While there are limited circumstances where an employer can take away a reasonable accommodation, they must be able to show that there is a change in circumstances behind the decision. The employer doesn’t have free reign to decide what’s reasonable. They must show that essential job functions have changed.
One example of an accommodation being taken away occurred in Bilinsky v. American Airlines, Inc., No. 18-3107 (2019)5. An employee worked from home after contracting multiple sclerosis. Then, the airline merged with another company, and administrative services were consolidated in one location, requiring face-to-face, on-site work.
The airline cited the merger as a fundamental change. They said that physical presence was now an essential job function. The court agreed, saying that the company did not have to create a new position or maintain a work structure that it did not think was appropriate in order to accommodate the disability. Whether a work-from-home arrangement is reasonable varies from case to case.