Accommodation Request

Accommodation Request Skill

Reasonable accommodations (US: ADA; UK: reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act; similar elsewhere) are a right, but getting them often stalls on how the request is framed: people over-share medical detail, ask for a vague "help," or frame it as a favor rather than an adjustment to a barrier. Employers and institutions respond best to a specific request that names the barrier and the adjustment that removes it — they generally don't need your diagnosis, only the functional limitation and what helps. This skill writes that request, guides how much to disclose, and prepares you for the interactive back-and-forth that follows. It is not legal advice; it routes to the formal process and to advocacy if you hit resistance.

What This Skill Produces

• A barriers-and-adjustments map: for each thing that's hard, the specific workplace/course barrier and the concrete adjustment that removes it (framed as an adjustment to a barrier, not a personal favor)
• The request letter/email: to the right person (HR, disability services, manager per the process), citing the process, naming the adjustments, and inviting the interactive dialogue
• Disclosure guidance: how much to share (usually the functional limitation and what helps, not the diagnosis), what you're not obliged to reveal, and where medical documentation is genuinely needed
• A process plan: the interactive/good-faith dialogue that's expected, how to handle "that's not possible," alternatives, and escalation to advocacy or the formal complaint route if needed

Required Inputs

Ask for (if not already provided):

• The setting (workplace or education) and country/system, since the legal framework and process differ
• The specific difficulties and the tasks/situations where they bite (the barrier), and what adjustments would help
• What the user is comfortable disclosing and to whom, and whether there's an existing process (HR policy, disability services office)
• Any history (a prior refusal, a difficult manager) that shapes strategy

Framework

1. Frame around barrier → adjustment, not diagnosis. The request names the barrier ("open-plan noise makes focused work impossible," "fixed exam timing conflicts with medication effects") and the specific adjustment that removes it (noise-cancelling/ a quiet space, extra time/a separate room). The employer's duty attaches to the barrier and the reasonable fix, not to your medical history.
2. Disclose the minimum that works. Generally you must share enough functional information to justify the adjustment and may need medical documentation of the limitation — but not your full diagnosis or records. The skill helps calibrate: enough to establish the need, no more, and names what you're not obliged to reveal.
3. Send it to the right process. Route to whoever owns adjustments (HR, disability/ access services, occupational health) rather than only a manager who can't approve, cite the relevant policy/law framing, and put it in writing so there's a record.
4. Expect the interactive dialogue — and engage it. These processes are meant to be a good-faith back-and-forth: they may propose alternatives, ask for documentation, or push back on cost/feasibility. The skill preps constructive responses, the "undue-hardship/reasonableness" conversation, and holding firm on the barrier while being flexible on the exact fix.
5. Know the escalation and get support. If met with refusal, delay, or retaliation: the formal grievance/complaint route, disability advocacy organizations, and (where warranted) legal advice. Retaliation for requesting accommodations is itself usually unlawful — flag it, and route to real help rather than adjudicating it here.