Asking for an adjustment: a guide for neurodivergent nurses

Asking for an adjustment is asking for the work to be organised in a way you can do well. You are allowed to do that, and you can do it without handing over a diagnosis.

Before you ask

Describe the task, and what would make it work

“I take in written instructions more accurately than verbal ones at handover” gives your manager something to act on, and it keeps the conversation on the work.

Go small and specific

A single concrete change is easier to say yes to than a general request for support, and it is easier to review later.

Asks that are often straightforward

  • Written instructions alongside verbal ones
  • The agenda before a meeting
  • A predictable roster pattern, and reasonable notice of changes
  • A quieter space to document in
  • Your break actually taken
  • Written confirmation of what was agreed

Wording you can use

By email

Subject: Request for a workplace adjustment

Hi [name],

I would like to ask for a change to how I do [task or part of the role].

What would help is [the specific change].

In practice that would mean [what is different day to day]. I think it would work alongside [the roster, the team, the existing process] because [short practical reason].

Happy to talk it through whenever suits you.

[Your name]

In person

“Can I ask for something that would help me do [task] more accurately? It is a small change to how it is organised.”

What you have to say, and what you do not

You do not have to hand over a diagnosis. Many adjustments are agreed on the basis of what helps, without any discussion of cause.

Your employer may ask about how your work is affected, where they genuinely need that to work out what the adjustment should be. The Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth) limits those questions to information that is relevant to the role and to the adjustment. Questions about what you find difficult are reasonable; questions about your diagnosis are not the same thing.

One exception that matters in nursing

JobAccess, the Australian Government’s adjustment service, states that there is no legal obligation to share information about a disability with an employer unless it affects your ability to perform the inherent requirements of the job, or it affects your safety or the safety of your co-workers. In most jobs that exception rarely comes up. In clinical work it can, and it is better to know it is there than to meet it unexpectedly.

Deciding whether to disclose anything further is a separate decision, and it is yours alone to make.

Two routes, and they work differently

The Disability Discrimination Act

The duty to make reasonable adjustments applies from your first day. There is no minimum service period. If you are a student, a new graduate, or working casually, this is your route.

A request for flexible working under the Fair Work Act

If you have a disability and have completed 12 months of continuous service, you can make a formal written request for a change to your working arrangements. Casual employees qualify after 12 months of regular and systematic work with a reasonable expectation of it continuing.

This route has a clock on it. Your employer must respond in writing within 21 days, and can only refuse on reasonable business grounds after discussing it with you and genuinely trying to reach agreement. If they refuse, or if 21 days pass and you have had no written response, either of you can apply to the Fair Work Commission, which can arbitrate and make orders.

One difference worth planning for: a request under this route must be in writing and must set out your reasons for the change, so it asks more of you than the conversation described above.

Afterwards, write it down

Ask for what was agreed in writing. JobAccess publishes a free Workplace Adjustment Passport designed for exactly this, covering what was agreed, who is putting it in place, by when, and when it will be reviewed.

A 2025 British Medical Association survey of doctors found that 73 per cent of those who needed reasonable adjustments had not received all of them. That is UK doctors and not Australian nurses, so treat it as an indication of the pattern. A written record is what makes that visible.

If nothing happens

Follow up once in writing, referring to what was agreed and the date. If it stays stuck:

  • JobAccess has a free confidential advice line on 1800 464 800.
  • Your union or professional association, such as the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) or your state branch.
  • Your organisation’s human resources or people and culture team.
  • The Australian Human Rights Commission, on disability discrimination at work.
  • The Fair Work Ombudsman, if you made a flexible working request. Infoline 13 13 94.

NDNA cannot advise on an individual situation. The services above can.

Sources

This guide contains general information only and does not constitute legal, medical, or professional advice. Information is accurate to the best of the author’s knowledge at the time of publication. For advice specific to your situation, please consult an appropriately qualified professional.