[CO]-Manager humiliated me over an ADA request.

Workplace Issues

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I'm a former civil servant now working in blue collar environment but I'm in the office about 75% of the time. I just had an uncomfortable experience that I’d like some perspective on. This is a throw away account.

I submitted a formal email documenting an incident with my direct supervisor. Long story short, I raised a concern about a plexiglass panel installed at my workstation that was affecting my privacy, as I don't have an office, I'm out in an open hallway. My screen was fully visible to others due to the reflection, which made me uncomfortable, especially considering the sensitive nature of my work. It was also impacting me physically, hence an ADA accommodation.

When I approached my supervisor privately to say I’d be following up in writing to request that I was asking for it to be removed, he got visibly upset, called me “ridiculous,” and pulled me out into the open office to demonstrate the issue in front of staff. He told me the day before that I was going to get an office but it would be a few months or more and screamed in my face "did you hear what I said yesterday!" I was essentially forced to “prove” my point in front of my coworkers, which was embarrassing and escalated the situation. He then reminded me that the building or my workspace doesn't belong to me, it belongs to the owner and I had no right to ask for anything. I said ok and my manager said "oh, what? you gonna quit now?" and said I had to work at my desk because it was my assigned work station. I said no I wasn't and he told me to go upstairs with him. I didn't follow, I let him act volatile by himself. I stayed calm, didn’t raise my voice, and ultimately removed myself from the office to avoid further conflict.

After, I submitted an email to HR to recap what happened, HR requested a meeting with me the next day. During that meeting, I calmly explained what happened. I told them what he said and how I was trying to tell him it was an ADA request without saying it out right. It felt like he was trying to put me in my place rather than resolve the situation professionally. I also stated that I felt threatened professionally because he made the statement taunting me to quit, I've only been there for 4 months.

They assigned me to another desk which I was relieved because, my desk was right in front of his office underneath a staircase which I never complain about ever. They also said they tried to remove the plexiglass but they used industrial adhesive and it would rip the drywall. HR didn't say anything about my managers behavior but did say "if this is a legitimate accommodation..." and I told them it was and I would provide any documentation from my Dr. if they needed it. Like I was lying about it 🙄

My manager has been coming to my desk around the corner several times, he hasn't acknowledged his behavior or had a conversation with me about it, he keeps acting like nothing happened but he's super flat. I've been emailing him about everything now but he hasn't been responding, he's only coming to my desk. I sent a follow up email with HR and she hasn't given me paperwork to get filled out by my Dr. yet but she also has the same medical condition I do so the explanation I gave her gave her an indication I knew what I was talking about. The vice president also came back from a conference and asked my manager what happened and he went to managers office. The vice president hasn't said anything to me. I'm supposed to be groomed to take his place but I'm not sure that will be happening.

I’d love outside perspective:

Do you think I did the right thing by documenting it and bringing it to HR?

Should I expect retaliation even though I’ve handled this calmly and professionally?

How would you protect yourself in a situation like this?

Posted Jan 25, 2026, 4:37 AM UTC

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