Genevieve works at a call center and gets migraines when she is around strong scents. These migraines impact her day-to-day and make it difficult for her to get her work done. Her office has a scent-free policy, but one of Genevieve’s coworkers started wearing perfume to the office. Management did not enforce the scent-free workplace rule and Genevieve started getting daily migraines. She had to leave work early several times.

Concerned about her ability to do her job, Genevieve reached out to her regional ADA Center to learn more about her rights in the workplace. Genevieve was surprised to learn that her chronic migraines were considered a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) because they affected her ability to perform major life activities. Major life activities are functions that are important to most people’s daily lives. Examples of major life activities are breathing, walking, talking, hearing, seeing, sleeping, caring for yourself, and working. Because her migraines affected her ability to work, Genevieve had protections under the ADA. Genevieve and her regional ADA Center talked about the process of requesting a reasonable accommodation and her employer’s responsibilities under the ADA.

Equipped with this knowledge, Genevieve felt prepared to talk to her management team at work and was able to get them to consistently enforce the scent-free workplace policy. Thanks to the ADA, Genevieve’s hard work, and the help of her regional ADA Center, she was able to work without scents triggering her migraines!