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MohnJaddenPowers

[NJ] Job-seeker ADA question: if I accept an offer but but request accommodations that need either WFH or a private office, could the company rescind my offer?

Recruitment & Talent Acquisition

Background stuff:

Located in NJ. For purposes of this question I'd be looking at jobs in both NJ and NYC.

I have ADHD and a few other conditions, diagnosed since age 7, and I've been seeing a psychiatrist for med management for about 10 years. Meds help, but a controlled, quiet, secure environment helps even more, especially if I can get up, pace around, talk to myself, and disengage for a minute or two in a dark room if I need to. I had a lot of difficulty in my career - appx. 24 years in IT so far - and have done well enough, but the pandemic and WFH were like a godsend. It was way easier to focus, cope, deliver, and function. My bosses were happy, I was happy.

My current role started out as 100% remote, but RTO was announced. I requested an accommodation and worked with my current job's HR accommodation team and my psychiatrist to complete the forms. My psych put on the paperwork that my condition could be accommodated by having control over sound, temp, scent, and movement in my working area and recommended I stay at WFH as an accommodation. My current job agreed and kept me that way.

Current situation:

I'm looking for a new job, and there majority of roles in my area (NYC metro) are hybrid. I don't mind going in on an occasional basis after the last six years of WFH, I've realized that I do indeed perform well when I don't have to worry about smell, getting snuck up on, etc. If I have this controlled, quiet, focused environment, I can do my job without the limitations of ADHD.

If I get offered a job and I ask for an ADA accommodation, if my doctor's recommendation is for either WFH or a private, factor-controlled office on hybrid days, but the role is described as hybrid, is it an unreasonable accommodation to ask for WFH? The nature of my job can be done from anywhere, but I get that companies have their reasons for office presence. I don't know HR well enough to know if it's considered a core function of the job that can be accommodated or if it can be used as a disqualifier that doesn't fall under ADA protection.

I feel like mentioning "hey, I know this is hybrid but I have a medical condition that would require it to be remote or giving me a private office" early on in the interview process is a great way to be rejected for a legally defensible qualification or culture fit.

I'd love to get input from HR folks, even if it's a "you're not going to get remote" answer - I want to make sure I set my expectations in the right places.

Posted May 13, 2026, 6:31 PM UTC

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