ADHD accommodations at work: examples and how to ask

What ADHD accommodations can you ask for at work?

The ADA reaches employers with 15 or more employees. The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) notes that "The ADA does not contain a definitive list of medical conditions that constitute disabilities." Whether your ADHD meets the ADA's definition is covered in Is ADHD a disability.

The changes below come from JAN's ADHD page, grouped by what each one addresses at work. They're a starting point, not a menu. Under the EEOC's reasonable accommodation guidance, "The employer may choose among reasonable accommodations as long as the chosen accommodation is effective."

An accommodation changes how the work gets done, not what the job's essential functions are. The same guidance says: "An employer does not have to eliminate an essential function...Nor is an employer required to lower production standards -- whether qualitative or quantitative -- that are applied uniformly to employees with and without disabilities."

If what you need is time away rather than a change at work, see ADA leave and FMLA for ADHD.

Attention and concentration

Some examples change the space around you: noise-canceling headsets, white noise machines, sound absorption panels, cubicle doors or shields, alternative lighting, and worksite redesign.

Others change when and where you work: a flexible schedule, a modified break schedule, telework or working from home, and uninterrupted "off" work time.

Others change how the work reaches you. Written instructions, verbal cues, separating tasks, and restructuring the job all sit in this group.

Time and planning

For managing time, JAN lists timers and watches, calendars and planners, reminders, checklists, and a color-coded system. Written instructions and separated tasks appear here as well.

For organizing and setting priorities, the examples include organization software, a task flow chart, clearly identified tasks, task rotation, and color-coded manuals or outlines.

Some are about people rather than tools: on-site mentoring, changes to supervisory methods, professional organizers, and job coaches.

Memory

For memory, JAN lists written instructions, reminders, verbal cues, recorded directives or messages, memory software, and extra training time or refresher training.

Handling several tasks at once

For handling several tasks at once, JAN lists task separation, a task flow chart, task identification, supervisory feedback, additional training time, and a review of performance standards.

Working with supervisors and co-workers

For working with supervisors and co-workers, JAN lists one-on-one communication, adjusted supervisory methods, on-site mentoring, positive feedback, disability awareness training, and job coaches.

Stress

JAN's examples for stress include a flexible schedule, a modified break schedule, job restructuring, and a support person. Several of them repeat from the groups above. The same change can address more than one thing.

Do you have to tell your employer you have ADHD?

To get an accommodation, your employer has to be told that a change is needed for a medical reason. The EEOC's guidance puts it this way: "the individual or his/her representative must let the employer know that s/he needs an adjustment or change at work for a reason related to a medical condition".

It adds that "as a general rule, the individual with a disability...must inform the employer that an accommodation is needed." That rule is about getting an accommodation. Whether to tell your employer anything at any other point is your choice.

Medical information your employer gets through its medical inquiries has rules of its own. Under 29 CFR 1630.14(c)(1), it "shall be collected and maintained on separate forms and in separate medical files and be treated as a confidential medical record." Supervisors and managers may be told about "necessary restrictions on the work or duties of the employee and necessary accommodations".

First aid and safety personnel may be told "if the disability might require emergency treatment." Government officials investigating compliance may be given it as well. Under (c)(2), the information "shall not be used for any purpose inconsistent with this part."

Certicare is a telehealth service where leave and accommodation paperwork is completed and signed by a state-licensed provider after an evaluation. If your employer asks for documentation, that's the paperwork a provider can complete, where the evaluation supports it. There's usually no appointment, and a provider may follow up for more detail before deciding. Turnaround is usually within 24 hours after we have everything needed.

Completing our intake form starts the review; it does not guarantee a signature, and if the review does not support your request you are refunded in full.

How do you ask for an ADHD accommodation?

There's no required form of words. Under the EEOC's guidance, a request can use "plain English." It doesn't have to mention the ADA or use the phrase "reasonable accommodation," and it doesn't have to be in writing.

It can be made "in conversation or may use any other mode of communication." A request made to your supervisor in conversation counts.

You don't have to make it yourself. "A family member, friend, health professional, or other representative may request a reasonable accommodation on behalf of an individual with a disability."

What the request needs is the link between a change at work and a medical condition. After that, the EEOC describes a back-and-forth: "The employer and the individual with a disability should engage in an informal process to clarify what the individual needs and identify the appropriate reasonable accommodation."

Timing counts too. "An employer should respond expeditiously to a request for reasonable accommodation," and "Unnecessary delays can result in a violation of the ADA." A written record of what you asked for and when is useful evidence later.

What documentation can your employer ask for?

Your employer may ask for documentation when "the disability and/or the need for accommodation is not obvious." Under the EEOC's guidance, it describes the impairment, its "nature, severity, and duration," and the functional limitations.

It also shows how the accommodation you asked for addresses those limits. The paperwork is about your limits at work and what would help with them.

A state-licensed provider reviews your answers and, where the evaluation supports it, completes and signs the paperwork your employer asked for. The decision on the accommodation stays with your employer.

What if your employer says no?

Your employer may offer a different accommodation that's effective instead of the one you asked for. That's a choice the EEOC's guidance allows the employer.

One limit on an employer's duty is "undue hardship." The EEOC defines it as "significant difficulty or expense and focuses on the resources and circumstances of the particular employer in relationship to the cost or difficulty of providing a specific accommodation." When no accommodation is possible, read when an employer can't accommodate restrictions.

The EEOC's time limits for filing a charge read: "In general, you need to file a charge within 180 calendar days from the day the discrimination took place. The 180 calendar day filing deadline is extended to 300 calendar days if a state or local agency enforces a law that prohibits employment discrimination on the same basis."

Federal employees "generally must contact an agency EEO Counselor within 45 days."

Under 42 U.S.C. 12203(a), no person may discriminate against anyone for opposing a practice the ADA makes unlawful or for taking part in an ADA charge or investigation.

You don't need to have the accommodation worked out before you start. Answer the intake questions, and a state-licensed provider completes and signs the paperwork your employer asked for, where the evaluation supports it.