Wording you can use

Some conversations are hard to start. Here are words you can copy and change to suit you: for asking for what helps, for telling an employer, and, if you are hiring, for making it easy to ask. None of it needs a diagnosis, and none of it needs a reason.

If you are looking for work

Asking for adjustments at interview

Send this to whoever invited you to the interview.

Thank you for inviting me to interview. I give my best answers when I can see the questions in advance, so it would help to have them a day or two before. It would also help to know who I will meet, how long it will take and where to go when I arrive. Could you let me know if that is possible?

Asking for a different format

Would it be possible to have the interview by video call instead of in person? I find it easier to show what I can do that way.

Asking for an adjustment at work

Change the example to what helps you.

I work best when instructions are written down as well as said. Could we try that for the next month, and then talk about how it is going?

Telling an employer, with a label

I wanted to let you know that I am autistic. It does not change what I can do in this role. What helps me is clear instructions, written down, and a quieter place to work when I need to concentrate.

Telling an employer, without one

I do my best work with clear, written instructions and time to think before I answer. Could we build that into how we work together?

Asking for something in writing

Could you send me that in an email, so I can come back to it?

If you are hiring

In a job advert

We are happy to make adjustments at any stage of our process. You do not need a diagnosis to ask, and you do not need to tell us why. Email the address below with anything that would help.

Inviting someone to interview

Thank you for applying. We would like to invite you to an interview. It will last about 45 minutes, with two people from the team, and we will send you the questions two days before. If anything about the format would make it harder to show us what you can do, tell us and we will change it. You do not need to give a reason.

Replying to a request for an adjustment

Thank you for letting us know. We can do that. Is there anything else that would help, now or once you start?

Welcoming a new starter

We are looking forward to you starting on Monday. Your plan for the first week is attached: who you will meet, where, and what you will be doing each day. If anything would make the first weeks easier, tell your manager, or reply to this email.

More on asking for adjustments

• Reasonable adjustments at work: what to ask for, and how