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What are reasonable adjustments and when can they be requested?

During recruitment or in employment, reasonable adjustments are changes employers must make for people who meet the legal definition of disability (including autistic people) to stop them being disadvantaged. This page explains employment protections for autistic people in UK equality law and the legal duties this places on employers.

Autism, disability and UK equality law

As an autistic person, you may or may not consider yourself to be disabled. However, autistic people meet the legal definition of disability in the Equality Act 2010 (and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 in Northern Ireland) and are protected in UK law regardless of whether they identify as disabled or not. 

You may still meet the legal definition of disability even if you do not have a formal autism diagnosis. The law does not rely on causes or specific diagnoses but rather judges the effect and the disadvantage faced in a specific situation. 

The law provides autistic people with legal protection against discrimination, harassment and victimisation in a wide variety of situations, for example when accessing services, in education and in employment. 

This including having the right to ‘reasonable adjustments’ at every stage of the employment cycle, from the recruitment phase to leaving a job.
 

What are reasonable adjustments?

Reasonable adjustments are agreed changes to stop or prevent you being put at a substantial disadvantage because you are autistic, or otherwise legally considered to be disabled, compared with someone who is not. Employers must make these changes to ensure that you can access your work, their recruitment process or other processes, such as performance management. 

Your entitlement to reasonable adjustments doesn’t only apply when you have a job. It also applies if you are completing an internship, apprenticeship or other employment programme, and it applies in the recruitment phase when you are applying for a job, being interviewed or completing a job trial. The duty to make reasonable adjustments does not apply to volunteering.

Three types of reasonable adjustments 

In equality law, reasonable adjustments are grouped into three types. In the context of work, changes can be made: 

  • to how the employer normally does things, including its policies, routines and expectations (the Act calls this ‘a provision, criterion or practice’)
  • to a physical feature in the work environment (such as a chair or lighting)
  • by providing you with an auxiliary aid or service (such as an Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) device or a work mentor).

How is an adjustment judged to be reasonable or not?

The duty to make reasonable adjustments applies to all employers, but what is considered ‘reasonable’ can vary according to a range of factors, which must be considered together. 

These considerations can include: 

  • the effectiveness of a proposed adjustment at removing a disadvantage
  • the practicability of making an adjustment (whether it’s possible or not)
  • the size of the employer
  • the cost and affordability for the employer
  • the potential disruption
  • health and safety considerations. 

Although what is reasonable is judged on a case-by-case basis, the Equality and Human Rights Commission emphasizes to employers that:

"The test of what is reasonable is ultimately an objective test and not simply a matter of what you may personally think is reasonable."
– Equality and Human Rights Commission, What do we mean by reasonable?

Many adjustments involve little or no cost or disruption and are therefore very likely to be considered reasonable for an employer to make. For example, these adjustments could have little or no cost for many employers: 

  • using clear and precise language and giving clear instructions
  • making social events inclusive and optional
  • allowing you to work from home. 

Employers must consider whether an adjustment could be reasonable with financial or practical support from the government grant scheme Access to Work before deciding that it is not reasonable. To find out more about this, visit the Access to Work section of our page What support can I get at work as an autistic person?
 

Requesting adjustments that are reasonable

An adjustment must be reasonable for there to be a legal requirement for an employer to make it. To demonstrate that the adjustment you are requesting is reasonable, it may be helpful to tell the manager and/or employer:

  • the issue you are facing
  • the disadvantage this puts you at, compared to people who don’t meet the legal definition of disability
  • the adjustment/s you need and how this would remove or reduce the disadvantage. 

The manager/employer will consider a range of factors, including: 

  • whether the adjustment would be effective at removing the disadvantage you are facing
  • whether it is practical
  • the cost to them and their size and resources as an employer
  • the availability of financial or practical support for providing the adjustment, if needed, such as the government grant scheme Access to Work (if you are in, or about to start, work)
  • any disruption the adjustment may cause and how able they are to accommodate it
  • health and safety considerations, if relevant.

If the cost and disruption are minimal and there aren’t any health and safety concerns, it is very likely that an adjustment would be considered reasonable in law. 

However, adjustments that have a higher cost, or that cause some disruption, can also be reasonable. Whether an adjustment is reasonable or not will depend on the circumstances of the specific employer they are being requested from and are judged on the factors listed above.
 

Examples of reasonable adjustments at work

Below are examples of each of the three types of reasonable adjustments.

Example: A change to how the employer normally does things 

  • Issue: An autistic employee is sensitive to noise and touch, and becomes overwhelmed in loud, crowded environments where people are bumping into them. Every day they arrive at work feeling overwhelmed because of travelling through rush hour and find it hard to relax in the evening after travelling home.
  • Disadvantage: They find they cannot be as productive in the morning because it’s difficult to concentrate when they are recovering from the sensory overwhelm and stress they endured on their commute. This means they work slowly and miss deadlines. Additionally, they are stressed after the commute home and find it hard to have the energy to cook proper meals, leading to poorer health over time.
  • Reasonable adjustment: Their employer adjusts their working hours to avoid rush hour. They can arrive and leave an hour earlier than the standard working hours, meaning their journey isn’t so stressful and they can concentrate on work when they are at work, and on looking after themselves when they get home at night. Additionally, they can work from home some days.
  • Why this is reasonable: The adjustment is possible, easy and affordable for the employer to make, and it is effective at reducing the disadvantage the employee is facing because they can avoid rush hour. It costs the employer very little to make this adjustment – they provide computer equipment for the person to work from home – and the company has the resources to do so. The disruption is minimal – colleagues know their hours and don’t plan meetings with them in the last hour of the day. There are no health and safety implications. An application to the government grant scheme Access to Work can be made to pay for taxis to work if the autistic employee needs them.

Example: a change to a physical feature in the work environment 

  • Issue: An autistic employee at a DIY store and garden centre is sensitive to bright artificial lights.
  • Disadvantage: Working in an environment with bright fluorescent lighting that flickers (though their colleagues aren’t sensitive enough to perceive the flickering) is distracting and can make it hard for them to concentrate on what people are saying to them and respond. They have an unreliable ability to speak in these situations and sometimes just stare at customers who have asked them a question.
  • Reasonable adjustment: The employee can work in a more softly lit area of the store or in an outside area. They wear sunglasses when they walk through the section with fluorescent lighting. This allows them to concentrate better on what people are saying and helps them to think about their response and answer.
  • Why this is reasonable: The store where they work already had a more softly lit area and an area with natural light for the employee to work in, so it was possible to make the adjustment. There was some disruption, as the adjustment affected work rotas for the different areas of the store, but it was possible to accommodate this. The adjustment cost nothing and had no impact on health and safety. 

Example: providing an auxiliary aid or service 

  • Issue: An autistic employee is experiencing high anxiety in a new workplace.
  • Disadvantage: The anxiety is not about their work, which they are already very skilled at, but due to being in a new environment, meeting lots of new people and not yet knowing how to navigate the new workplace culture. Seemingly small things like whether the tea, coffee and milk are shared, or where it is acceptable to sit and eat their lunch, are causing them to feel frozen and unable to make decisions.
  • Reasonable adjustment: They are assigned a workplace mentor, who introduces them to the norms and expectations of the new workplace and is available to answer questions, however small, so the autistic employee doesn’t get stuck worrying about them and can concentrate on their work.
  • Why this is reasonable: There is no cost to the employer other than the mentor's time, but the mentor has the capacity, and the amount of time needed is expected to lessen gradually as the new employee settles in. There is no disruption, and the adjustment has no health and safety impact. 

View the Practical resources below for support to identify and request reasonable adjustments that you may need.
 

When do employers have to make reasonable adjustments?

Employers must make reasonable adjustments for you: 

  • when they know (or could reasonably be expected to know) that you meet the legal definition of disability
  • at all stages of the employment cycle, from recruitment to leaving a role
  • when you request reasonable adjustments
  • if you are having difficulty with any part of your role
  • if your absence or sickness record is related to your disability. 

Failure to make reasonable adjustments is unlawful and the duty to provide reasonable adjustments is a pro-active duty, so employers must consider whether you need reasonable adjustments even if you have not requested any. 

However, the duty to provide reasonable adjustments doesn’t apply if your employer doesn’t know you are entitled to them. For this reason, you may want to consider disclosing to your employer that you are autistic and meet the legal definition of disability, which entitles you to reasonable adjustments.

Read more about this on our page Deciding whether to tell employers you are autistic.

Adjustments for volunteers 

Volunteers do not have the same legal protections as employees and service users, and providers of voluntary roles do not have a duty to make reasonable adjustments for volunteers. 

Providers of volunteering opportunities may be happy to make adjustments for you if you request them, simply because you have asked. However, they are not in breach of equality law if they refuse. 

The National council for voluntary organisations (NCVO) notes that protections in other laws may apply; for example, health and safety laws, and laws against harassment.
 

What can I do if reasonable adjustments are denied?

If you have requested reasonable adjustments (during a recruitment process or in employment; or from the provider of a service such as an internship programme or apprenticeship), and they have not, or have only partially been put in place, you can raise the issue with the employer or service provider. 

The government-funded but independent Advisory, conciliation and arbitration service (ACAS) suggest that raising an issue informally can help to resolve it more quickly and maintain positive relationships at work. 

Raising the issue informally could mean: 

  • having an informal chat or a planned meeting with your line manager and/or other relevant managers and/or someone from HR
  • sending an informal email or letter about the issue to those people (you could use the template letter we have drafted below). 

If this does not work, you can raise the issue in a more formal way, such as through a formal grievance process. Visit our page What to do if I’m having trouble at work? for more information about this.
 

Practical resources

We have created resources you can use to learn more about common examples of reasonable adjustments and template letters to request them at different stages of the employment cycle. 

Resource: Common examples of reasonable adjustments 

Template letters: 

Insight from autistic people

"Working from home has changed my life. There are no words for the accessibility work from home gives disabled employees. My energy is spent working hard rather than surviving the office environment every day, just to crash onto my bed with no dinner and sleep every night." 
– Rosie Weldon, Autistic and returning to the office 

"Fear or uncertainty about the response of managers can be a barrier to Autistic people seeking workplace adjustments. While no employee should be obliged to disclose their condition, the reality is that it’s very difficult to have a meaningful discussion about your needs without disclosing the underlying reason for them." 
– Justine Field, How I learned to advocate for my autistic needs

"I have encountered substantial difficulties advocating for reasonable adjustments and gaining acceptance as an autistic colleague. Reasonable adjustments are not ‘special treatment’, and I am not being demanding, as I have been accused. These adjustments are there to remove or minimise the disadvantages of my disability and enable me to fulfil my role to the best of my ability whilst maintaining my health and wellbeing." 
– Chantelle Minchin, The challenge of being autistic and working in the NHS 

"I have (mostly) understanding colleagues and my manager has been brilliant and very understanding with regards to my mental health difficulties. She understands that for me to get through the day successfully, it takes a massive toll on me. Without her support, I doubt I would have a job."
– Tasha, Working with me – autistic nursery worker

Links, resources and article sources

 

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