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Autism Unfriendly Universal Credit

NAS62563

The Universal Credit system is such a mess and so autism unfriendly. When I first starting getting it around a year ago I made them aware of my autism diagnosis when asked to disclose health conditions and the first thing the work coach said to me was "it doesn't affect anything". Fortunately I have not been forced to apply for unsuitable jobs such as a waiter in loud cafes or anything else that involves dealing with people in the spotlight which would cause me great anxiety but this may be because of my Masters degree in engineering that they have allowed to search mainly within that field.

I recently just moved area and my previous work coach said I should go to the job centre in the new area, so I done this only to be told that I need to go and book an appointment online. So I went on the website and could not see anywhere to book an appointment, I then sent them a message saying that I was advised to book online and then they replied to me with a phone number. Having to phone is a nightmare for me as I get so anxious and especially with being asked all sorts of questions and given someone with a strong accent from the other side of the country who was struggling to understand me. Anyway I phoned the number and it said invalid as it was 12 digits long, so I sent them another message and they gave me a working number which I phoned and selected the option for booking appointments, only to be told that they do not deal with appointments so couldn't help me and I should be called into the job centre automatically.

It is now 3 weeks I have been here without getting any further forward. Since I had to pay 6 months rent in advance + have started getting bills + united utilities sent me a ridiculosuly high £716 water bill for 13.75 months which I am also going to need to challenge it is so annoying that the system is so incompetent. It really annoys me that no one can do anything right yet people like me with a good attention to detail to do things right are automatically discarded at interview for being socially awkward.

  • Luckily ive had a better expierence of UC but i also have servere mental health issues as well as autism. I am unable to work at all and have been lucky enough to have evidence from proffessionals how badly my diagnoses effect me. I do not have to search for work or anything. 

    I do agree that connacting them is a nightmare. I was told i had to do it through messages on my online account but then it can take weeks for them to reply with them asking u to call someone anyway! 

  • I hope and pray that I may get a job before I have to depend on Universal Credit. The stories I hear about the application make me realise that Welfare is not the way to go. (although I have PIP until next year)

    In Northern Ireland, they bend over backwards if you’re on benefits. Then, they stab you in the back if you want to go back to work—the mirror opposite of Britain.

  • I empathize with you. I have always found the phone lines hard to use, and the online system is not always clear as well. When I moved house I came across all sorts of problems and had to get help to sort out my benefits. 

    I don't know whether it might be of use to you, but Citizens Advice has a free online chat service, and they might be able to give you some guidance on what you can do. The link is below. 

    https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/about-us/contact-us/contact-us/web-chat-service/

    Best of luck Slight smile

  • I started on universal credit in 2015 because I was in one of the trial areas.  It has had a lot of teething problems and is always changing, so I understand your frustration. 

    Problems include:

    1. Prescriptions. There is still no box to tick for UC. We are told to tick the jobseekers allowance box to get free prescriptions.  Tick the wrong box and get a computer generated £100 fine, goes up to £150 after 28 days and then threats of a county court summons and debt collectors knocking on your door.
    2. Phoning, I have been waiting 50 minutes to talk to an actual person.
    3. Need to do 35hours per week of job searching activities per week, or risk being sanctioned and being left penniless.
    4. Even job centre staff don't understand UC, and are being sent on courses in order to understand the latest features. 
    5. I have to update my online journal every day with details of what websites I visit to search for jobs etc etc.