Dr. Allison Butler, founder of Informed Choices Strategy, talks about workplace rights and accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Drawing on over 20 years leading accommodation and ADA compliance offices across higher education, healthcare, and federal agencies, Butler explains that employees who succeed are often those who ask early and strategically, treating accommodations as a performance-preservation tool rather than a last resort. She outlines her Informed Choices Framework: strategic disclosure (sharing functional impact without oversharing diagnosis details), making specific accommodation requests in operational language, and maintaining thorough documentation. Butler clarifies that HR's role is to protect the employer, so employees should advocate for themselves or seek support. She also advises steps after denial: get reasons in writing, propose alternatives, and escalate strategically, including possible EEOC involvement.

Timestamps:

00:00 Welcome and Topic

01:01 Meet Dr Allison Butler

01:29 Insider Experience

04:37 Biggest Accommodation Myth

06:34 Informed Choices Framework

07:34 Disclosure Without Oversharing

13:18 HR Is Not Your Advocate

16:24 Why She Became an Advocate

19:09 When Requests Get Denied

22:58 EEOC Explained

25:17 How to Connect

26:53 Closing and Next Steps

Get In Touch:

If you're interested in connecting with Dr Allison Butler, you can email her at DrB@informedchoicestrategy.net or reach her via her website (https://www.informedchoicestrategy.net), via Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/share/1JUdZ8GD5G/), via Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/drallisonbutler)or via her LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/allison-butler-phd).

For those interested in sharing their own stories on "Chatting with the Experts," reach out to Paula Okonneh through her website at chattingwiththeexperts.com or connect via LinkedIn.