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Alt CDC (they/them)
Alt CDC (they/them)

🚨 New artist drop! Meet *RAnsky* - creating bold, clear infographics to help you understand your rights to *Reasonable Accommodations* at CDC. AltCDC is sharing their work so everyone can access the info. Thread starts here 👇♿️✨ ♿️✨ Kicking off our new thread sharing RAnsky’s disability-rights infographics. First up: a template for supervisors reminding them that interim accommodations are required unless there’s real undue hardship. Image + alt text below 👇

♿️✨ Next up: a quick overview of the Reasonable Accommodation (RA) process -- because everyone deserves to know what the steps should look like.

Disability law outranks agency policy. No policy can take away your legally protected accommodations.

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A retro-style poster with the title "ILLEGAL ORDERS clash with everything." The poster features a smiling man in a dapper suit.
A beige infographic on a purple background titled “With great power comes great responsibility: A template for hip supes.” It provides a sample message from a supervisor explaining approval of interim telework as a reasonable accommodation under the Rehabilitation Act. The text emphasizes that interim accommodations are required unless they cause undue hardship, that past telework success shows no hardship, and that denying interim telework could violate federal law. It ends with the supervisor approving interim telework while the request proceeds through formal review.
The image is a retro-style poster with a woman tying her head band. The text reads: REASONABLE ACCOMODATIONS never go out of style.
Infographic titled ‘RA Process: It’s Easy-Peasy Lemon Squeezy, Pal.’ It describes the seven stages of the Reasonable Accommodation process for employees: indicating a need for support, the agency acknowledging the request and providing interim accommodations, beginning the interactive process, obtaining documentation if needed, evaluating possible accommodation options, issuing a written decision, and implementing the approved accommodation.
Retro style poster featuring a woman peering over her sunglasses. The text says "KEEP YOUR RIGHTS they look good on you"
Under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, federal agencies must provide reasonable accommodations to qualified employees unless they can prove “undue hardship, ” a very high standard. This obligation is legal, not optional, not policy-dependent, and not subordinate to agency preference. Agency culture, workflow norms, or operational convenience do not override the right. 29 U.S.C. § 791(b). 29 U.S.C. § 794(a). 29 C.F.R. § 1614.203(d). 29 C.F.R. § 1630.2(p). EEOC, Enforcement Guidance on Reasonable Accommodation and Undue Hardship Under the ADA, No. 915.002.
Undue hardship is a high bar to clear. The text includes an image of a man pole vaulting over a high bar. The text continues to say... Undue hardship under the law is the only standard for denial and it requires significant difficulty or expense, not inconvenience, staffing preferences, personal managerial style, competing priorities, or bureaucratic norms. It is a high legal threshold, not a catch-all justification for denying an employee’s rights. 29 C.F.R. § 1630.2(p). 29 U.S.C. § 794(a). 29 C.F.R. § 1614.203(d).
The image includes pictures of chess pieces. Accommodations are different than workplace flexibilities. Workplace flexibilities are optional tools that agencies may offer to all employees based on policy and supervisory discretion. These flexibilities are not a substitute for a reasonable accommodation. When an employee has a disability-related need, the agency has a legal obligation to provide an effective accommodation, regardless of what flexibilities are available. 29 U.S.C. § 791(b). 29 C.F.R. § 1614.203(d)(3). EEOC, Enforcement Guidance on Reasonable Accommodation and Undue Hardship Under the ADA, No. 915.002.
The image includes a picture of sign posts poiting in 3 different directions. Agencies can choose from equally effective options. When more than one accommodation would be equally effective, the agency may choose among those options. This discretion applies only to accommodations that fully meet the employee’s functional needs; the agency cannot select an alternative that is less effective, more burdensome, or inconsistent with documented limitations. Choice exists only within solutions that actually work. 29 C.F.R. § 1630.9(d). EEOC, Enforcement Guidance on Reasonable Accommodation and Undue Hardship Under the ADA, No. 915.002.
The image has a picture of a calendar. You cannot be required to use your leave instead of receiving an accommodation. An agency cannot require an employee to use sick leave, annual leave, LWOP, or FMLA instead of providing a reasonable accommodation. Leave can be offered as an option if it meets the employee’s needs, but it cannot replace the agency’s obligation to provide an effective accommodation. 29 C.F.R. § 1630.2(o). 29 C.F.R. § 1614.203(d). EEOC, Enforcement Guidance on Reasonable Accommodation and Undue Hardship Under the ADA, No. 915.002.
Effective interim accommodations must be provided during delays. If the agency cannot finalize your RA request promptly, it must provide an effective interim accommodation that allows you to continue performing your essential duties. It must genuinely enable you to perform the essential functions of your position and cannot be symbolic or ineffective. When a delay is foreseeable, the agency must implement an interim solution immediately and maintain it until the final accommodation is in place. 29 C.F.R. § 1614.203(d)(3). 29 C.F.R. § 1630.2(o). EEOC, Enforcement Guidance on Reasonable Accommodation and Undue Hardship Under the ADA, No. 915.002
You do not need to disclose your diagnoses. Employees are only required to provide information about their functional limitations—the specific ways a condition affects their ability to perform job duties— not the name of their medical condition or a detailed medical history. Agencies cannot demand a diagnosis, test results, treatment records, or any medical information unrelated to the accommodation request. The agency is entitled only to the minimum documentation necessary. You do not need to disclose your diagnoses. 29 C.F.R. § 1630.14(c). 29 C.F.R. § 1630.2(k). EEOC, Enforcement Guidance on Reasonable Accommodation and Undue Hardship Under the ADA, No. 915.002. EEOC, The Federal Sector Reasonable Accommodation Process, MD-110, Ch. 2
Effective interim accommodations must be provided during delays. If the agency cannot finalize your RA request promptly, it must provide an effective interim accommodation that allows you to continue performing your essential duties. It must genuinely enable you to perform the essential functions of your position and cannot be symbolic or ineffective. When a delay is foreseeable, the agency must implement an interim solution immediately and maintain it until the final accommodation is in place. 29 C.F.R. § 1614.203(d)(3). 29 C.F.R. § 1630.2(o). EEOC, Enforcement Guidance on Reasonable Accommodation and Undue Hardship Under the ADA, No. 915.002.
Employees are only required to provide information about their functional limitations—the specific ways a condition affects their ability to perform job duties— not the name of their medical condition or a detailed medical history. Agencies cannot demand a diagnosis, test results, treatment records, or any medical information unrelated to the accommodation request. The agency is entitled only to the minimum documentation necessary. You do not need to disclose your diagnoses. 29 C.F.R. § 1630.14(c). 29 C.F.R. § 1630.2(k). EEOC, Enforcement Guidance on Reasonable Accommodation and Undue Hardship Under the ADA, No. 915.002. EEOC, The Federal Sector Reasonable Accommodation Process, MD-110, Ch. 2.
Employers cannot demand that you start or stop medication, pursue therapy, undergo surgery, or adopt any medical intervention to “fix” your condition. The law requires the employer to modify the workplace, not your body, and it forbids intruding on your medical decision-making. Forcing treatment or suggesting you must change your health status to reduce your need for support is discriminatory and violates federal civil rights protections. An agency cannot require you to undergo treatment to avoid needing an RA. 29 C.F.R. § 1630.10. 29 C.F.R. § 1630.13. 29 C.F.R. § 1630.14(c). EEOC, Enforcement Guidance on Reasonable Accommodation and Undue Hardship Under the ADA, No. 915.002. EEOC, The Federal Sector Reasonable Accommodation Process, MD-110, Ch. 2.
An agency cannot suggest, pressure, or direct an employee to apply for disability retirement instead of providing an effective accommodation. Disability retirement is a voluntary benefit available only when an employee is unable to perform the essential functions of any suitable position, even with accommodation, not when the agency is unwilling to accommodate. Forcing or steering an employee toward disability retirement is discriminatory and violates federal civil rights protections. Forced retirement is not an accommodation. 29 U.S.C. § 791(b). 29 C.F.R. § 1614.203(d). 29 C.F.R. § 1630.2(o). EEOC, Enforcement Guidance on Reasonable Accommodation and Undue Hardship Under the ADA, No. 915.002. 5 C.F.R. § 844.103(a)–(b). 5 C.F.R. § 831.1203(a)–(b).
If you cannot safely perform your duties without accommodation, the agency must protect you—not penalize you. If performing your duties without accommodation would exacerbate symptoms, trigger medical episodes, compromise physical or cognitive functioning, or meaningfully increase the risk of error or injury, then working unaccommodated is not safe and the agency must place you on paid administrative leave as a temporary safety measure. Unsafe work demands paid admin leave. 29 C.F.R. § 1630.2(r). 29 C.F.R. § 1614.203(d)(3). EEOC, Enforcement Guidance on Reasonable Accommodation and Undue Hardship Under the ADA, No. 915.002. EEOC, The Federal Sector Reasonable Accommodation Process, MD-110, Ch. 2.
Reasonable accommodation decisions must be provided in writing. Written documentation ensures clarity, accuracy, and accountability, and it protects employees from shifting explanations or informal verbal denials. A written decision must state what was approved or denied, the effective date, the rationale, and any next steps or appeal options. Verbal statements—such as “we can’t do that, ” “leadership said no, ” or “that’s not our process”—do not constitute a lawful decision. Decisions must be put in writing. 29 C.F.R. § 1614.203(d)(3). EEOC, The Federal Sector Reasonable Accommodation Process, MD-110, Ch. 2 .
Supervisors may not discourage or pressure employees against requesting a particular accommodation. Statements like “we don’t approve that” or “leadership won’t like it” improperly interfere with the employee’s right to an individualized assessment. Employees must be free to request what meets their functional needs without intimidation or steering. Any attempt to deter or redirect a lawful accommodation request is discriminatory. It’s illegal to discourage accommodation requests. 29 C.F.R. § 1630.2(o)(3). 29 C.F.R. § 1614.203(d). EEOC, Enforcement Guidance on Reasonable Accommodation and Undue Hardship Under the ADA, No. 915.002.
You have the right to an accommodation even if you are fully successful at your job. Eligibility does not depend on struggling, failing, or showing performance problems. The law focuses on whether a workplace adjustment would reduce effort, pain, cognitive load, or symptom severity tied to your disability—not on how well you are coping without it. If accommodation would make the work safer, more sustainable, or less physically or mentally taxing, you are entitled to request and receive it. Doing well doesn’t mean you don’t get accommodation. 29 C.F.R. § 1630.2(k). 29 C.F.R. § 1630.2(o). EEOC, Enforcement Guidance on Reasonable Accommodation and Undue Hardship Under the ADA, No. 915.002
An employee cannot be charged with AWOL when a disability prevents them from safely reporting to the worksite and the agency has not provided a reasonable or interim accommodation. AWOL requires a willful failure to report; a disabilityrelated inability is not misconduct. When telework or another safety-related accommodation is needed and the agency refuses it, the proper response is an interim measure—such as temporary telework or paid administrative leave—not discipline. No AWOL when disability prevents reporting. 29 C.F.R. § 1630.2(o). 29 C.F.R. § 1630.2(r). 29 C.F.R. § 1614.203(d)(3). EEOC, Enforcement Guidance on Reasonable Accommodation and Undue Hardship Under the ADA, No. 915.002
When an agency violates the Rehabilitation Act—by denying, delaying, or mishandling accommodations—it faces legal liability. Agencies may be required to pay damages, restore leave or pay, revise policies, provide training, and undergo compliance monitoring. Internal practices or supervisory misunderstandings do not excuse violations; the agency is fully responsible for ensuring every step of the accommodation process meets federal civil rights requirements. Agencies are legally accountable. 29 U.S.C. § 794a(a)(1)–(2). 29 C.F.R. § 1614.501. EEOC, Management Directive 110, Ch. 11
Supervisors have direct, personal responsibility for complying with the Rehabilitation Act. They may face corrective or disciplinary action, loss of supervisory duties, negative performance ratings, or mandatory retraining. Supervisors can also be named in EEO findings, cited for misconduct, or held responsible for retaliation. “Following orders” or relying on internal practice does not excuse noncompliance; supervisors are individually accountable for ensuring that employees’ civil rights are upheld. Supervisors are personally accountable. 29 C.F.R. § 1614.102(a)(1)–(3). 29 C.F.R. § 1614.203(d). EEOC, Management Directive 110, Ch. 2 & Ch. 6. EEOC, Enforcement Guidance on Reasonable Accommodation and Undue Hardship Under the ADA, No. 915.002.
Disability law outranks agency policy, and your rights cannot be limited by internal preferences or norms. Undue hardship is a very high bar requiring significant difficulty or expense—not inconvenience or staffing preferences. Workplace flexibilities cannot replace a reasonable accommodation when you have a disability-related need. You only need to share your functional limitations; you are not required to disclose a diagnosis or medical history. Agencies cannot require you to use sick leave, annual leave, FMLA, or LWOP instead of providing an accommodation. When accommodations are delayed, agencies must provide an effective interim solution that enables you to perform your essential duties. Agencies cannot pressure you to seek treatment, change your medical regimen, or pursue disability retirement to reduce your need for accommodation. If you cannot work safely without accommodation, the agency must protect you—often through temporary telework or paid administrative leave. All accommodation decisions must be provided in writing; verbal statements are not legally sufficient. Strong job performance does not eliminate your right to an accommodation if it reduces harm, effort, or symptom impact. You cannot be charged AWOL when disability prevents reporting and no reasonable or interim accommodation has been provided. Agencies and supervisors are legally accountable for violations, including denials, delays, mishandling, or discouraging requests.

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