Tips for Self-Advocacy in the Workplace

By: Dale S. Brown (1997)

Setting the stage

1. Be productive. Bosses and co-workers are more likely to accede to accommodation requests from people who are perceived as high performers than from those who are not considered essential to the organizational mission. Of course, being productive is hard without reasonable accommodation! You can end up in a Catch 22 situation. But do your best.

2. Market your work to your bosses and co-workers. You need to be perceived as productive. This often is different from your actual productivity. Each organization has its own signals that show you are a hard worker. Common expectations include wearing clean, well-fitted clothes; arriving at work on time; staying at your desk; and keeping conversations with co-workers related to the job. Marketing your work to your supervisors may mean asking their advice, keeping them posted, writing memoranda, and representing yourself well with internal reports. For sales jobs, talk up your successful sales. Of course, you should not carry this too far and risk being considered a braggart.

3. Be helpful. When you are asked to do something, see it as an opportunity to serve. The more people who feel supported by you, the more likely they are to give you the support you need when you ask.

4. Know your legal rights as a person with a disability. Study the Americans with Disabilities Act (P.L. 101-336). The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (1-800-669-3362) has many free brochures about it. The best accommodations are those that are won without resorting to complaints and lawsuits. However, knowing that the law is on your side will give you tremendous confidence. If you are in a unionized workplace, meet your union steward or other union officials before you need them to represent you. In order to receive accommodation as your legal right, you must disclose your disability.

Making your request

5. Study yourself doing your job. Determine where you need accommodation. As part of that survey, see if there are things that can be done on your own. Consider:

• your work space. Can you find everything you need? Does it support your productivity?
• how you communicate with others. Does your supervisor insist on writing you notes and memos rather than talking to you? Is most of the print in documents you work with too small for you? Is the print on your computer screen too small for you? Your system manager may be able to quickly, change your screen so that you can read more easily. Also, you may be able to persuade your employer to pay for tutoring or reading lessons if you think they would help you do a better job.
• the tasks themselves. Are there some tasks which are not that important to your job but are challenging to you because of your dyslexia? Many employees successfully have received help with reading through the use of clerical help, reading machines, and large print for internal memoranda. In other cases, reading tasks have been assigned to other employees. For example, in one team environment, team members rotate filling in the forms of a talented salesperson who is unable to complete them.

6. Research the range of accommodation options and choose one. Information on accommodations is available through learning disabilities organizations. The Job Accommodation Network (JAN), a service of the President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities, has qualified people able to help you find the best accommodation solutions. Be ready with a clear definition of your problem before you call them. (See the Selected Resources for more information.)

7. Consider a productivity or quality argument. If you do not wish to disclose your disability or prefer to stay away from legal discussions, productivity and quality improvement are good reasons for the employer to meet your disability-related needs. Explain what you want in positive terms. Here are some examples:

• "Have you seen XYZ software? It gets the computer to talk so that you can hear what's on the screen. Because my job requires so much detailed reading, it would be wonderful if I could hear it. Then there would be fewer errors."
• "I need Mary to proof my work before you see it. That way we can both pay more attention to the content and not worry about the way it's typed."

The best accommodations are those that are won without resorting to complaints and lawsuits.

8. Disclose your disability and request the accommodation verbally. If you decide to ask for accommodation on the basis of disability, first talk to your supervisor. If you believe your supervisor may not be supportive and you work for a large company, visit your human resources department. If you work within a self-managed work team, your accommodation might be an issue for consideration by the entire team. In that case, talk to the team leader or bring it up at a team meeting.

Although you do not need to submit medical documentation of your disability at the time you first make your accommodation request, you should have this documentation available to you. Your employer can demand proof of your disability prior to providing an accommodation.

Have a clear description of your disability, the accommodation(s) needed, and the modifications needed in the work environment to ensure that you meet with success in approaching your job tasks. The Americans with Disabilities Act allows employers to legally turn down accommodation requests if they can prove they constitute "an undue hardship." For this reason, propose the least costly and time-consuming accommodations that will enable you to do your job well.

9. Follow up with a written request. Make the request brief; include relevant information about your disability and the need for accommodation. Explain how it will help you meet your employer's goals. Of course, should that fail, the next step is a written complaint under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Following up

10. Assess the results of your request. If you are able to obtain reasonable accommodation, be sure to use it well. Be productive and helpful to your co-workers and your supervisors. Make them glad that they granted the accommodation to you. This will make it easier for the next person seeking accommodations. Thank those who supported you. If the accommodation does not help restart the process at step 5.

About the author

Dale S. Brown won the Ten Outstanding Young Americans Award from the United States Junior Chamber of Commerce for her work on improving employment opportunities for people with learning disabilities. She has written numerous articles and several books on learning disabilities.

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This material is based on work supported by the National Institute for Literacy under Grant No. X257B30002. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Institute for Literacy. This information is in the public domain unless otherwise indicated. Readers are encouraged to copy and share the newsletter but are asked to credit the National Center. Comments and suggestions for LINKAGES are welcomed. Ideas and feedback may be shared with Center staff through letters to the Editor.