Greetings

My experience in the workplace is as a high functioning autistic adult with co-existing co-ordination disorder, and kidney disease. My workplace were very accommodating about the kidney disease. Unfortunately I was not diagnosed with autism until I took early retirement at the age of 55. I worked as an Assistant Principal and taught English for thirty five years. Education is very accommodating for children with autism but it is different if you work in this system as an adult. Once retired I started teaching ESOL. I told a colleague about my diagnosis as I felt she would understand. It led her to treat me badly - although in her eyes she was supporting the disabled person who she said had a learning disability . I complained to management under the terms of the disability act of 2010 which cites our diagnosis as a protected condition. The CEO had a meeting between myself and the colleague which ended in me refusing to work with her because her idea of an apology was to say she was helping me.She basically lied about everything and I refused to have her working in my classroom. She was then given other duties to do and has not been allowed to work in my area since. At the same time I was asked by another employer - I work sessional hours for a number of organisations - to complete a health questionnaire given my disabilities. I refused on the basis that the more I tell people the more they use it against me - because they are in their eyes, trying to help. This act of enabling which is actually taking away any of our ability to act for ourselves is rife in educational employment and very disturbing. Luckily the management of the place who asked me to complete a health questionnaire further to other candidates who did not have autism or disabilities, have accepted my decision not to. I raise the issue of my health when it affects my work only now.Positive outcomes will only influence our work when other adults in the workplace start listening to what we need instead of making choices for us and thinking that everyone on the spectrum is exactly the same and that neurotypical adults know better than we do. It is both condescending and disgusting that anyone should suggest they know better than the person in question. One size does not fit all. The spectrum is vast and it is time that the workplaces we find ourselves in work with the people, not for what they believe autism is. Teachers are the worst culprits as many are good at accepting difference whilst many think they know what it means for us and take away our value of choice and progression by their lack of knowledge of being autistic and too much book knowledge. You would be amazed at how many people there are out there in management who think they know better than the person themselves and this is double trouble for anyone on the spectrum.

I always believe, when people think they know best and refuse to budge it is usually to cover up incompetence. On the lead up to the assessment the line manager of the colleague had talked about how they'd been through the process before with other colleagues and how stressful it is so they would need support which they withdrew at the last minute saying the workplace assessment would not be stressful. I'd had some time off work and when I came back my colleague had worked themselves up so much, it upsets me at times as I know I don't fully understand how I can help in those situations. I'd originally been due to attend for certain parts but after all this we decided it was best for myself to sit in all the time.

Inconsistent communication, contradictory procedures are rife where I work. As a supposedly disability confident employer I can't see how we meet the criteria, I've been trying to work out how they audit those that sign up to this but can't for the life of me find out how, I possibly need to dig a little deeper.

I'm going to push for neurodiversity awareness training for all line managers as it is something important to have knowledge of (aside from questionable representations in the media) because neurodiversity is, well, diverse. I believe the workplace assessment will suggest this but I'm worried my employers will fall down the trap of only training line managers where a colleague has declared a condition the falls under neurodiversity. 

I always believe, when people think they know best and refuse to budge it is usually to cover up incompetence. On the lead up to the assessment the line manager of the colleague had talked about how they'd been through the process before with other colleagues and how stressful it is so they would need support which they withdrew at the last minute saying the workplace assessment would not be stressful. I'd had some time off work and when I came back my colleague had worked themselves up so much, it upsets me at times as I know I don't fully understand how I can help in those situations. I'd originally been due to attend for certain parts but after all this we decided it was best for myself to sit in all the time.

Inconsistent communication, contradictory procedures are rife where I work. As a supposedly disability confident employer I can't see how we meet the criteria, I've been trying to work out how they audit those that sign up to this but can't for the life of me find out how, I possibly need to dig a little deeper.

I'm going to push for neurodiversity awareness training for all line managers as it is something important to have knowledge of (aside from questionable representations in the media) because neurodiversity is, well, diverse. I believe the workplace assessment will suggest this but I'm worried my employers will fall down the trap of only training line managers where a colleague has declared a condition the falls under neurodiversity. 

Ditto for me SLT.

My fixation has allowed me to start building my own traits/behaviours but know that nobody actually understands, listens to or involves the best person to understand what makes them tick - I know what I am good at, what I am poor at so I know myself best.

Get to know/find all company policies/procedures as well because, in my experience, nobody really knows about them (from top to bottom), some good sites have been identified wrt Unison/Unite, ACAS and Equality Act 2010.  

It may be worth engaging with say NAS/etc to have some awareness sessions and/or get people to go on MHFA training (England, Wales, etc). Please be aware that these sessions may be basic too and may not give such an in depth knowledge of each mental health condition traits/behaviours.

Also look at the thread https://community.autism.org.uk/f/miscellaneous-and-chat/15074/positive-ways-your-autism-affects-you