Hi,
My closest friend had been working for a large company for many years without being aware of his autism, unfortunately things became too much (largely down to how he had been treated and the procedures they enforce) and he ended up on long term sickness at which point he got a diagnosis and learned he was on the spectrum.
Throughout the process I feel he was treated unjustly before the diagnosis and left in limbo once it was achieved. Eventually after making a complaint about their part in the long-term sickness they finally initiated the return to work phase but despite making some adjustments he is still struggling as they are refusing to acknowledge how he has been treated, instead wanting him to simply forget about the past like it never happened. While some adjustments have been made they keep saying many things are "procedure" and cannot be changed at all which just puts the struggles back onto him and they refuse to tell him if he is unsuitable for the role, again forcing decisions on him when he would be capable with sufficient support.
Given the lockdown situation, he lacks external support aside from myself and the activities he would use as a coping mechanism are not running so he is very isolated and struggling mentally, but despite making it clear how important the activities would be in supporting his time at work and the fact they are unviable, he doesn't have breathing room to counteract it.
Is this a normal experience for someone with great social difficulty to be given? I feel it may need legal action to get him justice for how he's been treated but fear how he would cope with this, is there any specialist solicitor that can help with such situations?
Thank you
