Matthew Weaving was diagnosed with ADHD when he was six years old. At twelve, he stopped taking medication, but had difficulty getting along with others during his teen and adult years. He joined the Beaverton, Oregon police force after passing all of his physical and mental exams. He did not disclose his ADHD diagnosis or prior medications, believing he was no longer afflicted. He stayed in Beaverton for about 10 years, but received much negative feedback about his personality conflicts.
He joined the Hillsboro, Oregon, police force in 2006. He disclosed his previous ADHD diagnosis and noted some of the personality conflicts that had plagued him. Hillsboro offered him provisional employment, subject to a medical evaluation. Weaving passed that evaluation, as well as another one when he applied for promotion to sergeant. His superiors noted he sometimes was perceived as arrogant or intimidating, but that he did his job well.
After a couple of incidents of conflict with his co-workers/ subordinates, the city placed Weaving on administrative leave. While on leave, Weaving came to the conclusion that ADHD might be the source of some of his troubles. A doctor agreed that his ADHD might cause him to interact roughly with co-workers, but that he could still be an "excellent" officer. Weaving told the City that he should be reinstated with "all reasonable accommodations," so that he might obtain treatment and improve his communications.
The city conducted an investigation, and found that Weaver had serious problems interacting with co-workers, and decided to discharge him. A jury found the city violated the ADA by firing Weaving and awarded him money damages, but not reinstatement. The Court of Appeals, reversed, finding that Weaving was not "substantially limited" in the major life activity of working.
Weaving also claimed substantial limitation in the major life activity of interacting with others. The Ninth Circuit recognizes that as a major life activity. But, reviewing its own and other courts' decisions, the court said that merely failing to "get along" is not the same as interacting.
It stated that "one who is able to communicate with others, though his communications may at times be offensive, 'inappropriate, ineffective, or unsuccessful,' is not substantially limited in his ability to interact with others within the meaning of the ADA. To hold otherwise would be to expose to potential ADA liability employers who take adverse employment actions against ill-tempered employees who create a hostile workplace environment for their colleagues."
The takeaway: A diagnosis of ADHD by itself will most likely not support an ADA claim. However, those who have a severe inability to relate to others (such as those who cannot relate to anyone, rather than just co-workers), would still be considered disabled under the court's standards. The crucial element is proving that the medical condition's impairment "substantially limits" one or more major life activities.