Remote Work as a Reasonable Accommodation for Neurodivergent Individuals
- Kaitlyn Boudreault
- Sep 8
- 10 min read
Updated: Oct 18
There are a lot of ways in which neurodivergent people have been misunderstood, mislabeled, and excluded from the workplace and society at large.
Neurodivergent individuals face real challenges such as sensory sensitivities, communication barriers, and information processing difficulties.
But instead of recognizing these challenges, society often labels neurodivergent individuals as stubborn, lazy, uncooperative, or difficult.
These societal attitudes can cause neurodivergent individuals to hide their neurodivergent traits to fit into societal standards that aren’t fit for the way in which they navigate the world.
If you are a neurodivergent individual, you may start to internalize these negative labels as a reflection of your character. However, the truth is that these labels are a reflection of systems that have failed to accommodate neurodivergent ways of being for decades.
Since some workplaces have refused to adapt to differences in brain function and structure, neurodivergent individuals are often forced to withdraw from employment or mask in order to maintain employment. But masking may not be enough, as the challenges may still show up in workplace performance.
The result is that neurodivergent individuals often face higher rates of unemployment and burnout. This is not due to a lack of ability but more so because there is a level of inaccessibility that hinders the full and equal participation of all individuals.
Neurodiversity-affirming therapy or coaching could be of support in this situation. Rather than trying to change neurodivergent people, this affirming approach seeks to honour your unique ways of thinking and provide strategies that work with your brain, not against it.
This blog explores the challenges faced by neurodivergent individuals in the workplace, including the realities of getting accommodations, the impact of return-to-office policies, and how employers can fight ableism to create truly inclusive workplaces.
Common Challenges in Offices
Offices often present many barriers for neurodivergent individuals that often go unnoticed to those who are not impacted by them. Some of these barriers include:
Bright or flickering lights
Loud or unpredictable noise
Crowded spaces
Rigid schedules
Lack of quiet or private areas
These barriers can lead to stress, burnout, and decreased productivity for many neurodivergent and disabled individuals.
Why Accommodations Matter
Accommodations involve the use of modifications to policies, practices, or environments to ensure that disabled individuals have equal opportunities and access to services, employment, or housing.
They involve removing these barriers above, such as noisy environments, distractions, commuting time, and more, that can hinder the full and equal participation of disabled people.
People with ADHD may struggle with focus due to environmental distractions. Chronic illness or fatigue can make commuting physically draining.
Removing these barriers creates an environment where people can thrive without unnecessary stress or sensory harm.
Why Remote Work Matters
One essential accommodation that may be of support for disabled individuals is remote work.
In today’s society, you may be thinking that this is a perk, especially considering that remote work only really became popular during the pandemic.
However, remote work has always been a reasonable accommodation for disabled employees to request. Remote work isn’t just convenient.
Many report leaving jobs due to sensory overload, rigid schedules, or inaccessible workspaces.
Flexible work options, including remote work, improve retention, productivity, and well-being.
Why Remote Work Is an Accommodation
Remote and flexible work environments often serve as built-in accommodations because they allow neurodivergent individuals:
Control over sensory input: Employees can adjust lighting, noise, and other environmental factors.
Energy management: Eliminating long commutes preserves physical and mental energy.
Routine regulation: Workers can structure their day according to their needs, which supports executive functioning.
Reduction in social masking: Fewer forced social interactions reduce burnout.
Remote work should be recognized as a strategy to reduce barriers and create equitable access to employment.
Myths vs. Facts About Remote Work
There is a lot of stigma associated with seeking accommodations as a disabled or neurodivergent individual, especially when it comes to seeking remote work.
Let’s look into debunking some of the common myths that cause people not to seek accommodations or masks to fit in.
Myth 1
Neurodivergent people are just resistant to change and need to get used to the traditional workplace.
Fact 1
Neurodivergent individuals, especially autistic individuals, often have a deep need for predictability, routine, and sensory safety. When they experience change, it can cause overwhelm. What may look like stubbornness is the brain's way of navigating an uncomfortable situation.
What You Don’t See:
Hours spent mentally preparing for transitions.
Emotional exhaustion after unexpected schedule changes.
The shame of being mislabeled as “difficult.”
Myth 2
They just don’t try hard enough.
Fact 2
Neurodivergent people are often accused of not trying hard enough, when in reality, neurodivergent individuals often have to work twice as hard just to function because the world is inaccessible. This often involves engaging in the masking of traits, overcompensating, and pushing their sensory discomfort.
What You Don’t See:
Weeks of burnout following one overstimulating meeting.
Perfectionism is a way to hide executive functioning struggles.
Quiet suffering after being denied basic accommodations like flexible hours.
Myth 3
Remote work makes people lazy.
Fact
For many neurodivergent individuals, remote work made the workplace accessible. It reduces sensory overload and stressful commutes and allows individuals to regulate their sensory needs within their home environment. This allows them to be more productive and aware of their work.
What You Don’t See:
Better focus without office chatter and fluorescent lighting.
More energy left for family and community after skipping long commutes.
Improved productivity and reduced burnout when accommodations are built in.
The Struggle of Getting Accommodations
Despite the fact that accommodations are shown to be helpful for neurodivergent and disabled individuals, there is a lot of stigma surrounding them. As shown in the myths above, people may assume that someone is seeking perks or is lazy simply because they need remote work.
Although in theory, accommodations are protected under the disability rights laws, in particular, the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) in Ontario, Canada.
In reality, there are many barriers that neurodivergent individuals unfortunately face when seeking accommodations. These barriers include
Gatekeeping: Long wait times or expensive assessments required for “proof.”
Stigma: Fear of being judged or penalized for requesting accommodations.
Denial: Requests for flexible hours, quiet spaces, or assistive technology may be rejected due to employers claiming accommodations are “unnecessary” or “too costly.”
Retaliation: Being labeled as “high-maintenance” or “not a team player” after disclosing needs.
Cultural ableism: Even with formal approval, workplaces may ostracize employees for using accommodations. They may be framed as “special treatment.”
When neurodivergent individuals are faced with these barriers, society is sending a clear message for them to conform, mask, and struggle in silence. This is because if they do reach out for help or accommodations, they may be labeled or risk exclusion.
What you don’t see:
Hours spent building a case for accommodations.
Energy is lost navigating complex HR processes.
Emotional distress from being labeled as “difficult” for asking for support.
The Impact of Lack of Accommodations
Because the system lacks the necessary means to support every disabled or neurodivergent person seeking accommodations, these systemic failures have resulted in a higher rate of workplace exclusion among neurodivergent individuals.
In Canada, unemployment rates for autistic adults are estimated to be up to 80%. Many ADHDers also report underemployment or job instability.
These numbers don’t reflect skill or potential. They reflect a lack of inclusive design.
Forced Return to Office: A Step Backward
For many, the pandemic was an eye-opener into how workplaces can accommodate and support all workers. It was an example of how remote work could be successful.
Studies from this time show that productivity stayed stable or improved for many industries. Moreover, the employment rate among disabled individuals was higher because remote work functioned as a default, built-in accommodation.
This allowed neurodivergent individuals and disabled individuals to engage in the following without even having to fill out paperwork to do so:
Reduce social masking pressure.
Flexibility to manage executive functioning challenges.
Despite the positive strides that we made as a society during the pandemic toward building a more equitable and inclusive workplace, there are some organizations and people keen on rolling us back to the Stone Age.
There have been comments that ‘in-person work is superior,’ ‘people are more productive in the office,’ ‘it creates better connections,’ or that ‘people are not working remotely.’
But the truth is that every single one of these assumptions is based on neuronormativity, rather than reality.
When people say that connections are better in person or that people are more productive in person, they should note that in-person gatherings often exclude disabled and neurodivergent people due to a lack of accessibility.
Moreover, many people can’t work in person because commuting causes fatigue or the workplace is inaccessible for their needs. And the data doesn’t show more productivity in the office as a whole.
We have to remember the fact that in-office work doesn’t work for everyone. Forcing people back to the office can, for some:
Increase burnout from long commutes and overstimulating environments.
Exacerbate sensory and mental health challenges.
Reduce productivity as workers expend energy surviving environments that are not designed for them.
Signal that accommodations aren’t valued.
Increase turnover, as employees leave jobs that refuse flexibility.
Increase the use of negative labels (“uncooperative,” “difficult”) for those who resist returning.
Increase the risk of mental health challenges due to masking pressures.
Increase loss of employment for those who cannot conform, which further exacerbates systemic inequality.
Capitalism and the Forced Return to Office
The push to return people to the office is deeply rooted in capitalist structures. Some examples of capitalism that play out include:
Surveillance culture: Some employers want to “see” productivity. They may prioritize attendance in the office over actual output.
Profit from real estate: Offices are expensive investments. In-person attendance is used to try to justify their cost.
Ableism baked into systems: Workplaces assume the default employee is neurotypical, and they disregard those who need accommodations.
Myth
One myth that is also rooted in capitalism often revolves around productivity. It is the belief that in-office work automatically improves collaboration and productivity.
Fact
Many neurodivergent employees perform better remotely because there are fewer distractions and greater autonomy.
What You Don’t See:
Emotional and cognitive exhaustion caused by open offices, bright lights, and constant social demands.
The mental toll of having to mask neurodivergence to survive workplace culture.
Unseen resignations or reduced engagement because employees cannot reconcile health with office demands.
Why Negative Labels Emerge
During the pandemic, accommodations became the default. As a result, people didn’t have to risk being labelled if they needed them. They could receive the accommodation without having to reveal that they are disabled or neurodivergent.
But now that some workplaces are moving to a hybrid or office model, employees have been needing proof to show that they need remote work as an accommodation.
But due to the stigma associated with being disabled or neurodivergent, many employees stay silent and suffer instead.
When accommodations aren’t provided, employees may engage in various behaviours due to unmet access needs. These coping mechanisms may be framed as flaws, and the individual may be blamed.
This is as opposed to the employer seeing the lack of accessibility as the issue. For example:
The need for routine is seen as “rigid.”
Sensory overload is seen as “overreacting.”
Difficulty with executive functioning is seen as being “lazy.”
Asking for clarity is seen as being “stubborn.”
When an individual is labelled with any of these, this tends to shape the perception of this employee within the workplace. These labels don’t actually tell the truth about neurodivergent people. They tell the truth about how inaccessible the workplace is.
Building a More Accommodating Society
Labels can harm the mental health of neurodivergent individuals. It is up to all of us to work to build a society that chooses to be compassionate instead of labelling. Here are some ways that you can help to build a more accommodating society:
Normalize accommodations: Flexible work, sensory-friendly spaces, and assistive tools benefit everyone. Instead of viewing your colleagues with accommodations as inadequate, consider that these accommodations help them thrive.
Value remote and hybrid models: Accessibility and productivity go hand-in-hand.
Shift from deficit to difference: Recognize strengths like creativity, focus, empathy, and innovation.
Listen to neurodivergent voices: Policies should be informed by lived experience, not outdated stereotypes.
How Employers Can Fight Ableism
If you are an employer who is considering forcing your workers back to the office, consider how you can make this policy more flexible so that it supports all your employees in the environment that best suits their needs.
You can work to actively dismantle systemic ableism by implementing neurodiversity-affirming policies. This would involve the following:
Normalize accommodations: Flexible schedules, hybrid work options, and assistive tools should be standard rather than optional.
Educate managers: Provide training on neurodiversity, implicit bias, and inclusive leadership.
Transparent accommodation processes: Make it easy for employees to request support without fear of stigma or retaliation.
Focus on outcomes, not presence: Evaluate performance based on results, not whether someone sits at a desk 9–5.
Create an inclusive culture: Celebrate strengths, value diverse thinking, and actively reduce microaggressions or exclusionary practices.
Support ongoing flexibility: Avoid rigid “return to office” mandates. Allow employees to make choices that suit their mental health and productivity needs.
Employers who invest in these strategies see benefits across the organization, including increased retention, engagement, and creativity.
Book a Free Consultation With Blue Sky Learning
If you are a neurodivergent individual navigating an unaccommodating workplace, know that you aren’t lazy, stubborn, or whatever other negative label society tries to throw your way.
You are navigating a world that refuses to meet your access needs. With the right accommodations, you would likely thrive in the workplace.
If you need support with advocating for accommodations or exploring ways to navigate an inaccessible workplace, book a consultation by emailing hello@blueskylearning.ca or booking through the link below.
Are you a workplace looking to be more neurodiversity-affirming and accommodating for your employees? Check out our consulting page.
References & Resources
National Autistic Society. Employment and Autism.
Government of Canada. Disability and Labour Force Statistics.
Nicolaidis, C., et al. (2019). Workplace accommodations for autism: Facilitators and barriers.
American Psychological Association. Neurodiversity at Work.
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