"Sara Lewenstein, a labor and employment attorney at Nilan Johnson Lewis, said even before the pandemic, she had started to see an uptick in workplace disability claims related to mental health. But she cautions that students won't find some of the accommodations that they're used to once they enter workplaces. For example, at certain universities, those with accommodations may have a professor warn them that they will be called upon to speak in class."
"Some companies -especially in the tech sector - are making significant changes to accommodate neurodivergent employees. Susanne Bruyère, a professor of disability studies at Cornell University, points to Microsoft, SAP, Ernst & Young, and JPMorgan Chase as companies that have made significant changes to their hiring processes to accommodate people with autism, for example. These companies have allowed for shorter interview times and breaks in between interviews, she said. Some allow interviewees to see the questions in advance, or offer walk-throughs of the office before an interview to reduce anxiety, Bruyère said."
Diagnoses of ADHD, anxiety, and depression have risen, and colleges increasingly grant accommodations such as deadline extensions and advance prep materials. Workplace disability claims related to mental health increased even before the pandemic. Typical academic accommodations do not always translate to job settings; employers rarely provide advance warnings about participation or flexible test-like deadlines. Some companies, especially in tech, have modified hiring and onboarding to reduce anxiety for neurodivergent candidates, offering shorter interviews, breaks, advance questions, and office walk-throughs. Employers facing skilled-worker shortages are encouraged to signal value for neurodiversity and provide practical accommodations like noise-canceling headphones and flexible schedules.
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