DWP - Disability Employment Advisor

I first saw a DEA 15 years ago but they didn't know how to help me, there probably wasn't many options then.  I saw one 10 years ago, but only to help with getting employment support with an autism charity.  I had to start claiming UC recently and a DEA is involved now, and they offered support so trying that.  Worth seeing what they could help with, including self-employment.  If you are set on self-employment then you could seek out other sources of advice/support, and maybe reach out to other autistic self-employed people via Twitter or Facebook.

yes thats my solution, which may not suit everyone 

I appreciate your concerns but not everyone has the capacity to do as you suggest. Had my wife been in such a position, I would not have posted the question that I did. Thanks anyway.

My advice is to run, run from teh DWP and thier sadistic torture as it will only grind you down and keep you in the gutter where the 'coaches' want you to be so they can continue in thier smug, superior role as the gatekeepers of survival.
Instead, go find 'a' job, anything, filling shelves, washing cars (that was my choice), delivering the mail, full time, part time, fixed term, long term, anything. Why?

So you can start to take control of your life, mould it into a life you can live with and never, ever find yourself at the mercy of some sick normal office drone in a primark blouse and nylon trousers.

LouLou said:

I was just wondering if anyone had any experience in dealing with the Department of Work and Pensions disability employment advisors

Hello and welcome to the forum.  I've been reading for a while and joined recently.  I used to see a disability employment advisor when out of work in 2008-09, he gave me an empathetic ear, and initially referred me to the scheme that was then called 'WorkStep' where I was meant to have a supported placement, however the provider actually put me on this other programme called 'Flexible Routeways' where there was a lot of group discussion and role play exercises that I didn't do well at and were really demoralising, like the one described on this post.  The training provider claimed these role play exercises were "to coach you confidence building", of course I'd felt it had made mine worse!  I appreciated it wasn't the DEA's fault but I did say I was dissatisfied when I next saw him, he could understand why I would find such exercises difficult.

The consensus on many threads is that DEAs in DWP and associated providers such as Shaw Trust have a lack of understanding of Asperger's e.g.

longman said:

Or do they still know very little especially about autism?

from this thread 7 years ago.  In the last post on that thread:

Unknown said:

Work Choice was meant to help me obtain work trials rather than interviews but did not do so

sounding similar to what I hoped for from WorkStep.  I am guessing that might be the same deleted user as on this post suggesting that WorkChoice was through Shaw Trust.

That period of my unemployment finally ended when I was able to start my last long term job in 2011 as an agency temp when it was just a case of '(Employer XXX) need help with some data entry can you turn up and start next week', for a while it was rolling weekly temping but eventually I got a fixed-term contract and was later made permanent.  Was really good until upper management decided to 'Outsource' several departments and I was made redundant November 2019.

I was then referred to Shaw Trust in early 2020 for the current 'Work and Health Programme' again with the hope that I, like the poster in the linked thread, could have got onto work trials, but then Covid lockdown hit and all I got was phone calls, and phones are the means of communication I find most difficult.  Shaw Trust just kept suggesting "do online courses", "have some video-call coaching" which all feel futile as these do not get me in front of an employer and able to show what I can do.  The video-call coaching was with Genius Within, I found this difficult.  With my very hesitant speech, being put through Zoom calls and asked a lot of questions was difficult and I clammed up many times. I was often unable to fully think through answering one question before another would be asked.

It feels like being in such a deep abyss between being nowhere near impaired enough to be deemed an ESA/PIP case, yet too impaired to be employers' first choice and I think DEAs have little experience with those not impaired enough to be on ESA/PIP.

The dwp will always be trying to minimise any payments. Try and find an agency who will help you prepard

That's a good call I did have one to help me through the PIP process. Good luck with yours

Not been through that one, although I have just made a PIP claim. I'm hoping that might help me get some of the help I need, since the NHS is offering nothing.

Sounds like you need an advocate of some sorts. Along with my recent referral for an ASD assessment my GP referred to MIND adult autism services. Could an organisation of that kind help, I wonder?