Reasonable Adjustments at Interview

DmRitchie

I have been successful at sift for a job on promotion in another part of the department I work for. This is only the second time I've been successful under the Disability Confident Scheme (the 1st was a disaster). They have asked what reasonable adjustments I require and I provided this response: 

I have Neurodiverse conditions which affect my cognitive processes and short-term memory.

I have requested the interview questions in advance to help me better structure my responses, as difficulties with short-term memory and auditory processing can cause me to forget or misunderstand the question when asked.

My responses may appear to overlap or relate to different questions due to my thought processes, and I’ve asked for my answers to be considered collectively to avoid any misunderstanding.

I have an anxiety-triggered stammer and the possibility of selective mutism, as such occasionally I may need to provide written responses, however I will always try to respond verbally.

I have requested that the interview be broken into smaller sessions, ideally breaks of 5 to 10 minutes between each question to give me time to recompose and manage any anxiety.

They have come back today to ask what my specific conditions are. I completed my unions course "Supporting neurodiversity in the workplace" last year, but cannot recall whether they are permitted under the Equalities Act to ask about my disability, as surely I have provided enough information. 

This is a role I really want, and so while I don't want to challenge them, I also feel that providing details (I'm Autistic with ADHD and Dysgraphia) may cause bias. I have heard a senior manager in my department previously make a comment that, "We should not hire autistic people." I did challenge them and someone who they had trained and was very very good at the role in question, has been diagnosed as Autistic, which helped. However, I fear a similar bias might exist.

INDITics

HI, you do have a right if not comfortable to not disclose in full your disability, you have already stated some of your adjustments so you have already answered their question, you are allowed to tell them that you don't feel comfortable disclosing. it's not up to them to decided how much you tell them about yourself, especially with biases and to make sure you are the most comfortable in the interview.

hope this helps

Rosie_Scope

Hello @DmRitchie, hope you're doing well. Sorry to see that no one was able to advise you nearer to the time you originally posted, but looks like INDITics has given some lovely advice since.

Has your interview come and gone now? If so, how did you get on?