• Replies 5 replies
  • Subscribers 79 subscribers
  • Views 2833 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Options
Related
Hints and tips
  • To quote someone's message, first select/highlight the relevant text, and then use the Quote button that appears
  • To "mention" someone, type @ followed by the start of the forum name, and choose from the list; that person will get a notification of being mentioned

Work Program forcing activities you can't do

Bloodheart
On ESA-WRAG and on Work Program, if you've already informed them that there are certain activities you can't due to disability and they attempt to force you to do so anyway what do you do? 

I'm autistic (ASD) and suffer from general anxiety disorder. I can't do role-play but Work Program staff seem to think this is just 'I dislike doing role-play' rather than it being due to disability - they don't seem to understand that I can't pluck things out of nowhere to fill-in missing information to act within a given situation and I can't perform in front of others. If I do role-play it's a guaranteed meltdown; it may cause me to hurt myself or hurt the staff members, will result in my inability to function fully for up to a week afterwards, and may make my autism significantly worse long-term. They just don't seem to acknowledge my disability and refuse to listen to me when I tell them what would or wouldn't be helpful to me, they've not even asked about my work history or what could help.

My concern is that; 
A.) they make me do it regardless, and I suffer harm as a result. 
B. i) if I can't do it or refuse to do it my benefits will be sanctioned. 
B ii) I can't appeal if sanctioned as DWP are just as unlikely to understand Autism. 

The mere thought of this situation is causing me to suffer anxiety, sleeping problems, and I'm struggling to function...even without the threat of role play Work Program causes these problems because I'm always *TERRIFIED* of what Work Program are going to do to me or that they're going to sanction me - in the past I've experienced verbal abuse and a sanction as a result of their eror, so this fear isn't unfounded. This role play thing hasn't happened so far but I'm really worried about what exactly I'm supposed to do when it does come up...can I refuse to do it? What happens if I do? 
This goes for other things too...work experience is fine, or at least as 'fine' as working for free can be, but what if the specific work placement is prejudice against me or I would struggle to work there because they use phones (I can't use a phone) or it involves lots of talking to others. Or what about them trying to force me to apply for work via phone, or for jobs I know I'd struggle with, etc. I'm worried that they will force me to do things I can't do, and as a result I'll experience crippling meltdown or/and lose my benefits...I don't know what my rights are, or if I have any at all. 

  • I see the filter is working now, evidently tullshib is unacceptable.

  • Role play certainly might pose difficulties for a student on the spectrum (if I can go down that route, as where I'm best qualified to comment), along with group work, group presentations and such-like. 

    With group work and group presentations the difficulty lies in interactions with other members of the group, as the individual on the spectrum will have difficulty reading intention, and difficulty responding the way the others expect. With role play the further problem is lack of experience of roles, through not being good at group work. Acting skills might well help, but not readily as a short-term solution, which is what OP needs right now.

    Having observed students on the spectrum in group work situations I can attest to the difficulties that arise. Students on the spectrum aren't readily chosen as group participants, because the others feel they may bring down the group score. If persuaded to take on an autistic student they will try to exclude them. So often tutors have to consider the option of letting the autistic student do an equivalent piece of assessment on their own, if the learning outcomes allow. Which isn't necessarily the best solution.

    Yet many times I've seen students on the spectrum persevere and succeed at group work. People tend to assume that social communication difficulty implies lesser intelligence, and of course this doesn't follow, moreover people on the spectrum may well strive to better themselves and overcome these prejudices.

    In some cases it may be better for someone on the spectrum to persevere with group work or role play, because the barriers are primarily social communication and fear of failure as a consequence.

    To some extent I understand the Work Program staff perspective, because certainly in a student context, all students hate group work, role play type situations, and that is likely to be reflected across the wider population. So to some extent the DWP staff are chiding anyone shy of doing role play.

    HOWEVER, I don't think DWP staff have done anything remotely like enough to understand disability. Looking at their reports they seem happy to produce ignorant bigoted bullshit. Job Centre Plus staff are not helping the situation by signally failing to understand the disabilities they are being asked to help, and frequently demonstrate crass ignorance and tactlessness.

    Many people have had to adjust to providing better provision for the disabled in workplaces, schools and colleges, public institutions. One group that has clearly made not the slightest effort to adapt has been the DWP. That's an absolute disgrace.

    My advice to bloodheart is to have another think about this. I'm not belittling your difficulties, but I think you have little prospect of getting sympathy and understanding from the idiots that are running the work programme.

    Fear does seem to be an understandable issue with autism. You have so much more to deal with and overcome than NTs. I'm going to get some bad press if I advocate "facing up to your demons" and trying to overcome your fears about role play. I think you might find this is something you can shine at.

  • http://www.jkp.com/catalogue/book/9781843104957/extract/

    Imitation

    An intelligent and constructive compensatory mechanism used by some children is to observe and absorb the persona of those who are socially successful. Such children initially remain on the periphery of social play, watching and noting what to do. They may then re-enact the activities that they have observed in their own solitary play, using dolls, figures or imaginary friends at home. They are rehearsing, practising the script and their role, to achieve fluency and confidence before attempting to be included in real social situations. Some children can be remarkably astute in their observation abilities, copying gestures, tone of voice and mannerisms. They are developing the ability to be a natural actor. For example, in her autobiography, Liane Holliday Willey describes her technique:

    I could take part in the world as an observer. I was an avid observer. I was enthralled with the nuances of people's actions. In fact, I often found it desirable to become the other person. Not that I consciously set out to do that, rather it came as something I simply did. As if I had no choice in the matter. My mother tells me I was very good at capturing the essence and persona of people. (Willey 1999, p.22)

    I was uncanny in my ability to copy accents, vocal inflections, facial expressions, hand movements, gaits, and tiny gestures. It was as if I became the person I was emulating. (Willey 1999, p.23)

    Becoming an expert mimic can have other advantages. The child may become popular for imitating the voice and persona of a teacher or character from television. The adolescent with Asperger's syndrome may apply knowledge acquired in drama classes to everyday situations, determining who would be successful in this situation and adopting the persona of that person. The child or adult may remember the words and body postures of someone in a similar situation in real life or in a television programme or film. He or she then re-enacts the scene using 'borrowed' dialogue and body language. There is a veneer of social success but, on closer examination, the apparent social ­competence is not spontaneous or original but artificial and contrived. However, practice and success may improve the person's acting abilities such that acting becomes a possible career option.

    An adult with Asperger's syndrome who is a retired actor wrote to me and explained that, 'As an actor, I find the scripts in theatre far more real than everyday life. The role playing comes naturally to me.' The ability to act a role in daily life is explained by Donna Williams:

    I found it impossible to talk to her in a normal voice. I began to put on a strong American accent, making up a history and identity for myself to go with it. As always, I actually convinced myself that I was this new character and consistently kept this up for six months. (Williams 1998, p.73)

  • I think you would perhaps need to get advice from the NAS and ask your GP for support too.

    I too find roleplay horrendously difficult, but having said that I have read Tony Attwood I think it was, say acting is actually a good profession for someone with AS and there are known autistic actors (Dan Akroyd, Darryl Hannah etc.) so I think you would need to get some sort of evidence what tasks are very difficult for you and why.  You can explain your neurology is different so they can't expect the same as they would expect of an NT too.