I've recently been diagnosed with "ASD level 1 requiring support" so i took this report to our local entity that issues the official disability card (they call it People of Determination card here or PoD card for short). Essentially they rejected my application because they said the report i provided them was from a private institute and i had to redo the full assessment at a government entity which I did...
It was a horrible experience, everyone was looking at me as if I'm trying to pretend to be autistic to get the card only, in part I understand because I have a job, a family and a PhD, the fact that i was late diagnosed (i'm almost 40) added to this. They said usually it's children who they issue this card to... However after the full assessment the assessor said she can clearly see that I tick all the boxes for an ASD1 and told me in honesty, usually we don't want to issue this card to our people (meaning locals) as it will be printed permanently on my medical records, specially since she sees that i'm doing well in life.
This is my 4th marriage, i failed the previous ones, this is my 5th job, i failed the previous ones, as for my PhD, i dropped out twice... but she didn't see any of those. The struggle is there, but I worked on myself. Just because i'm very high masking means i'm not entitled for support? I don't need to explain this to her... I told her I already made up my mind and I believe the benefits of this card will help me a lot... So eventually they accepted my request...
Now that I got this card, i'm not sure if I should use it... The perks of having 50% discount on phone bills and utility bills is great, however the remaining items i'm having issues with.
- First is the PoD Parking, I believe those should be for those with mobility issues so they have more space to load/unload, however I really stress out when I have to drive 30 minutes around the block to find a parking
- Second, the discounted or free theme park tickets + fast track lanes... I don't know how would people look at me who walks normal to take the fast track lane...
What are your experiences with these in your country? I suffer from imposter syndrome a lot and i've been raised in such a way that I should always mask and push through no matter how hard it is...
