Many managers never get training on accommodations at work. When they do, it usually goes something like this:

- “Here’s what the ADA (or your applicable equivalent) is.”
- “Here’s what the law says.”
- “Here’s what you can’t do.”

It's important that managers know these laws exist. But the bigger question for managers really is: what do you actually need to know so you can handle real conversations confidently, respectfully and correctly?

Because accommodations rarely show up in a tidy little HR training scenario. They show up in real life.

Like when you’re hiring for a remote role and a candidate discloses that they’re deaf.

To make this come to life, this week’s video is a roleplay where I’m HR answering a manager’s very real questions about what to do and say. Watch below, then keep reading for tips I give managers to consider for any accommodation request.

What accommodations training often is (and what managers actually need)

A lot of accommodations training is built around definitions.

In the US, it’s often focused on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), plus other federal, state, and local laws that may apply depending on where you’re located. Globally, different countries have their own laws and regulations, too.

While it truly is important to know these exists, most managers aren't going to remember every detail, every requirement, every exception and every “what if.” And they don’t need to.

What managers do need is a short list of key things they can actually apply in real time:

- Know accommodations are protected and regulated

- Know it’s not your job to make legal calls alone

- Know who to loop in

- Know how to respond without creating risk

- Know how to treat the employee or candidate like a human while you work through the process

Because accommodations aren’t just a compliance issue. They’re a leadership moment.

What it’s like for the person asking for an accommodation

This is the first thing I want managers to pause and consider.

For a candidate or employee, asking for an accommodation can come with a ton of fear. Not because they’re doing anything wrong, but because they don’t know how the request will be received.

They might be thinking:

- Will this cost me the job?

- Will they think I’m high maintenance?

- Will this change how people treat me?

- Will I regret bringing this up?

There’s an NPR story that, for me, captures this reality in a way that’s hard to forget (it's an important read, about a deaf job seeker who submitted 1,000 applications and still struggled to land full-time work). It's a reminder for managers that when you’re hiring, it’s easy to be in “task mode.” You’re trying to fill a role, hit a timeline and keep the process moving.

But the person on the other side of the conversation is a very real human.

How you handle an accommodations request can impact how they think about you, how they view your organization and even how they feel about themselves.

Know who to reach out to (and ask now, not later)

One of the best things a manager can do is to make sure you know what to do before this comes up. If you don’t know how accommodations requests are handled in your organization, that’s not a weakness. Most managers don’t. But it is a good thing to ask now, so you’re not scrambling later.

Here’s a simple question to send to HR or Talent Management: “If someone requests an accommodation during hiring or after they’re on the team, who should I reach out to and what should I know?”

That one message can save you from guesswork in the moment, and it helps you respond the right way instead of realizing otherwise after the fact.

What’s expected (and what’s actually required)

A lot of managers assume this: “If someone requests an accommodation, we have to give them exactly what they asked for.”

Not necessarily. Under the ADA (and many other equivalent laws and regulations), what’s required isn’t always the exact accommodation someone requests. And it’s not guaranteed that every request can be granted.

But what is required is an interactive discussion. That means a real back-and-forth process where the organization considers the request and explores what’s possible.

And here’s an important note for managers: you may not, and likely won’t, be the person leading that discussion. In many organizations, HR will take over the interactive process, and you may only be involved in certain parts of it. You might not have visibility into every detail, and you may not get your "curiosity questions" answered.

For example, managers often wonder: “Why do they need this?” Often the answer is simply: you’re not going to know. And you don’t need to.

Your role usually isn’t to evaluate the validity of someone’s request. Your role is to help determine how a requested accommodation, or any alternative ones, could actually work day-to-day and what the impacts might be, like:

- What does the job actually require?

- Would this affect the team’s coverage, deadlines, or customer needs?

- What support could help make this work?

In other words, your input matters, but it’s not about judging the request. It’s about helping consider how it could work - and what the impact would be.

What’s possible (and why it’s often easier than you think)

A lot of managers hear the word “accommodation” and immediately assume it’s going to be expensive, hard or disruptive. But accommodations are frequently minor - from a cost and time standpoint - and they’re much more common than people realize.

Examples of accommodations can include things like:

- A service dog in the workplace

- A special keyboard or adaptive equipment setup

- Captioning or transcription tools for meetings

- A modified schedule (different start/end times or break structure)

- A quieter workspace or even working from home

- Adjustments to how meetings are run (agendas in advance, follow-up notes, etc.)

Technology has also advanced (and continues to every day), making this much easier. For example, as I share in the video, supporting deaf employees is often far more realistic than managers assume.

The point isn’t that you have to know the exact answer on the spot. It's to approach the request with respect and the assumption that there is usually a path forward worth exploring.

The big reminder: your tone matters more than your expertise

Work - from finding a job to doing a job - can feel hard enough already.

And if you’re a manager, supporting a team member who requests an accommodation might feel like a “new” topic you didn’t prepare for, and you might be terrified of saying the wrong thing.

That’s normal. But here’s a really important thing to know: The person asking for the accommodation will remember how you made them feel.

They’ll remember if you acted annoyed or immediately said "no." And they’ll also remember if you were supportive and respectful, even if you didn’t know the answer immediately.

This is what I wish more managers knew: Think about the person on the other side of that conversation.

Because when you do that, you’re not just “handling an accommodation request.” You’re building your leadership in ways you may not have even realized yet. And those moments really, really matter.

I’m Ashley Herd, a former lawyer and HR leader who now trains managers on what to actually do (not just what not to do). I’m also the author of The Manager Method, releasing February 10th by Hay House.