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Failure to make reasonable adjustments

Has anyone had experiences of workplaces who fail to make reasonable adjustments for your disability? I suffer from daily chronic migraine and had a job offer withdrawn after I disclosed my health condition to the hiring manager after I accepted the offer.

  1. Hi
    Thank you for sharing this difficult experience with us, it's so unfair. I'm sorry you are dealing with this - you're not alone.
    I've not personally had to deal with this and I'm sure others will be along shortly to share their story with you. In the meantime, let me share some of our resources/articles with you on this topic;
    https://migraine.com/search?s=workplace%20accomodations
    https://askjan.org/info-by-role.cfm#for-individuals
    https://migraine.com/migraine-basics/ada-accommodations-the-workplace
    Will you keep us posted on how you are doing? Nancy Harris Bonk, Patient Leader/Moderator Migraine.com Team

    1. Hey there. Sorry to hear that you've gone through this. Deciding when and how to disclose a health condition is often anxiety-inducing, largely because of the fear of discrimination...

      I thought you might want to have access to the actual terms laid out by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA):

      https://www.eeoc.gov/disability-discrimination-and-employment-decisions

      In particular, here's the bit about what's allowed after an offer is made:

      "After a job is offered to an applicant, the law allows an employer to condition the job offer on the applicant answering disability-related questions and/or successfully passing a medical exam, but only if all new employees in the same type of job have to answer the questions and/or take the exam. An employer may only revoke the job offer if the information reveals the individual cannot safely perform the job (even with reasonable accommodation, if entitled to it)."

      We aren't ADA experts and can't offer you legal advice, but there is a link on the side of the above website if you want to file a charge. I would encourage you to consult a legal professional about the specifics of your situation.

      You deserve to be treated fairly and we are here to support you no matter what you choose to do next. Please keep us posted, your story may be helpful to someone else going through similar circumstances.

      All the best to you,
      Melissa, migraine.com team

      1. I forgot to mention that I am based on the UK. In this job no health questionnaire is required and it is also illegal to ask health related questions during the interview stage.


        1. Thank you for letting us know you are in the UK. The Migraine Trust, based in the UK may have some resources for you: https://migrainetrust.org/
          Again, I'm sorry you have to deal with this, it's so unfair. Please keep us posted, Nancy Harris Bonk, Patient Leader/Moderator Migraine.com Team

      2. OMG YES!! I worked for 14 years in education. Believe it or not I was able to manage this with intractable daily chronic migraines I've had since I was 9(54 years now). What I could NOT handle was the lighting and fumes at this one training center I had to take one of our high school students to daily. When I seriously tried to make it work and my migs started getting out of control,I asked the teacher if it was possible to rotate with the other para's. This was met w a fast resounding NO. There was no..let's look at the scheduling or let's see what we can work out. Just a solid NO.
        Fast forward thru several more months of working this schedule with no relief,my migs completely out of control and I have now taken many days off from work( I had NEVER taken days off before no matter how crappy I felt). They kept making my job harder and harder for me to tolerate and would not make even the slightest reasonable accommodations for me which was all i had asked for..just a simple rotation w someone else.



        1. SO frustrating to hear of what you encountered with the resistance to make a shift so you can avoid what is a clear trigger for you. I'm amazed that you have managed to stay in the workforce this long with intractable chronic migraine. I'm sure you have already considered going on disability. What are your thoughts on that? At this point, is there any way to appeal the careless decision related to your simple request to avoid this training center? Thinking of you and sending you compassion- Warmly- Holly -migraine.com team.

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