3. Who We Are
Jenna Knight
g
LD/ADHD Task Force Leader
Student
Adult i h
Ad l with ADHD
MRC consumer
Ose Schwab
ADHD Coach
Former MRC consumer
4. Objectives of Workshop
Learn more about the challenges of ADHD that impact
g p
the workplace
Become more aware of the strengths and resources you
can bring to the workplace
Learn how to self-advocate
Become familiar with the ADA law and
accommodations
5. Format
Impact of ADHD
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The Full Scoop of ADHD: You and Your Brain
Take Heart and Take Action: Adjustments You Can
Make in Daily Life and Perspective
8. Prevalence in US Work Force
Surveys conducted in 2001/2002 by WHO reported
y y p
ADHD in:
5.2% adults overall (USA) – 9 million adults
4.5% employed/self-employed
7.1 % unemployed
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More men affected than women
9. Impact on Work
Adults with ADHD:
Lose more days to lack of productivity
Lose more days to poor quality work
Are absent more
Make less money ($41,511 vs. $52,053)
Are in lower positions (blue collar, white collar
technical)
Spend
S d more on h lth
healthcare
Underrepresented in professional positions
10. Reported Work Challenges
Staying on task (
y g (75%))
Concentrating on what people say (70%)
Wrapping up projects (61%)
Organizing projects (50%)
Following through on tasks (61%)
Have to work harder than peers (65%)
Must work longer to complete tasks (45%)
Sitting still in meetings (60%)
12. Medical Community Says…
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (
yp y (ADHD) is a
)
“family of related chronic neurobiological disorders that
interfere with an individual's capacity to:
Regulate activity level (hyperactivity),
Inhibit behavior (impulsivity), and
Attend to tasks (inattention) in developmentally
appropriate ways.”
http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=22329
13. Executive Functions
Executive functions enable us to activate, orchestrate,
monitor, evaluate, and adapt to different strategies to
accomplish different tasks.
They
Th are necessary in order for us to be able to:
i d f t b bl t
Analyze situations
Estimate time
Prioritize tasks
Plan and take action
Regulate
R l t emotion ti
Focus and maintain attention to
Adjust actions as needed to get the job done
j g j
16. Factors That Influence ADHD
Your perspective
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Work environment
Physical health (sleep, exercise, nutrition)
Role (engineer vs. manager of engineers)
Relationships
Stress
18. Self Advocacy at Work
Self-advocacy is knowing:
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What you want
What you do well and what y have difficult doing
y you g
Your rights and needs
Being able to express that information to the appropriate
g p pp p
person
How to update and revaluate
19. Disclosure
“Disclosure” by definition means to make something known. This implies that
disclosure of any kind is a personal decision; as such the decision as to whether & what
to disclose about one’s disability in an employment . You need to remember that
disclosure of a disability is required to secure “reasonable accommodations” in the
workplace
There is no law that says a p
y person with a disability has to disclose that disability to a
y y
current or perspective employer
If a person makes the decision to disclose a disability during the job application process
there are many times which it can be done. Example: prior to an interview, at the
interview or after an offer of employment, and at the time of starting a job.
There are both advantages and disadvantages to disability disclosure Advantages: It
provides legal protection against discrimination (as specified in the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA) and other disability nondiscrimination laws), it may reduce
stress, since protecting a “secret” can take a lot of energy, greater freedom to
communicate should you face changes in your particular situation. Disadvantages:
situation
experience exclusion, treated differently than others, viewed as needy, not self-
sufficient, or unable to perform on par with peers.
Who to tell: your supervisor or manager. The EEO or Human Resource staff, or the
person you have the interview with
20. Examples of Disclosure
Without Disclosure With Disclosure
Jose's job requires him to do a quarterly report. Lucille is expected to take minutes at the
Because Jose has trouble organizing and outlining
g g g monthly staff meeting, but she has trouble
meeting
his thoughts, his reports are not always as clearly writing down what's been said and
written as they could be. He is often embarrassed
listening to the conversation at the same
when his boss makes revisions to his writing. But
time.
time So Lucille asked her boss if she
Jose has great artistic talents and wondered if he
might work out a trade with another employee. One might tape-record the staff meetings to be
day, he asked his co-worker, Carol, to help him sure that she doesn't miss anything. Then
outline and organize his quarterly reports and to she can play back the tape as often as
review his drafts before he submits the final copies. necessary when preparing the minutes.
In exchange, Jose offered to design the layout and
format of Janice's reports.
p
21. Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Established by Congress in 1990 to:
End discrimination in the workplace
Provide equal employment opportunities for people with disabilities
For businesses with 15 or more employees:
Private employers
State and local governments
Employment agencies
Labor organizations
22. Is ADA Applicable to ADHD
YES. The ADA provides for "mental" conditions or
p
mental illnesses, but as with physical impairments, the
diagnosis of a mental illness or mental impairment is
not sufficient to qualify an employee for protection
under the Act.
But,
B conditions must be met for ADHD to qualify f
di i b f lif for
coverage
23. ADA Conditions for Coverage
Condition must cause significant impact or limitation in
a major life activity or function
The individual must be regarded as having a disability
The individual must have a record of having been
viewed as being disabled.
The applicant must also be able to perform the essential
job functions with or without accommodations to
qualify as an individual with a disability under the
meaning of the Act
24. ADHD and the ADA
Can an employer or potential employer ask if I have ADHD?
No. Your
N Y employer or potential employer cannot ask questions about your medical or
l t ti l l t k ti b t di l
psychiatric history. An exception, however, is if an applicant asks for reasonable
accommodation for the hiring process. If the need for this accommodation is not obvious, an
employer may ask an applicant for reasonable documentation about his/her disability.
Do I have to tell my employer that I have ADHD in order to be covered by the
ADA?
Yes.
Yes Several courts have already ruled that in these situations, lack of knowledge of the
situations
condition or of how the disability may affect the employee may be an used as a legitimate
defense for the employer.
What are reasonable accommodations?
An employer is required to provide a reasonable accommodation to a qualified applicant or
employee with a disability unless the employer can show that the accommodation would be
an undue hardship, such as being too expensive or creating other problems within the
workplace.
k l
25. Reasonable Accommodations
An employer is required to provide a reasonable accommodation
to a qualified applicant or employee with a disability unless the
employer can show that the accommodation would be an undue
hardship, such as being too expensive or creating other problems
within the workplace.
Reasonable accommodations for an employee who has ADHD
could include:
Job restructuring
Part-time or modified work schedules
Reassignment to a vacant position
Adjusting
Adj i or modifying examinations, training materials, or
dif i i i i i i l
policies
26. ADHD and Work Accommodations
Formal requests for an accommodation must be made in writing, and the
accommodations you ask for shouldn t place an undue hardship on the operation
shouldn't
of the employer's business. In order to seek protection under the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA), you need to show that you are otherwise qualified to
perform the job, and the company you work for must have at least 15 employees.
Avoid the perceived threat, which puts a company's executives and human
resources on the defensive. If a boss hears the words "disability" and the
y
"American Disabilities Act" in the same sentence, he or she will suspect that
you'll be filing a lawsuit. To succeed on the job, you want your company working
with you, not against you.
you you
Let the boss or human resources know, nicely, that you need XYZ because you
have ADD (a disability)—and that you would work more efficiently if you got
XYZ. At this point, don't mention the ADA.
27. Examples of Accommodations
Issue Action Result
Office Assistant needed focus and Bought compact bicycle pedal Used throughout day and especially
attention to detail when doing machine which fit under desk, was while on phone. Improved circulation
sedentary work and also had poor hidden and quiet and blood flow.
circulation because of medical Generated dopamine which improves
problems.
problems concentration and memory
memory.
Legal Liaison worked in cubicle in •Moved away from loud, distracting Removed from probation, awarded
noisy/active environment. Constantly co-worker, major contributor citation, and
on phone discussing detailed legal
p g g •Given a chair with wheels and p
promoted to staff training position.
gp
procedures in time-sensitive basis. longer phone extension cord to more
On probation for slow work, easily reach materials.
inaccurate legal instructions, and •Detailed information organized in
inadequate customer service to color-coded notebook with plastic
important clients
clients. sheets and tabs.
tabs
ER Physician in busy hospital had •Got vibrating watch which helped Doctor on time and got work done
time management and memory with pacing and paperwork with less stress. Hospital happy for
issues.
issues Nearly fired because fell completion.
completion cost savings
savings.
farther behind each day with •Also offered to cut hours from
patient appointments and record- 50+ to 30 per week
keeping.
28. Discrimination
If you think you have been discriminated against in
employment on the basis of your ADHD.
Contact the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
h l l i i i
within 180 days of the alleged discrimination.
http://www.eeoc.gov/boston/index.html or call 1-800-669-4000
Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination:
http://www.mass.gov/mcad/ or call (617) 994-6000
29. Success Stories
Richard Scarry
“Richard Scarry hated school, and
he never paid attention in class
class.
He'd find slithering garter snakes
in the grassy courtyard and set
them wriggling on smooth
tabletops at th lib
t bl t t the library. H He
delighted in the terrified screams
of little girls. The head librarian
screamed once or twice too often, ,
and finally she banished him from
the library forever.”
http://www.rotten.com/library/bio/authors/richard-scarry/
30. Success Stories
Nancy Ratey
“Nancy Ratey is a master certified coach
and received her master s degree from
master’s
Harvard University. She has written two
books: Tales from the Workplace and
Coaching College Students with
AD/HD. A third book, “The
Disorganized Mind,” was published in
2008. Nancy was previously the
president of ADDA (The Attention
Deficit Disorder Association) as well as
being on the professional advisory board
of CHADD (Children and Adults with
ADHD). Nancy h b
A ) has been di
diagnosed with
d ih
ADHD and dyslexia. ”
http://www.healthcentral.com/adhd/understanding-adhd-161681-5_3.html
31. Success Stories
Ari Emanuel
Past: ‘Maybe I should
kill myself.’ ‘A I ever
lf ’ ‘Am
going to make it?’ ‘Am I
ever going to be
successful?’
Now: Co-C.E.O. of the
second-largest shop i
dl h in Ari Emanuel, brother of Rham
Hollywood. Married Emanuel learns persistence
with three kids. through the experiences of ADHD
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and dyslexia.
http://www.newyorker.com/talk/2009/05/25/090525ta_talk_collins
32. Success Stories
Howie Mandel
“What did Howie
Mandel do before
becoming famous?
Howie Mandel was fired
from his job as an
amusement park ride
p
operator in Toronto for
making jokes to riders
about th ride's safety.”
b t the id ' f t ”
http://www.hardlyfamous.com/celebrities/mandel-howe
34. References
Accommodation and Compliance Series: Employees with Attention Deficit-
Hyperactivity Disorder
http://www.jan.wvu.edu/media/adhd.html
Attention Deficit Disorder Association Articles
http://www.add.org/articles/index.html
http://www add org/articles/index html
Coping with an Annoying Co-Worker
http://www.addconsults.com/articles/full.php3?id=1599
How ADHD Affects the Workplace
http://www.addconsults.com/articles/full.php3?id=1573
Strategies for Handling ADD/ADHD in Your Work
http://www.addconsults.com/articles/full.php3?id=1419
http://www addconsults com/articles/full php3?id=1419
Workplace confrontations: Beat the bully
http://www.addconsults.com/articles/full.php3?id=1356
35. Bibliography
How ADHD Impairs Executive Functioning
http://www.healthcentral.com/adhd/c/1443/71063/executive functioning
http://www.healthcentral.com/adhd/c/1443/71063/executive-functioning
Self-Advocacy in the Workplace http://www.ldanatl.org/aboutld/adults/workplace/self-
advocacy.asp
People with ADHD do almost a month’s less work per year
http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/south-asia/people-with-adhd-do-almost-
amonths-less-work-per-year_10053226.html
National Survey Reveals Impact Of ADHD In Adults
p y p p
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/122352.php
Real Examples of Positive Accommodations
http://www.add.org/pdf/ADDA_workplace_brochure.pdf
Costs of Work Loss
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1180839
htt // b d t l ih / ti l d f i? tid 1180839
Adult ADD/ADHD Affects Work http://www.addadhdblog.com/adult-add-the-impact/
36. Bibliography
National Survey Reveals Impact of ADHD In Adults
http://www.add.org/pdf/Adult_ADHD_Survey.pdf
ADHD in the Workplace” Survey: Complete Report
http://www.add.org/workplace_study.html
What You Need to Know About the Americans with Disabilities Act
http://www.additudemag.com/adhd web/article/674.html
http://www.additudemag.com/adhd-web/article/674.html
Disclosing ADHD at Work: Should You Share Your Diagnosis?
http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/5793-2.html
Accommodation and Compliance Series: Employees with Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity
Disorder http://www jan wvu edu/media/adhd html
http://www.jan.wvu.edu/media/adhd.html
Learning Disabilities in the Workplace http://www.pro-
net2000.org/CM/content_files/95.pdf
411 Disability Disclosure
http://www.ncwdyouth.info/assets/guides/411/411_Disability_Disclosure_complete.pdf
http:// nc d o th info/assets/g ides/411/411 Disabilit Disclos re complete pdf
Youth and Disability Disclosure: The Role of Families and Advocates
http://www.ncwdyouth.info/resources_&_Publications/information_Briefs/issue21.html
