Employment law protection for those with Aspergers?

Hi there,

I was diagnosed with Aspergers a couple of months back - which certainly explained a lot to me & came as a relief too. 

I have always had difficulty with working & never been in each job I've had for more than a year. 

My trouble with work has always been getting on with other employees, or in the case of when I was self employed, clients!

This has mostly been other people upsetting me, to the point I have a bit of a melt down & leave. It's also less frequently been my direct behaviour - an example being me going into a colleague's drawer to use their hand sanitiser & not realising that broke social etiquette and was upsetting to her, getting reprimanded by the boss & feeling ostracised   

I want to go back to work - and need the income of an average UK salary, but I'm very fearful of doing anything but low paid, simple jobs, like working in a cinema (I'm a big film fan :) )

My actual field of work for which I'm qualified is financial services, doing research & planning for financial advisers. Although I haven't worked at all now for 2 years after a huge melt down in my last job, which turned my life upside down.  

I therefore wondered what protection there was in employment law for those of us with Aspergers, what it provides & how to disclose having Aspergers to an employer & how that's gone for you guys. 

I feel now my social awkwardness can be explained, if I have legal protection from unfair treatment, I'd go back to a demanding job  

Thanks a lot :)

Parents
  • Former Member
    Former Member

    I was sent to see the company's doctor before I started as I had to fill in a pre-employment health form. The Dr then told my manager and he is being OK about it although he doesn't know anything about it and I don't know what all of the best things to do. We are muddling on and it's a bit hit and miss.

    I told all my colleagues at the previous employer and they were all very good - many of them knew something about it through relatives etc. I haven't told my current colleagues - I may do in due course, I'll see how it goes first.

    I haven't been a union member for many years. They didn't help much when I hit a problem years ago (nothing to do with the ASD) and I don't work in a unionised area at the moment. They ought to help but in practice it'll be pot luck about whether they help or hinder.

    It all depends on so many things so I would recommend not rushing into anything.

Reply
  • Former Member
    Former Member

    I was sent to see the company's doctor before I started as I had to fill in a pre-employment health form. The Dr then told my manager and he is being OK about it although he doesn't know anything about it and I don't know what all of the best things to do. We are muddling on and it's a bit hit and miss.

    I told all my colleagues at the previous employer and they were all very good - many of them knew something about it through relatives etc. I haven't told my current colleagues - I may do in due course, I'll see how it goes first.

    I haven't been a union member for many years. They didn't help much when I hit a problem years ago (nothing to do with the ASD) and I don't work in a unionised area at the moment. They ought to help but in practice it'll be pot luck about whether they help or hinder.

    It all depends on so many things so I would recommend not rushing into anything.

Children
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