A Sip of Cool Water: Pregnancy Accommodation After the ADA Amendments Act

Abstract

When April Roller began making repeated trips to the restroom because of morning sickness and pregnancy-related dizziness, her supervisor told her that her employer did not "pay [her] to pee." Rather than accommodating her need for more frequent restroom visits, the supervisor offered to buy her a larger wastebasket "so that she could take care of vomiting without having to visit the bathroom or leave her seat." Similarly, a sales associate was denied permission to carry a water bottle, which she needed for her pregnancy-related urinary tract and bladder infections. A cashier was denied permission to use a stool, which she needed because her doctor had forbidden her to stand for more than six hours at a time because of pregnancy-related circulation problems. A nursing home activity director was denied accommodation when her doctor imposed lifting restrictions to prevent miscarriage, despite the fact that lifting was a minor part of her job with which her co-workers were willing to help. All four women eventually lost their jobs.