Free Group Support
The Chicago Adult ADHD Group is our local peer support group that meets twice a month: once online, and once in person. We primarily work together to challenge ADHD stigma, build self compassion skills together, and share meaningful strategies for moving through this world with neurodivergence.
Currently, the group events are published on “meetup”, which you can apply to join here
ADHD and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
ADHD and the Americans with Disabilities Act
Before we talk about the ADA, it is important to recognize that the disabling features encompassing ADHD come from three distinct sources: the symptoms themselves, internalized stigma, externalized/systemic stigma. ADHD is neither a superpower nor an inherent condemnation. It is a difference in brain wiring that is not so easily standardized, and this has a marginalizing impact in heavily standardized environments like work and school. This distinction is important because these two environments are often primary perpetrators of systemic ADHD stigma; and for many of us, they are the environments where we first begin to internalize stigmatizing messages. When we talk about ADHD as a disability that is protected by the ADA, we need to acknowledge the disabling nature of the environments within which we are seeking accommodations. We are asking for exclusionary standards to be modified into more inclusive processes. We are not asking for special treatment or advantages over our peers. This acknowledgement helps orient us back to our inherent and inextinguishable human dignity, particularly when accommodations are challenged.
from a licensed mental health professional
What is the ADA?
The ADA is a civil rights law that protects people with disabilities by prohibiting discrimination based on ability and requiring institutions and businesses to provide reasonable accommodations to employees and students with disabilities
The ADA defines a person with a disability as someone who
has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities
has a record of such an impairment
or is regarded as having such an impairment
*Folks with ADHD are protected by the ADA and are eligible for accommodations so long as they have received an official diagnosis and a mental health professional has determined that accommodations are necessary
How does the ADA Protect people with ADHD?
The ADA grants people with ADHD to right to seek out an official accommodations letter that can be used at work and school
How do I seek out an official accommodations letter?
Obtain a formal diagnosis
Talk to a licensed mental health professional about accommodations you feel would help you
See list of common accommodations for folks with ADHD- HERE
If your therapist is not familiar with the ADA, accommodations letters, or the kinds of accommodations available for folks with ADHD, you can refer them to the Job Accommodations Network
And you can show them this sample accommodations letter from a healthcare provider too to help streamline the process
Submit the letter to HR at work or to the disabilities department at your school
It is important to note that this process does not adequately safeguard employees and students from stigmatization within these settings. It is an imperfect process, but it can provide needed support and relief.