If you can’t afford to pay an attorney it’s very common for lawyers who are representing people applying for disability to work on contingency. If you’re approved for disability you usually get back pay dating to when you first started the process, and the lawyer takes a percentage of that as payment.

My brother (not adhd) was able to do it himself but basically compiled a database to do it.

Have a friend who is essentially bedridden who got denied 3 times before having an attorney file.

I wonder if it’s a bit like the food stamp process where what you get depends in large part on who you get as your program officer so it’s a bit of a crap shoot.