A Service Is Inaccessible to Me—How Do I Ask for a Reasonable Adjustment?

The first useful sentence is often not “I cannot use this service.” It is more exact: “The way this service is currently organized blocks my access.”

That difference matters. A locked lift, a phone-only appointment system, a no-bags rule that ignores medical equipment, a form that cannot be completed with assistive technology, or a queue system without seating is not a personal failure. It is design debt. The barrier is the problem, not the body.

This guide is general information, not legal advice for your individual case. It uses Germany and EU rights language lightly: the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, often called the UN CRPD, frames accessibility and reasonable accommodation as part of equal participation. In German, reasonable accommodation is usually discussed as an angemessene Vorkehrung. The exact route depends on the service, the sector, and your situation.

Phase 1: Name the Service and the Barrier

Before writing the request, separate three things:

1. The service you are trying to use.
2. The barrier that prevents or restricts access.
3. The adjustment that would make access possible or meaningfully easier.

For example:

• Service: an appointment at a municipal office.
• Barrier: the office only offers appointments through a web form that times out before you can complete it.
• Adjustment: an appointment booking route by email or a form with more time and keyboard access.

Or:

• Service: a course, event, shop, advice session, housing viewing, exam, or public consultation.
• Barrier: step-only access, no quiet waiting option, no written information, no accessible toilet, no captioning, no seating, unclear assistance rules, or a communication format you cannot use.
• Adjustment: level access, a reserved seat, written instructions, sign language interpretation, extra processing time, permission to bring assistance, a remote participation option, or another concrete change.

You do not need perfect legal vocabulary to start. You need a clear account of how the current setup excludes you and what would remove or reduce that exclusion.

Phase 2: Decide What to Disclose

You usually do not need to disclose your full diagnosis to request access. You can describe your access need and the barrier.

Useful wording is:

Because of a disability / chronic illness / health condition / access need, I cannot use the service in the current form. I am requesting a reasonable adjustment so I can access it on an equal basis.

You can be more specific about function without naming a diagnosis:

• “I cannot stand in a queue for long periods and need a seated waiting option.”
• “I need written information because phone calls are not accessible for me.”
• “I use a wheelchair and need step-free entry.”
• “I need a low-stimulation waiting arrangement because crowded noise can make participation impossible.”
• “I need extra time to complete the form because the current time limit blocks my use of assistive technology.”

Sometimes a service may ask for evidence. That does not automatically mean you must hand over your whole medical history. Ask what evidence they need, why they need it, who will see it, how it will be stored, and whether a short confirmation of access need is enough. The minimum useful evidence is often better than a large file that gives strangers more information than they need.

If the setting is healthcare, keep the line clear: this article is about access to the service, not medical decision-making. Community Health Access Alliance covers health-system navigation more broadly; our lane here is the communication, building, appointment, and participation barrier.

Phase 3: Put the Request in Writing

A written request gives you a record. It also forces the service to deal with the access question as an operational problem, not a mood or preference.

Use a subject line that is boring and searchable:

Request for reasonable adjustment for access to [service / appointment / event]

Then write in short blocks:

1. What you are trying to access.
2. What barrier blocks you.
3. What adjustment you are requesting.
4. By when you need an answer.
5. How they should contact you.

Here is a template you can adapt:

I am contacting you because I want to use [name of service] on [date, if relevant]. The current arrangement is not accessible to me because [describe the barrier].

I am requesting the following reasonable adjustment: [state the change you need]. This would allow me to access the service in a comparable way to other users.

If you believe this exact adjustment is not possible, please explain why in writing and propose an alternative that removes the barrier. I need a response by [date], because [appointment, deadline, travel planning, booking, work schedule].

Please contact me by [accessible contact method]. Phone calls are / are not accessible for me.

Keep the tone firm and plain. You are not asking for special treatment. You are asking the service to repair an access gap so the service can actually be used.

Phase 4: Attach Only What Helps

Attach evidence only if it makes the request easier to understand or if the service has reasonably asked for it.

Helpful attachments can include:

• A booking confirmation, appointment letter, course registration, or event ticket.
• A photograph of the barrier, such as steps or missing signage.
• A screenshot of an inaccessible booking page.
• A short medical or professional confirmation of an access need, if you already have one and want to use it.
• A previous message showing that you tried to resolve the issue.

Do not delay a time-sensitive request because you are trying to build a perfect evidence file. The first ask can be simple. If a digital system itself blocks access, the technical evidence craft is more detailed; Digital Dignity Lab has stronger guidance on preserving screenshots, timestamps, and technical details.

Phase 5: Ask for Alternatives Without Letting the Barrier Vanish

Sometimes the exact adjustment you request is not possible by the date you need it. That can be true. It can also be used as a way to end the conversation. Keep the focus on access.

If they say, “We cannot do that,” reply:

• “Please explain which part is not possible.”
• “What alternative will give me equivalent access?”
• “Who has authority to approve an alternative?”
• “Can we agree an interim solution for this appointment and a better solution for future appointments?”
• “Please confirm the decision and reason in writing.”

An alternative should address the same barrier. If you ask for written communication because phone calls are inaccessible, “call us again later” is not an alternative. If you ask for step-free access, “bring someone to help you up the stairs” often shifts the risk and labour back onto you. If you ask for a quiet waiting option, “just arrive early” may not change the sensory barrier at all.

We can be flexible without accepting fake solutions. A different room, different entrance, remote option, appointment outside peak hours, paper form, accessible digital form, reserved seat, or support person may all be workable if they actually remove the barrier.

Phase 6: Preserve the Record

Keep a small access file. It can be a folder in your email, a note document, or printed pages. Save:

• Your original request.
• The date and time you sent it.
• Any automatic confirmation.
• Names or roles of people you spoke with.
• Replies, refusals, delays, and proposed alternatives.
• Notes after phone calls, written the same day.
• What happened in practice when you arrived or tried to use the service.

Write notes as facts first. “Arrived at 13:50. Main entrance had three steps. No ramp visible. Reception said the portable ramp was locked in another building. Appointment missed.” You can also note impact: pain, fatigue, lost fee, missed deadline, extra travel, humiliation, needing another person, or being unable to participate. Impact matters, but a clear sequence matters too.

Phase 7: If the Service Ignores You

If a service ignores your request, send one short follow-up. Put the original date in the first line.

I requested a reasonable adjustment on [date] and have not received a response. The barrier remains. Please confirm by [date] whether you will provide [adjustment] or propose an accessible alternative.

If there is still no answer, choose the next step by urgency:

• If a deadline or appointment is close, contact a higher-level office, complaints address, event organizer, course provider, or service manager and mark the request as urgent.
• If money, employment, housing, education, or legal deadlines are involved, get advice quickly. Justice Access Centre covers general legal route-finding and discrimination-law analysis more deeply.
• If this is a public or recurring service, ask for the access issue to be logged as a complaint and request a written response.
• If the barrier affects many people, consider sharing the pattern with a disability organization, advisory council, union, user group, or local advocacy network.

Do not let silence turn the problem into your private inconvenience. Silence is also information: it shows how the service handles access when asked directly.

When the Request Costs Energy

Access requests can become unpaid project management. We know the extra work: explaining, proving, following up, adjusting travel, asking again, staying polite enough to be heard and firm enough not to be dismissed. That labour is real.

So make the request as reusable as possible. Keep a short paragraph about your access needs that you can adapt. Keep a list of adjustments that usually work. Use dates. Ask for written answers. Bring in advice before a refusal becomes a missed deadline.

The aim is not to write the perfect letter. The aim is to move the barrier from your body into the service’s responsibility, where it belonged from the beginning.