--- name: "Request a reasonable accommodation at work or in education —" description: "Request a reasonable accommodation at work or in education — frame it around the barrier and the adjustment (not your diagnosis), cite the right process, and navigate the back-and-forth constructively. Use when someone says 'I need a workplace accommodation', 'request reasonable adjustments', 'ADA/Equality Act accommodation', or 'how do I ask for accommodations for my disability/condition'. Produces the request letter, a barriers-and-adjustments map, disclosure guidance, and a plan for the interactive process. Not legal advice — routes to the formal process and to advocacy where needed." --- # 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. ## Output Format ``` ## Barriers → adjustments | The barrier (situation/task) | The adjustment that removes it | ## Your request (send this) [To the right owner · cites the process · names the adjustments · invites the interactive dialogue · in writing] ## What to disclose (and what you needn't) [The functional info to share · documentation if genuinely needed · what you're not obliged to reveal] ## The back-and-forth [Expect a good-faith dialogue · handling "not possible"/alternatives · firm on barrier, flexible on fix] ## If you hit a wall [Grievance/complaint route · disability advocacy orgs · legal advice · retaliation is usually unlawful — get help] ⚠ Not legal advice. Frameworks differ by country and situation; route to the formal process and to an advocate/lawyer if you meet resistance. ``` ## Quality Checks - [ ] Every request is framed as barrier → adjustment, not as a diagnosis disclosure or a favor - [ ] Disclosure is calibrated to the minimum needed, and what's not required is stated - [ ] It's routed to the actual owner of the process, in writing - [ ] The interactive/good-faith dialogue is anticipated with constructive responses - [ ] An escalation/advocacy path and the not-legal-advice line are present ## Anti-Patterns - [ ] Do not over-disclose medical detail — the barrier and the fix are what matter - [ ] Do not assert specific legal entitlements or "undue hardship" thresholds as fact — they vary; route to the process and to advocacy - [ ] Do not frame it as asking a favor — it's a request to remove a barrier, often a legal duty - [ ] Do not counsel giving up at first refusal — the interactive process and escalation exist for exactly that - [ ] Do not treat retaliation as normal — flag it and route to real help ## Related [[disability-disclosure-decision]] for the whether/how of telling work at all; [[disability-benefit-appeal]] for the benefits side; [[venue-access-check]] and [[accessible-travel-planner]] for physical access; [[nt-translator]] for the workplace- communication layer.