ADHD Awareness
October is ADHD Awareness Month. But beyond this, awareness of ADHD has been growing steadily for the past few years as more people are either being diagnosed with the condition or identifying that they may have it. As employers you should expect to have employees with the condition in your teams, and it’s important that you understand the condition and know how to support those with it. From a legal perspective, many people with ADHD will qualify for protection against disability discrimination under the Equality Act 2010. The diagnostic criteria for ADHD reflect the substantial challenges – including in relation to focus, impulse and concentration – those with the condition may experience, and it is a lifelong condition. Businesses should, therefore, assume that anyone with ADHD may qualify as disabled under the Equality Act as they have a ‘mental impairment’ (in the language of the Act) that has a substantial and long-term effect on their ability to carry out day-to-day activities. Significantly, a diagnosis isn’t necessary to be considered disabled under the Equality Act – lengthy NHS waiting times and the cost of private assessment mean that many people with ADHD will not have one. So, what practical steps should
