Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi everyone,
I recently had my first day as a teacher trainee at my second school placement, however I have an issue with the male staff dress code at the school and I'm looking for advice on reasonable adjustments.
My school mentor has asked me to wear a tie, and I have explained to her that I am autistic and find it extremely uncomfortable to wear them. I'm not sure why, but wearing a tie just diminishes my confidence and makes me feel emotionally and physically exhausted.
(This is an absolutely non-negotiable issue for me - I'm not even open to compromising on wearing a clip-on tie or even a bow tie.)
Would it constitute a reasonable adjustment for the school to excuse me from wearing a tie?
Jordan
Other Notes
I have explained to my university tutor that I believe it constitutes a reasonable adjustment, however she still believes I should wear a tie if my school is asking me to. I have also explained the issue to the disability department at my university, who believe that it is certainly reasonable for me to ask the school again to excuse me from wearing a tie.
never liked neck nooses myself, make me feel chokey. i dunno whether its the anxiety that does that as obviously anxiety can cause you to choke, so that combined with anything touching or tight around your neck can make you feel that item is choking you instead of the anxiety, or perhaps make the anxiety worse to the point the thing around your neck does contribute to that choking feel.
member in school they used to make us wear ties, and the collars on shirts top button had to be fastened and it was a bit tight to the neck, always choke in assembly and then get told off because they thought i was eating and choking on a sweet or something
Yeah, I just find them horrible to wear. It's not just because they can be tight around my neck, but wearing them just makes me feel overwhelmingly miserable.
I tried wearing one at home for ten minutes the other day and I couldn't walk upright properly at all, because it just made me feel so weighed down (both literally and emotionally).
If I feel like this while I'm wearing one in school, heaven only knows how I'm going to find the energy to teach a group of Year 7s during the day.