A reasonable adjustment, called a reasonable accommodation in the United States, is a change to the interview that lets a disabled candidate show their skills on equal terms. Offer changes before candidates ask, make asking easy, agree a practical option, keep the request confidential, and judge the answers by the same job criteria for everyone.
Key takeaways
- Offer adjustments in every invitation and name a contact who is not an interviewer.
- Do not ask for medical proof at the interview stage unless the law and your policy allow it. Ask what would help.
- Change how the candidate shows the skill, not what the job needs.
- Keep the request confidential, outside the scorecard, and never use it as a reason to decline.
- Rules differ. US: ADA. Great Britain: Equality Act 2010. EU: Employment Equality Directive and national law.
What the law requires, in outline
| Region | Rule in outline | Official source |
|---|---|---|
| United States | The Americans with Disabilities Act requires covered employers to provide reasonable accommodation to qualified applicants with disabilities in the application process, unless it causes undue hardship. Coverage depends on employer size, and state laws may add duties | EEOC enforcement guidance on reasonable accommodation |
| Great Britain | The Equality Act 2010 requires employers to make reasonable adjustments where a disabled person is at a substantial disadvantage, including in recruitment. Northern Ireland has separate law | GOV.UK: reasonable adjustments and Acas: recruitment |
| European Union | The Employment Equality Directive requires employers to take appropriate measures so that disabled people can access employment, unless this is a disproportionate burden. Member states set the detail | Directive 2000/78/EC |
The tests differ in wording: “undue hardship” in the US, “reasonable” in Great Britain, and “disproportionate burden” in the EU. In every case the starting point is the same. Ask what the person needs, consider it in good faith and do not assume. Because the details vary by country and case, ask a specialist about any difficult request. This guide covers common practice.
What counts as an adjustment
An adjustment changes the process or the setting. It does not lower the standard for the job. The question is: can this person show that they can do the essential parts of the job, if the interview is arranged differently?
| Need (examples) | Possible adjustment | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Hearing loss or deafness | Sign language interpreter, live captions, written questions, a quiet room, face the candidate when speaking | Removes the barrier to hearing, not the content |
| Low vision or blindness | Large print or screen-reader friendly documents, questions read aloud, a guide to the room | Same information in another format |
| Dyslexia or other reading differences | Questions in advance, extra time to read, no unprepared reading aloud | Tests the skill, not the speed of reading |
| Autism or sensory sensitivities | Clear structure in advance, literal questions, a calm room, breaks, no surprise changes | Reduces unneeded stress and unclear questions |
| Anxiety or other mental health conditions | Questions in advance, a longer break, a video or phone option, a support person for the visit | Lets the person show skills without avoidable stress |
| Physical disability or limited mobility | Step-free access, an accessible toilet, seating, a ground-floor room, remote interview, parking close to the entrance | Removes a physical barrier |
| Speech difference | More time, patience, written answers or typing for part of the interview | Content matters, not speed of speech |
| Chronic illness or fatigue | Shorter sessions, breaks, a flexible time of day, a remote format | Fits the interview to the person’s energy |
| ADHD | Written agenda, questions in advance, breaks, a task with a clear brief | Reduces the load of keeping the plan in mind |
| Need for a personal aid | Permission for a support person, assistive technology or an assistance animal | Lets the person use the tools they use at work |
This list gives examples only. People with the same label need different things. Ask the person.
How to handle a request: six steps
- Thank the candidate and confirm that you will act. A short, warm reply tells them it was right to ask.
- Ask what would help. “What would make the interview work well for you?” is enough. Do not ask for a diagnosis.
- Agree on a change. Offer a practical option and ask if it works. If you cannot do exactly what they ask, propose an alternative and explain why.
- Confirm in writing. Repeat what you agreed, with the date and time, and tell the person who needs to know.
- Brief the interviewers. Say what is different, without saying why. They do not need to know the condition.
- Carry out the change, and check on the day. Ask at the start whether everything is as agreed.
Wording you can use
In the invitation:
If you need any change to make the interview easier for you, for example extra time, a different format, a quiet room, a sign language interpreter or step-free access, please tell us at [email]. You do not need to explain why. We will reply within one working day.
In a reply to a request:
Hello [Name], thank you for letting us know. We can [change agreed]. Does that work for you? If you would like something different, please tell us. We will tell the interviewers what is different, but we will not share the reason.
Keeping the process fair
- Keep adjustment details out of scorecards. Do not record the condition. Record only the evidence of skills.
- Share on a need-to-know basis. Interviewers need to know what to do, not why.
- Do not compare answers to the pace or style of other candidates. Compare evidence against the job criteria.
- Do not treat a request as a sign of risk. A person who asks for a change is giving you information to help them perform. It is not a reason to decline.
- Keep records limited. Store the agreed change with the application for as long as the application is kept, then delete.
Our guide on structured interviews explains how to ask the same job-related questions of every candidate. This makes adjustments easier to apply, because the questions and the scoring do not change. Only the way the answer is given changes.
If a request is hard to meet
Sometimes a request is difficult, for example a sign language interpreter at short notice, or a visit to a building without step-free access. Do not simply refuse. Consider alternatives and try to solve the problem together: change the date, move the interview to a different room or location, or hold it by video. Document what you offered. If you decide you cannot provide the adjustment, take advice before you tell the candidate, because a refusal can be unlawful in many places.
Cost is rarely the main obstacle in interviews. Most useful changes are free or cheap: extra time, written questions, a quiet room, a different format. Governments in several countries also offer support schemes for adjustments. Look at the official pages for your country.
Adjustments in tasks and tests
Tests and tasks need the same care. A timed test can measure reading speed or typing speed rather than the skill in the job. Ask whether the speed is part of the job. If not, give extra time or a different format. The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission explains how tests can screen out people with disabilities in its guidance on employment tests and selection procedures. Our guide on work sample tests shows how to design fair tasks.
FastHire is being built to make early screening more open. It shows each job requirement next to the exact CV passage that supports it, so decisions rest on evidence of skills. FastHire is coming soon. It does not rank, score or reject candidates. People make every decision.
Three fictional scenarios
These cases are invented to show the reasoning. Real cases will differ, and you should take advice where the law applies.
| Scenario | What the manager does | What the manager avoids |
|---|---|---|
| A candidate writes: “I find it hard to answer questions I have not seen. Could I have the topics in advance?” for an office coordinator role. | Sends the topics and the structure, offers a written agenda, keeps the same questions and scoring for everyone | Asking about the reason, or marking the candidate down for needing the topics |
| A candidate uses a wheelchair and the interview room is upstairs. | Moves the interview to a ground-floor room, checks the route from the entrance, confirms the accessible toilet, tells the candidate the plan in writing | Offering to carry the person, or suggesting that a video call would be easier without asking |
| A candidate who is deaf asks for a sign language interpreter. The manager has two days. | Contacts a booking service the same day, tells the candidate what is booked, offers a short delay if no interpreter is free, agrees to turn-taking so the interpreter can keep up | Cancelling because it is short notice, or speaking to the interpreter instead of the candidate |
Tricky moments, and what to say
| Moment | Say this | Not this |
|---|---|---|
| The candidate discloses a condition during the interview | “Thank you for telling me. What would help us in this interview?” | “Does that affect your work?” |
| You need to change the plan on the day | “We have a change. Would you like a short break, or shall we continue?” | Carry on without telling the candidate |
| A colleague asks why the interview is different | “We agreed a change with the candidate. I cannot share details.” | Explain the condition |
| The candidate seems unwell | “Would you like a break or a glass of water? We can reschedule if you prefer.” | Assume they cannot do the job |
| You cannot meet a request exactly | “We cannot do X. Could we do Y instead? Would that work?” | “That is not possible.” |
A pre-interview checklist for adjustments
- The invitation offers adjustments and names a contact.
- The contact replies within a stated time, and knows who to ask for help.
- The venue is accessible: step-free route, toilets, seating and signs.
- Video links work with common assistive tools, and an audio-only option exists.
- Written material is available in accessible formats on request.
- Interviewers have the same scorecard and know that nothing in the scorecard changes.
- Interviewers know the agreed change without knowing the reason.
- A break is built into long sessions for all candidates, so nobody has to ask.
Building flexibility into the standard process helps everyone. Breaks, a written agenda and sent-in-advance topics are useful to many candidates who never ask. A process that already works for a wide range of people needs fewer individual changes and makes the ones that remain easier to handle.
Finally, review what you learn. After each interview with an adjustment, ask the candidate, if they are willing, whether the change worked and what would work better next time. Record the answer in general terms, without personal details, and add useful points to your standard process. Over a year, these notes become a practical guide that is specific to your offices, your tools and your roles.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to ask candidates if they have a disability?
No. Do not ask about disability in general. Offer adjustments to everyone, and let candidates tell you what they need. In some places the law limits questions about health before an offer.
What if a candidate does not tell me about a need and then does badly?
You cannot adjust for a need you do not know about. That is why the offer should be clear in every invitation. Do not guess at conditions.
Can I ask for evidence of a disability?
Usually not at the interview stage. Ask what would help. If the request is unusual or costly, the law may allow limited questions or documents. Ask a specialist first.
Is it unfair to the other candidates?
No. Adjustments aim to remove a disadvantage so that everyone is assessed on the same criteria. They do not change the standard.
Does the same duty apply to online tests and video interviews?
Yes. Online tools and platforms are part of the process. Check that they work with screen readers and keyboards, and offer an alternative if they do not.
Related guides
- Hiring guides for hiring managers
- How to prepare candidates for an interview
- Structured interviews: a guide for hiring managers
- Work sample tests: how to design a fair task
- All hiring guides for employers
- The ADA and hiring: reasonable accommodation for applicants
- UK reasonable adjustments in recruitment
- Accessible interviews: how to plan one for every candidate
This is general information, not legal advice.