What can I do if I am the victim of disability discrimination at work?

What the interactive process really means

This isn't a single meeting where your employer says yes or no. California law requires an ongoing, good-faith conversation aimed at finding an accommodation that actually works: trying one option, adjusting if it falls short, and continuing to look for alternatives rather than stopping at the first denial. If your employer says one particular option won't work, that's usually not the end of the conversation — they generally still have to look for another way to make the job workable.

Your condition also doesn't need to be permanent or severe to count. California's definition of disability is broader than most people expect, and it can include temporary impairments or conditions that only limit you in specific, narrower ways. A condition tied to one particular task, or one that flares up only sometimes, can still qualify — the question is whether it limits you in some meaningful way, not whether it's visible to a coworker.

Next steps

Keep records of every accommodation request and every response, including verbal ones you write down afterward. An attorney can review that history and tell you whether your employer actually engaged in the process or just went through the motions.