What do I do if my employer won't make adjustments for my ADHD?

Put your request in writing, then raise a formal grievance. If unresolved, notify Acas for early conciliation and you can claim disability discrimination at a tribunal within three months less one day.

First, put the request in writing

Email your line manager or HR and name the adjustment you asked for and the problem it removes. A sentence you can use: "I am asking for written instructions for new tasks because, as a reasonable adjustment for my ADHD, this removes the disadvantage I face from verbal-only briefings." That phrasing matters. The Equality Act 2010 makes an employer take reasonable steps to remove a substantial disadvantage caused by a practice, a physical feature, or a missing aid (section 20), and failing to do so is itself discrimination (section 21). A written request dates the refusal, which is the moment the legal clock starts.

One thing to know before you escalate: ADHD is not automatically a disability under the Act. It counts where it has a substantial, long-term adverse effect on normal day-to-day activities (section 6). A formal diagnosis is not legally required and does not by itself prove disability; what matters is the effect. So you do not need to be diagnosed or waiting for a diagnosis to be gatekept out of this route. See whether ADHD is classed as a disability at work.

Then raise a formal grievance

If the request is refused or ignored, raise a formal grievance under your employer's grievance procedure, following the Acas guidance. Put it in writing, set out the adjustment, the disadvantage, and the refusal, and ask for a grievance meeting. The duty to adjust also applies to the grievance process itself, so you can ask for adjustments to how the hearing is run. Keep copies of everything.

Escalate to Acas, then a tribunal

If the grievance does not resolve it, you can take a disability discrimination claim to an employment tribunal. You cannot lodge one without first notifying Acas for early conciliation. The deadlines are the trap most advice skips:

1. Notify Acas within three months less one day of the failure to adjust (Acas time limits). Treat the latest clear refusal as the trigger.
2. Early conciliation pauses the clock. For claims notified to Acas on or after 1 December 2025 it can run up to 12 weeks, not the old 6 (Acas early conciliation).
3. You get at least one month from the certificate to lodge the tribunal claim, as long as you notified Acas before the original limit ran out.

You can read more on claiming disability discrimination for ADHD and on whether your employer can refuse a reasonable adjustment.

This page is general information, not clinical or legal advice.