Requesting an accommodation isn’t about getting special treatment — it’s about setting yourself up to succeed at work in a sustainable way. If a medical, mental health, or neurodivergent condition affects how you perform, communicate, focus, or access the workplace, you may have the legal right to request changes that help you do your job. Many employees wait until things are falling apart before speaking up — not because they’re unprepared or incapable, but because no one ever taught them how to self-advocate in a safe and strategic way. This guide fixes that. the foundations of this article were drawn from two articles produced by JAN Accommodation Network and from the Advancing the Human & Civil Rights of People with Disabilities in Illinois.