Work accommodations - your experience?

My experience with ADA reasonable accommodation requests at work have left me with a sense of hopelessness. I was diagnosed with AS about 6 months of beginning a new job. My doctor told me that I had extensive damage already present and that there was no cure, no reversal and no surgical options. He said some medicines like Humira might help some, but that I couldn’t afford to develop any infections. Apparently some could be fatal. His recommendation was that I always wear and N95 mask when I am away from my house and around others. Lastly he said that I needed to stop driving 45 minutes each way to work 5 days a week. So I submitted a formal written ADA Accommodation request under Title One if the ADA. I obtained all the documents and written statements from my doctor and went through the interactive process with HR and my supervisor. Based on the doctor’s written statement, the request was to have one day to work remotely following each day of traveling to and from my workplace. So three days with travel and two remotely in a five day work week. I would like to mention that I worked remotely during the first 6 months of the Covid-19 pandemic with no loss in productivity. Although after return to the workplace in October of 2020, I contacted Covid-19 at work while wearing a mask. The infection, which was prior to my AS diagnosis tried to kill me for 51 consecutive days and it nearly succeeded. Now that I am on Humira I am very cautious but still have anxiety about getting infected by any kind of virus or bacteria. Anyway, my employer denied my ADA Accommodation request claiming it would cause an undue hardship on the institution where I work. Funny that there was no undue hardship or loss of productivity on my park when remotely working 5 days a week for months was required. Sorry for all the B’ing and G’ing, but this has affected my mental health.

I think if you have your doctor get it all written down on how your disease is affecting you, it can help on getting those accommodations at work. If needed why not get all the help you need to be better at work. It can be very hard though finding workers even having accommodations understand and try to make them happen. I had to change jobs because they didn't want to deal with helping me. Seeing a doctor they recommended remote for me. But the bosses didn't want to even listened. It was very hard, but it took time to find something else where I can do remote and have better control on how I feel.


-Nicky (Team member)

If I need them I say yes. If not I let it go. This has only harmed me once. In the end I am glad I did not get that job.