Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi,
My young children have ASD and and attend a special school. My children are healthy and happy and have always had the support they need. I'm so thankful for this. It didn't exist when I went to school. This has prompted me to get a diagnosis for myself to see if I could get some support for the lifelong issues I've had i.e. social isolation, anxiety, often feeling overwhelmed . At 43 I was recently diagnosed with Aspergers, although I pretty much self diagnosed myself a long time ago. I did well academically and have always had a job, even though I've always struggled at work. I'm currently an office manager in a very busy environment. Luckily, I'm part time now, which has made things much easier i.e. I have days off to come down from the stress of it but still have high levels of anxiety from this. I read a policy at work about disclosing your disability to your employer as it stated they had a legal right to support you e.g. tailored adjustments etc. I sent my boss an email from home disclosing my diagnosis and didn't get the response I was expecting. He basically just asked why I was telling him about it?! I replied stating somewhere along the lines of support and understanding and that was the end of it. No further discussion. I've been in my current role a long time and I'm good at my job but I'm getting sick of the stress from it. I feel like just quitting and being a stay at home mum but I've worked hard to get the job I have and the loss of money would mean less holidays and things for the kids too. Other than this I've tried to be proactive in getting some support. I'm booked on a course about dealing with anxiety, which I feel is a good start. Can anyone recommend any other things I could try? Thanks in advance.
Welcome.
Sadly, your boss' reaction is pretty common; even those who consider themselves disability friendly generally think of accommodations in terms of gadgets to help people with physical disabilities. For someone who is diagnosed with autism while already in post, the problem that autism is a hidden disability is compounded by the fact that we're usually so used to straining ourselves to fit into expected behaviours that the consequences, such as anxiety, depression, and burning out, are also made invisible - at work at least, if not in our private lives. A common response is; "well you've managed OK up until now, so why can't you just carry on as you are?"
I would try to get some professional advice before pressing the matter further. Your local Citizens' Advice Bureau or ACAS would be good first points of contact. The disability equality laws around accommodations unfortunately include the weasel word "reasonable", and you and your employer are rather unlikely to define "reasonable" in the same way! So firstly, you need some advice about what might be considered "reasonable" given your diagnosis and your traits - so have a think about what practical measures you would most benefit from (folks here will be glad to make suggestions). To have the best chance of your employers accepting your definition of "reasonable", you will then need to come up with some kind of business case - i.e. to demonstrate that any costs would be offset by better long-term performance. Professional advice should make all of this much easier, and their knowledge of the law will ensure that you're not waved aside with management consultant gobbledygook.
Best wishes.
@Trogluddite, I am writing an article about employment of autistic people and would like to use your quote under the name of Trigluddite and linking to this thread. It is about the need to change the narrative about autism.
Trogluddite said:even those who consider themselves disability friendly generally think of accommodations in terms of gadgets to help people with physical disabilities. For someone who is diagnosed with autism while already in post, the problem that autism is a hidden disability is compounded by the fact that we're usually so used to straining ourselves to fit into expected behaviours that the consequences, such as anxiety, depression, and burning out, are also made invisible - at work at least, if not in our private lives. A common response is; "well you've managed OK up until now, so why can't you just carry on as you are?"
May I use your quote?
It's rather flattering that you want to include it, and very kind of you to ask beforehand - so, yes, go right ahead!