a webring for people who are a little lacking in attention

When I was looking around at webrings, I noticed that there were several webrings aimed at people who identified as Autistic, but I couldn't find any for people who identified as having ADHD. So I made one. Anyone who thinks they fit is welcome to join, whether you've got a diagnosis on paper or are self-diagnosed. No gatekeeping here! To join, just drop a comment in my thread on the 32-Bit Cafe or email me and I'll get you added to the list.

Once I let you know you're good to go, you'll want to add some code to your page. This code will add simple text links for the ring:


    <div id='adhdring'>
    <script type="text/javascript" src="https://skyhold.org/adhd/onionring-variables.js"></script>
    <script type="text/javascript" src="https://skyhold.org/adhd/onionring-widget.js"></script>
    </div>

If you want something fancier, this code will display images for the ring:


    <div id='adhdring'>
    <script type="text/javascript" src="https://skyhold.org/adhd/onionring-variables.js"></script>
    <script type="text/javascript" src="https://skyhold.org/adhd/onionring-fancywidget.js"></script>
    </div>

If everything is working smoothly, it will look like one of these:

Members

Links

While I'm at it, I'm going to put some of my reference links here. I'm hoping to build out an actual resource later but... well, later is later and good enough is now.

Thoughts on Outing Yourself as ADHD at Work

I think we all know that different people react to learning you are ADHD very differently. Some people (usually other neurodivergent people) will be like "oh cool that makes sense" and some people will want to learn more but generally not be weird about it. But... some people will be weird about it.

Deciding whether your boss is going to be one of those people is not something you should do lightly. People can have all kinds of hangups about ADHD, and even if they previously saw you as a competent, hardworking, even high-performing employee, they may suddenly decide that any misunderstanding or error is because of your ADHD, they may stop treating you like a competent adult, and they may even look for an excuse to fire you.

Not every employer will. I'd like to think that most know better than that these days. But I can't promise you anything, so if it's important that you stay employed, you get to make the call about whether you want to out yourself as ADHD, just like it's up to you to decide if it's safe to out yourself as queer.

You can definitely look around for encouraging signs. Do you have coworkers who are out as ADHD or other flavors of ND? Does your boss seem like a reasonable person? You could try bringing up the subject in a general way to see what the reaction is. If you're lucky and you work for a larger employer, there may be an Affinity Resource Group for neurodiverse employees and reaching out to them may give you some insight into what you can expect.

If you're not as worried about your employment, you can decide that you're going to formally out yourself to your manager and/or coworkers, or you could just... take the mask off and ask for what you need more often, and see what happens. You may decide to put it back on, or end up switching employers, but you get to decide what's worth it for you and what's not.

Links specifically about discussing ADHD or neuroatypicality in the workplace (because I found some good advice about disclosing autism that I found helpful):

How to Request an Accommodation at Work

This process will vary from workplace to workplace, but this is based on my own experience and research I did to write a short guide for my employer.

At many workplaces, the best place to start asking for any kind of accommodation is by talking to your manager. This doesn't necessarily require you to share your diagnosis with them. It may be as simple as approaching your manager to ask if they can get you something that would make your life easier, like noise-canceling headphones or a change to your desk setup, just like you would ask for a physical accomodation like a fan or a different chair. It may be something that doesn't require any equipment, like asking to receive feedback in a specific way. Often there are simple things that you might find helpful but haven't thought about asking about.

Depending on your role and your department’s needs and your employer's processes, some requests may be easier to grant than others. You know yourself best, so it’s typical to start with an idea of what you think would help you to do your job more effectively. Common accommodations requested by neurodiverse employees in many different jobs include:

You may have noticed that many of these things would also be helpful for some neurotypical people, and you’d be right! In disability advocacy, this is known as the curb cut effect, because when curb cuts were installed to make it easier for people using wheelchairs to travel by sidewalk, people noticed that it helped lots of other people too: delivery folks with carts, parents with strollers, tourists with luggage, and so on. Normalizing the idea that workplaces should have a variety of alternatives people can choose from depending on how they work best helps everyone!

One of the benefits of working directly with your manager is that it doesn't necessarily require you to have a diagnosis or work with a medical professional. If your request is not something your manager can approve, or you’re uncomfortable having the conversation with your manager for any reason, you may need to approach whoever handles Human Resources requests at your employer. At this point the process will be individual but will likely involve you taking paperwork to your doctor.

Once you have received paperwork, you can request your doctor list specific accommodations or outline the problem and see what is recommended. Your doctor may recommend something different from what you have requested. Remember that accommodation is a conversation about what will and will not work, and is unique to each individual and their needs. Some employers will push back for no good reason, some will be happy to accomodate you, most will be somewhere in between.

In a case where you need something to be different in how training happens or your job is evaluated, it can be helpful to disclose proactively to ask for learning style accommodations. HR representatives I've spoken to recommended employees do not wait until there’s a definite problem to bring up a diagnosis, but this is definitely an area where you need to know the environment at your employer.

In addition, if something seems off, or if you are concerned you are being treated differently because of a diagnosis or a perceived diagnosis, reach out to HR about that as soon as you notice/are aware of it. (The part about a “perceived diagnosis” is important; the Americans with Disabilities Act sets out rules for what employers must do or not do based on both, and HR should act if you’re being affected by someone’s belief that you’re autistic, have ADHD, or any other diagnosis, regardless of whether or not you do.)

For more information on workplace accommodations in general, you can visit the Job Accommodation Network.

Other Workplace Advice