You may be doing the job and hiding the machinery: alarms, late-night recovery, copied notes, unopened email, the half hour it takes to begin a five-minute task. An accommodation request is not a confession. It is a proposal to remove a work barrier.

**In California, ADHD may qualify as a mental disability when it limits a major life activity such as concentrating, thinking, learning, communicating or working. The request is strongest when it connects a specific functional limit to a change that helps you perform an essential part of the job. A diagnosis alone does not guarantee any particular accommodation.**¹ ²

California's Fair Employment and Housing Act generally covers employers with five or more employees. Federal ADA employment rules generally begin at 15 employees. California uses the broader “limits” standard rather than the federal “substantially limits” wording.¹ ³

Use this sheet before emailing HR, a manager or an accommodation office. It describes the law; it is not legal advice.

Name one job barrier—not your whole diagnosis

Start with one repeatable event. Do not write “ADHD makes work hard.”

Essential job task	What happens now	When or where it happens	Work consequence
Example: prepare weekly report	I lose the sequence after interruptions	Open office, Thursday afternoon	Missing sections and late delivery

The essential task is the result the job truly requires. The barrier is what gets between you and that result. An employer generally does not have to remove an essential function or lower a consistently applied performance standard. It may need to change how, when or where the work is performed if that change is effective and does not create undue hardship.² ⁴

Match the barrier to an effective change

Possible accommodations in California regulations and EEOC guidance include modified schedules, changes in how a function is performed, policy changes, written instructions, dividing complex tasks into smaller parts, quieter work space or equipment, remote work, leave for treatment, and reassignment to a vacant position.² ⁴ ⁵ None is automatic.

If the barrier is…	A change to discuss—not a guaranteed right	How you will test whether it works
Interruptions erase the task sequence	A protected focus block; quieter location; noise-reducing equipment	Correct report submitted by the same deadline
Verbal instructions disappear	Written priorities and due dates after assignment	Fewer missed requirements
A large project has no visible entry point	Milestones, a written first step, or brief scheduled check-ins	Milestones completed on agreed dates
Start time conflicts with a documented disability-related limit	A modified start/end time while preserving required coverage	Attendance and output during a trial period
Treatment interrupts the schedule	Intermittent leave or a modified schedule for appointments	Appointments attended; essential work covered
Open-office work causes repeated attention loss	Quiet space or remote work for defined tasks, where effective	Named tasks completed to the same standard

Choose a first proposal and one alternative:

First proposal: __________________________________________________

Alternative: _____________________________________________________

Trial length and success measure: _________________________________

The employer must consider your preference, but may choose another accommodation that is effective. The process is a discussion, not an order form.²

Send the request

You do not need a special form or the phrase “reasonable accommodation.” California's Civil Rights Department says its sample forms are optional. A written request gives both sides a clean record.⁶

Copy and edit:

Subject: Request for workplace accommodation

I have a medical condition that limits my ability to [CONCENTRATE / THINK / SLEEP / OTHER FUNCTION]. It is affecting my work when [ONE SPECIFIC BARRIER]. I am requesting a reasonable accommodation and the interactive process.

I am also open to another effective option. A [30-DAY] trial measured by [WORK RESULT] could show whether it works.

Please tell me where to send any reasonable medical documentation and who will participate in the discussion. Please keep medical information in the confidential medical file rather than my personnel file.

Send it to the channel your employer names—often HR, an accommodations team or your manager—and save a dated copy outside the work account.

Brief the health provider without handing over your file

When the disability or need is not obvious, a California employer may request reasonable medical documentation confirming a disability and the need for accommodation. California regulations say the documentation may describe functional limitations; disclosure of the nature of the disability is not required. After receiving reasonable documentation, the employer may not ask about the underlying medical cause. Complete medical records are generally not the right document.²

Give your treating provider this one-page brief:

Provider needs to know	Your notes
Essential job task
Functional limitation affecting it
Change you want considered
Why that change may be effective
Expected duration or review date

Ask the provider to include:

Name and credentials
Confirmation that you have a condition that limits a major life activity
The functional limitation relevant to the job
Why an accommodation is needed
The expected duration, if known
Enough information to support intermittent or reduced-schedule leave, if requested

Ask the provider not to send therapy notes, a full treatment history, unrelated diagnoses or complete records. EEOC guidance likewise tells mental-health providers to explain the functional limit and how the accommodation helps, rather than simply turning over medical records.⁷

Prepare for the interactive-process meeting

Bring these six questions:

Which part of my proposal needs clarification?
Does the employer agree that the named task is essential?
If my first proposal is declined, which effective alternatives are available?
Can we use a dated trial with a work-based success measure?
Who will receive the medical information, and where will it be stored?
When will I receive the decision in writing?

California requires a timely, good-faith interactive process. The employer must either grant the request or, after considering it, reject it and begin discussion of alternatives. Both sides must exchange essential information without delay or obstruction.² ³

Meeting date: ____________________ People present: ____________________

Agreed next action: ______________________________ Due: ______________

Keep a factual record

Original request and attachments
Each response, meeting date and participant
The job description and performance expectations
Why an option was accepted or rejected
Trial dates and work results
Any discipline, schedule change or comment after the request

Requesting accommodation is protected under California law even if the request is not granted. Medical information from the interactive process must be kept separately from the personnel file and confidential, with limited exceptions for necessary restrictions, safety and government investigation.² ³

If the employer says the documentation is insufficient, ask what exact information is missing. California regulations require an opportunity to supplement it before an employer relies on its own medical examination; if the employer requires its chosen provider, it pays the cost and permits time off.²

What happens next

You send the request. The employer may ask for limited documentation. You exchange options and test whether a change lets you perform the essential job. The employer does not have to give the exact option you named, remove an essential duty, or excuse past performance. It does have to consider the request and participate in the process when the law applies.² ⁴

If there is silence, send one dated follow-up:

Please confirm the next step in the timely, good-faith interactive process required by California Government Code section 12940(n).”

For the full law, privacy rules, leave and complaint clocks, use Mental-health accommodations at work in California →. If you need a clinician to document functional limits or help treat the work problems around ADHD, future directory results will use your filters and verified facts—never purchased placement. See what the directory will verify →

In crisis? Call or text 988 — free, 24/7.

Sources

California Government Code §§12926(j), 12926.1(c) — mental disability, major-life-activity and broader California “limits” standard: California Legislative Information and §12926.1.
2 California Code of Regulations §§11065(p), 11068 and 11069 — accommodation examples, effective alternatives, interactive process, documentation and confidentiality: California Code of Regulations.
California Government Code §12940(m)–(n) — reasonable accommodation, protected requests and the interactive process; §12926(d) — five-employee coverage: California Legislative Information.
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Enforcement Guidance on Reasonable Accommodation and Undue Hardship under the ADA:
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Depression, PTSD, & Other Mental Health Conditions in the Workplace: Your Legal Rights — examples include changed schedules, quiet space, written instructions and telework:
California Civil Rights Department, Reasonable Accommodation — five-employee threshold, interactive process and optional sample forms: CRD.
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, The Mental Health Provider's Role in a Client's Request for a Reasonable Accommodation at Work:

Authorities checked August 28, 2026. Legal review is pending. This worksheet provides general information, not legal advice.

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Ask for an ADHD accommodation at work in California