One of the biggest reasons candidates avoid asking for adjustments is the fear of being judged.
They worry the panel will think they are asking for an advantage.
That is not what a reasonable adjustment is.
A reasonable adjustment is a change to the process so you can participate on a fair basis. It does not remove the role requirements. It does not mean the panel should mark you more generously. It does not mean you skip merit.
It means the process should not create an unnecessary barrier.
A simple example
If a candidate who uses a wheelchair asks for an accessible interview room, nobody sensible would call that special treatment.
The accessible room does not answer the questions for them.
It lets them get into the room.
The same principle applies to less visible barriers.
Questions in writing do not answer the question for a candidate with ADHD. Captioning does not answer the question for a Deaf candidate. Extra reading time does not write the assessment for a dyslexic candidate.
These adjustments help the panel assess the candidate’s actual capability.
What fairness really means
Fairness is not always identical treatment.
Fairness is assessing people against the same role requirements without unnecessary barriers in the way.
That is the line to remember.
Useful next steps
If this topic is relevant to your application, these related Team 3Thirty guides are the best places to go next:
- reasonable adjustments for government recruitment
- disclosing disability in a government application
- APS RecruitAbility scheme
Useful resources
These official resources are worth checking if you need the source guidance behind the adjustment examples: