DISABILITY PRIDE MONTH POST: ADHD and tiny accommodations
Sometimes it's the little things...
July is Disability Pride Month, something I was unaware of just a year ago. But I had only learned of my ADHD diagnosis in 2022 and was still coming to terms with the “terms” surrounding it.
Terms like “disorder,” “dysfunction,” and “disability.” Terms that felt like… well… disses.
I no longer feel that way about these terms, though, and I’ll tell you why.
I’ve reclaimed them (much like my gay and queer peers reclaimed theirs) and own them proudly for what they really mean in my life: the ability to acknowledge that I have needs and to request appropriate accommodations for them.
Accommodations feels like such a big word, but these adjustments can be ever so slight and have outsized positive impact on a person. Things like:
Saying “Can you repeat that?” - “I was listening, but I have a processing delay and missed the first part of what you said.”
Sleeping in without guilt - “I have delayed sleep phase syndrome and have trouble falling asleep at normal times, so sleeping in is how I get my necessary rest.”
Even if I don’t tell people why, I have the confidence now to:
Request details in writing - “Would you mind putting that in an email so I don’t miss anything?”
Buy and use a fidget ring during meetings - so I don’t gnaw my nails down to a bloody nothing.
It’s these little shifts that help make life that much more livable for someone with ADHD.
These tiny tweaks open the doors for a little more understanding and forgiveness from myself and others. It enables me to accept areas where I struggle, grant myself grace, and face life with a new sense of confidence and worthiness.
If you have ADHD, you are legally entitled to workplace accommodations, and you should consider requesting or creating them for yourself. I found a great resource for this here. For those who aren’t disabled and are looking for easy ways to support your loved ones, I suggested starting here.
To me, disability pride means honoring my unique strengths, acknowledging my challenges, and being accepted (both by myself and others) for who I am.
This month, I celebrate the fact that I deserve to be myself and to be accommodated. And you deserve this, too.