I haven't worked for 4 years after being bullied at work and also having a very stressful home life. I was signed off for months by my GP, and finally plucked up the courage to ask for an autism assessment. I'm on Universal Credit, have regular apts at the job centre and get spoken to as if I'm lazy and stupid. Since my autism diagnosis earlier this year, they've allowed me to get fit notes again from my GP, although the apts every 2 weeks continue, some for only 5 minutes, but what they don't realise is all the anxiety beforehand, and how stressful it is just to turn up. Now waiting for another work capability assessment (was declared fit for work in 2019 due to being able to mask, but now diagnosed unable to do this). 10 days ago my Dad passed away, and I asked if my apt could be changed, so they've made it a week later, and my work coach put a note in my journal saying "Hope you're better". No compassion or understanding at all, or allowing for an autistic person to grieve differently. If I go to this apt I will be so anxious I won't be able to speak, and I'll have to take someone else with me to explain this. The easy option to stop them from treating me so badly would be to get back into work, but that's easier said than done. I feel as if nobody will want to employ me with all my issues, and the fact that I haven't worked for so long. Does everyone else get this much stress from the job centre?
