While preparing, list every aspect of your job, which portions you perform well and which portions require additional work. You will be listing solutions for each portion of your job. Search for reasonable solutions that are easily implemented. Although more elaborate solutions may also be considered, show your employer you are not trying to take advantage of them but trying to create an environment in which you can succeed and provide the company with the benefit of increase productivity or accuracy. You may need your boss to have a clearer understanding of ADHD and how it impacts job performance or you may need some additional organizational tools such as color-coding files or you may be requesting an assistant or restructuring of some job responsibilities.
Some examples of accommodations are:
- Restructuring of job duties to redistribute portions of the job to other personnel.
- Restructuring of deadlines or times when work is due.
- Creating flexible work schedules or reducing work to part time schedule.
- Modifying training materials to include audio or videotapes.
- Access to tape recorder for meetings.
- Color-coding supplies, such as color-coded filing systems, using different colored papers for important memos or using coding each project with a certain color.
- The use of a computer.
- Spell check and grammar check software.
- Talking calculators or large screen calculators.
- Organizational helpers such as day planners, PDAs, organizational/planning software, timers, or alarm clocks.
- Room dividers to lessen distractions.
- Ability to use “white noise” at your desk, or the use of headphones to reduce auditory distractions.
- Moving to a private office.
- Restructuring of files or workspace to create a more even flow of work, as well as reduce steps to completion of work.
- Printed cards to make busy work easier, such as charts of fractions, abbreviations, maps of file cabinets, maps outlining workflow.
These examples are not meant to be an inclusive list or to imply that this is what adults with ADHD need. This list is meant to provide you with a starting point and to begin your thinking process of what may help you succeed. It may be necessary, at times, to accept alternatives the company offers or to scale down on some accommodations to stay reasonable in your requests. Don’t assume that a company is not interested in working with you if they do not accept all of your requests. Remember, their job is also to keep costs controlled.
