Questions

• What do I think I might find difficult in a new job?

• What do I need to help make these things feel less difficult?

• Based on my previous experiences, what do I need to work at my best?

• What do I need from my future employer?

• What key values do I want my employer and I to share?

• What would I find useful for an organisation to offer me?

• If I don't know what accommodations I need, what could I do during my university experience to help me understand this better?

• What are my expectations of my future employer?

• Are there any industries/job roles that I already know will suit me?

• Are there any industries/job roles that I already know won't suit me?

• How confident do I feel in my ability to find a job that will work for me?

• What can I do to build this confidence?

• Who could I contact at university to help me answer my questions?

Transferable Accommodations

You might have accommodations to help you in your studying set out by a Learning Support Plan, equipment or services provided by the DSA (Disabled Student Allowance), and you could make your own accommodations that help you in your university and personal life. 

Thinking about what these accommodations are and why you find them helpful can be a great starting point when thinking about what you might need from a future workplace and job role. There is also no pressure to have all the answers straight away. Focus on thinking about what accommodations you might need during the application process for a role as this can ensure that you are supported and not disadvantaged throughout the selection process. 

Once in the role, you can communicate openly with your employer to ensure you can thrive at work. 

Note: You are not legally obligated to disclose your disability, and you can do this at various points throughout the application process. You should consider what feels best for you and the benefits and drawbacks of disclosing.  

Communicating your Needs

Feeling confident in communicating your needs and advocating for yourself is really important. Because this feels so important, it can feel intimidating and overwhelming to know exactly how to do this. It is useful to remember that being open with your employer, communicating that you don't know for certain what you need and that things might change/adapt for you, is totally fine. Asking for regular check-ins or requesting routine meetings to discuss how you are doing and what is working/what isn't working is also an accommodation. Being open and flexible can help your employer also be open and flexible and help you work together to find the right accommodations for you to thrive. 

The Law

The Equality Act 2010

The Equality Act 2010 defines what it means to be disabled to then protect you from discrimination. This provides you with legal rights if you ''have a physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities.'' You can also explore this page on Disability Rights in Employment which can help you understand your rights within the workplace. 

Access to Work

Access to Work is a Government scheme which helps you access different kinds of support to help you get work or stay in work. You can explore when you might apply for this (if you need support job hunting and through the application process or once you are in the role to help you access the support to adapt your work environment). 

Disclosure 

The Careers and Employability Service's 'Equality and employment rights' page has a section called 'Disability & job applications' which breaks down questions you might have about if/when you tell your employer about your disability. It is not a legal requirement for you to disclose your disability if you do not want to - you will have to work out what makes sense for you and what you feel comfortable with during each application.  

Disability Confident Employers

Employers can sign up to the 'Disability Confident Scheme' to demonstrate their commitment to supporting dsiabled employees. There are 3 levels to this scheme and it is worth noting that a Level 3 Employer will have had to evidence a higher level of commitment to their disabled employees to become a 'Leader'. You can read about what each level means here. These levels can help you evaluate how committed and how much evidence a future employer has demonstrated how they support their disabled employees.  You can find the list of employers signed up to the scheme and their levels here. 

Accommodations/Reasonable Adjustments 

These are terms that you might hear a lot and are often interchangeable. However, it is important to note that your employer is required to provide you with 'Reasonable Adjustments'. Your employer is responsible for determining what is classed as 'reasonable' so you might want to think about how and why you need adjustments to help your employer understand why this would be important for you in your role. 

Examples of Accommodations

There are lots of different ways that employers can support you, and you can access useful equipment via Access to Work. Below are some examples to help you think about what you might need.

• Work pattern (hybrid working, flexible hours)

• Instructions (task setting, deadline setting, breaking down tasks, how you share what you have done)

• Communication styles (how you ask for help, check-ins, communication style preferences)

• Sharing your accommodations with a team

• Equipment (noise-cancelling headphones, ergonomic chairs, software to help you work)

Useful links

https://students.sheffield.ac.uk/careers/rights 

https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/careers/support/rights/equality 

https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/careers/support/rights/disability 

https://students.sheffield.ac.uk/careers/services/equalopps 

https://students.sheffield.ac.uk/careers/services 

Using the 'Career Discovery' tab on Career Connect, you can search for key terms such as 'disability' or 'neurodiversity' to find a range of useful information and resources to help you. Here are a few examples:  https://careerconnect.sheffield.ac.uk/student/svc/cms.html#/content/video/f6cd7b97-6ab1-477e-8819-b54410851c26  https://careerconnect.sheffield.ac.uk/student/svc/cms.html#/content/article/544af8eb-7f09-417a-83ed-a47412315449 https://careerconnect.sheffield.ac.uk/student/svc/cms.html#/content/article/279a2a25-aa73-4142-8cdb-06e9cf638688 https://careerconnect.sheffield.ac.uk/student/svc/cms.html#/content/article/68c193e6-947a-4dc2-b5b8-92720b72b56c https://careerconnect.sheffield.ac.uk/student/svc/cms.html#/content/article/a500848c-d5c1-4f84-aca1-78df84014aa8 https://careerconnect.sheffield.ac.uk/student/svc/cms.html#/content/article/f75d6153-5443-40cf-8809-bfeec9f0be7b