, requests an employment accommodation, or you become aware through a third party or by observation that the employee has an impairment that is interfering with his or her ability to perform the job;
• Refrain from requesting and accepting medical documentation from an employee who has a disability or medical condition or requests an employment accommodation;
• Consult with HR Leaves & Accommodations regarding any undue hardship, business necessities, and the effectiveness of proposed accommodations in enabling the employee to perform the essential job functions; and
• Oversee the implementation and maintenance of the accommodations approved by HR Leaves & Accommodations, if any.

2. Maintain information relating to the employee’s accommodations and status as an employee with a disability strictly confidential.

The collaboration of the employee’s manager or supervisor in the interactive process is critical to HR Leaves & Accommodations. 

Note:  It is the responsibility of the employee to request employment accommodations through HR Leaves & Accommodations, or through the employee’s supervisor. Managers or supervisors; however, are also responsible for invoking the interactive process, as stated by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC): “While the employee is generally responsible for requesting accommodations, an employer should ask whether one is needed without being asked if it “(1) knows that the employee has a disability, (2) knows, or has reason to know, that the employee is experiencing workplace problems because of the disability, and (3) knows, or has reason to know, that the disability prevents the employee from requesting a reasonable accommodation.”  If the employee states that the employee does not need an accommodation, the employer has fulfilled its duty to participate in the interactive process. – Thompson’s ADA Compliance Guide, July 2008.

For more information, please contact HR Leaves & Accommodations(opens in new window) in Kendall 213, call 530-898-4670, or refer to the The ADA and Reasonable Accommodation Handbook(opens in new window).