Workplace Strategies Watercooler 2025: Top Complex ADA Issues

In this installment of our Workplace Strategies Watercooler 2025 podcast series, the speakers from our interactive Accommodations Workshop offer an information-packed look at complex issues under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Jamie Brod Ashton (shareholder, Dallas) kicks things off by highlighting common mistakes employers often make during the interactive process, including failing to recognize requests for an accommodation, neglecting to conduct individualized assessments, and providing accommodations that remove essential job functions. Charles Thompson (shareholder, San Francisco) and Sheri Giger (shareholder, Pittsburgh) clarify the factors that may justify a failure to accommodate. Charles, who co-chairs the firm’s Leaves of Absence/Reasonable Accommodation Practice Group, and Sheri share examples of operational costs and discuss the nuances of indefinite leave. Michael Riccobono (shareholder, Morristown) wraps up the conversation with insights on “hidden” disabilities, the individualized assessments required to determine whether an employee poses a direct threat to themselves or others, and the right to bring service animals into the workplace.