Work, disclosure & adjustments | She Thinks Differently

When work creates barriers

Performance depends partly on conditions.

A person can be highly skilled and still struggle in an environment built around constant interruption, unclear priorities, sensory intensity, informal rules or a narrow idea of professional communication.

Women who have spent years masking may be praised for coping until the cost becomes burnout, reduced health or sudden difficulty sustaining performance. The most useful question is often not “Why can’t I cope?” but “What feature of this work is creating the barrier?”

You do not need to prove that work is impossible. You can ask what would make good work more sustainable.

Australian workplace context

Reasonable adjustments are recognised in Australian disability law.

The Disability Discrimination Act 1992 protects people with disability from discrimination in employment. The Australian Human Rights Commission explains that employers must make workplace adjustments where needed for a person to perform the inherent requirements of a role, unless doing so would cause unjustifiable hardship.

Fair Work protections and flexible-work provisions may also be relevant, depending on the situation and eligibility requirements. Rights and processes vary with individual facts, employment arrangements and state or territory laws.

General information only

This guide is not legal advice.

For advice about your circumstances, consult an appropriate union, workplace representative, lawyer, the Fair Work Ombudsman, JobAccess or an anti-discrimination body.

Disclosure is a decision

You can think in terms of access requirements, not a full personal history.

JobAccess advises that applicants and employees generally do not have a legal obligation to share disability information unless it affects their ability to perform the inherent requirements of the job, their safety or the safety of co-workers.

You may choose to name a diagnosis, describe functional impact, request a change without diagnostic detail, or seek advice before sharing anything. An employer may sometimes request relevant evidence when considering an adjustment. That does not mean every clinical detail is necessary.

Consider the purpose

What barrier needs to change, who has authority to change it and what information do they reasonably need?

Consider the context

Review workplace policies, confidentiality processes, organisational culture and whether a support person could attend.

A disclosure question

What is the minimum useful information needed to move this request forward?

What adjustments can look like

Start with the barrier, not a generic list.

The same diagnosis can create different barriers in different roles. A useful adjustment is specific to the work, the person and the outcome it is intended to support.

01Communication

Written follow-up, clear priorities, direct feedback, agendas in advance and fewer ambiguous instructions.

02Attention and executive function

Protected focus time, visible workflows, reduced non-urgent interruptions and explicit reprioritisation when new work arrives.

03Sensory environment

Quieter work areas, adjustable lighting, ear protection, remote-work options or predictable access to low-stimulation space.

04Time and meetings

Breaks between meetings, flexible start times, shorter meetings, processing time and notice of changes where possible.

05Recruitment and progression

Interview questions in advance, an accessible interview format, clear selection criteria and adjustments during training or assessment.

Adjustment Builder

Translate difficulty into a workplace request.

Choose how much personal information you want to include, then connect the barrier to its work impact and a practical adjustment to trial.

barrierimpactadjustment

A request you can adapt

I would like to discuss a workplace barrier and an adjustment that may help me perform my role effectively. The current barrier is: verbal instructions are difficult to retain. The impact is: I can miss details or need information repeated. I would like to trial: written instructions and agreed priorities after discussions. Could we agree on a review date to check whether it is effective?

Making the request

Clear, documented and open to review.

Check the process

Look for a workplace adjustment, disability inclusion, flexible work or human resources policy.

Describe the barrier

Explain the relevant task or condition and how it affects safe, effective or sustainable work.

Suggest an adjustment

Offer one or more practical options while remaining open to an effective alternative.

Document and review

Confirm what was agreed, who will arrange it, when it begins and when you will review whether it works.

JobAccess also provides a Workplace Adjustment Passport framework that can help record agreed supports and carry them across teams or role changes.

If the response is difficult

A poor first response does not define the strength of your request.

Ask for the decision and reasons in writing. Keep relevant emails, dates, policies, medical information and notes of meetings. Clarify whether an alternative adjustment was considered and what review pathway is available.

Inside workA manager, HR, disability contact, health and safety representative, employee network or support person.

Outside workYour union, JobAccess, Fair Work Ombudsman, Australian Human Rights Commission or state anti-discrimination body.

Personal supportA GP, psychologist or occupational therapist may help document functional impact where appropriate.

Official information

Check the source that fits your situation.

Workplace law and guidance can change. These Australian sources provide current general information.

Keep exploring

Your needs do not cancel out your competence.

Next in this collection: neurodivergent joy, strengths and self-trust.

Read joy & self-trust Resource library

You can be capable.And still need different conditions.