28 March 2026
Under the Equality Act 2010, employers in the UK have a legal duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled employees. 'Disability' covers a much wider range of conditions than most people realise — including ADHD, autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia, and many mental-health conditions, as long as they have a substantial and long-term effect on day-to-day activities.
What counts as 'reasonable' depends on the size of the employer, the cost of the adjustment, and how much it would actually help. Common adjustments include flexible hours, a quieter workspace, written rather than verbal instructions, more frequent check-ins, screen-reader software, and assistive technology like My-Prompt.
How to ask: be specific about the difficulty, specific about what would help, and link the two. 'I find open-plan offices overwhelming and would like to work from home two days a week to focus on deep work' is much more likely to land than 'my autism makes the office hard'.
If you're worried about disclosing, you don't have to disclose a specific diagnosis — only that you're a disabled person under the Act. Access to Work can also fund adjustments, including assistive technology and a workplace coach, even if you're self-employed.