Published on 12, July, 2020
Hello,
I have autism and can't tolerate having friends/socialising. I'm housebound and only go out very rarely, such as to get vaccinated. This has resulted in me having nobody to confirm my identity. I don't even have a social worker. I've never been to church as an adult, due to sensory overload and anxiety.
I have not been employed since my 20s, due to other severe disabilities. I don't know my current neighbours. I knew a neighbour who lives near my mother, but I haven't seen her for over a decade. I would not be able to ask her. My mother still knows her, but refuses to ask her or help me. I did know fellow home education parents, but none of them worked. Passport rules disqualified them from vouching for me.
I was born in UK and have lived here for 41 years. But I've never had a passport. I'm unable to open the bank account of my choice (with best interest rate) because I have no photo ID. And I feel trapped here. I've never been on holiday. I've never been able to take my 15 year old on any foreign day trip, to France etc.
Does anyone have any ideas please?
Thanks
Claire
Try your GP.
The rules do specifically say the person who confirms your identity can't be a doctor, unless they state that they know you well (for example they're a good friend) and that they recognise you easily from your photo.
Rules can be bent. NTs know that.
Autistics take rules literally.
I messaged the surgery a week ago. They have not responded. The rules don't specifically state that the person needs to have known you face-to-face for 2 years. And technically I have been trying to communicate with them for many years, via email & their messaging system. It's not my fault that they get away with rarely responding. It's my chosen form of communication due to my autism & I had made them well aware of that many times over the past decade. It feels like disability discrimination.