Enforcement Guidance: Reasonable Accommodation and Undue Hardship Under the Americans with Disabilities Act

4. When should an individual with a disability request a reasonable accommodation?

An individual with a disability may request a reasonable accommodation at any time during the application process or during the period of employment. The ADA does not preclude an employee with a disability from requesting a reasonable accommodation because s/he did not ask for one when applying for a job or after receiving a job offer. Rather, an individual with a disability should request a reasonable accommodation when s/he knows that there is a workplace barrier that is preventing him/her, due to a disability, from effectively competing for a position, performing a job, or gaining equal access to a benefit of employment.⁽²³⁾ As a practical matter, it may be in an employee's interest to request a reasonable accommodation before performance suffers or conduct problems occur.