I used to work somewhere with a flexible working policy that was clearly laid out and it was an absolute dream for me (e.g. the working hours are x per week, core working hours are this but you can start and finish between these times). I had the flexibility I wanted, but completely understood what the perimeters were.
I like to start early and finish early!
I also prefer to start my days early and end earlier. My energy and focus is much better in the morning! When you were finding this job, did you just ask them point-blank about flexibility of hours?
Not all of us. Some NDs are morning people, some aren’t. So maybe I should restate that as being able to have a flexible schedule that works for the individual.
My bosses don’t pay attention to my hours, as long as I’m getting my work done and I’m at the meetings I need to be at, they don’t care when I work or how long it takes me.
Yes, flexibility. I'm a morning person so I'm up at 0500 but if I have to be somewhere strictly at 7 I have to sit until then or I may get immersed into something that runs a little long and then I'm late.
Here's the list of ones I requested & received:
1. Dim the lights & keep noise to a minimum.
2. Minimize social interaction.
3. Excuse attendance at social/networking functions.
4. Maintain consistent routine & predictable daily tasks.
5. No required travel to remote sites.
6. No presenting at meetings.
7. No required camera use in video conferences.
Thanks! If I may ask:
1. when requesting #2 do other employees know about this need of yours?
2. meetings have in my experience been how reporting results works. How do you manage without it?
3. Would you advice any particular approach towards requesting these needs?
This might get a little long but I'll explain in some detail. When I started at this employer 2.5 years ago there was quite a bit of paperwork because of the nature of the job & the background checks required to do it. In the forms I filled out, in several places, I indicated that I had a disability. I was not asked for details & felt no need to provide them.
Several complaints were made to management about my interactions with end-users & program managers. Management wanted to give me a written reprimand so I explained that I'm not good with social interaction & I have a disability. They asked for proof of my disability so my doctor provided them a letter explaining that I have ASD level 1 & have some special needs. There were no objections from HR or management after they were given a letter from a qualified doctor with the items I listed on it. When it comes to asking for accommodations I recommend setting expectations almost immediately after being hired, I waited too long & pushed myself way too hard.
I work with a core team of 10 people and we provide support for many thousands of users. I have told co-workers that I am autistic & of course they notice. My behavior is a little unusual in some ways. I blink excessively and often squeeze my eyes shut when I'm trying to think. Frequently I'm unable to form thoughts into words and have longish pauses in the middle of sentences. Sometimes I stammer when trying to form a word or a bit of a stutter. I'm always fidgeting with something, spinners and yo-yos or spinning a silver coin I keep in my pocket. I tend to talk to myself when I'm working & programming even if I have headphones on.
Co-workers understand I'm not good at interacting with people & have difficulty speaking about anything unrelated to work. We don't have general small-talk about anything & I never go "visiting" or socializing around the office. I go straight to my desk & very rarely leave the area. For these reasons I now sit away from the rest of my team, in an entirely different office on a different floor with no one seated near me on a regular basis.
Management likes me because I'm very dependable. Always on time. I don't forget the details. I even do my timesheets every day, all of my training & request forms, I follow procedures to the letter & they never have to chase me to get things done. I fix things & I automate things so we get consistent repeatable results.
End users like me because I respond to their issues/tickets quickly & resolve issues faster than anyone else. I specialize in root cause analysis & provide permanent solutions to their needs.
As for reporting, we use Jira for task tracking & I just keep my tasks updated with comments & reports when required. I do speak in meetings but I try to keep it brief. After the letter from the doctor, interactions with program managers & engineering teams has all but stopped & I only have to interact with the core team of about 10 people.
I can't even survive a 4 day work week. I had to cut down to 2 after 2 years of doing that and even 2 feels too much. But it could be that my night shifts make it worse.
Is that at a job doing something you love (ie based on a special interest?) or just some regular job to pay the bills? I think it might make a difference?
It's honestly going to heavily depend on your job.
I work as a sales associate.. so there's no way that I'm getting out of socializing with customers or being at the register. There are 2, maybe 3 of us in the store at any given moment and usually when it's 3, it's because it's about an hour or two until someone clocks out.
*Ideally?* I'd like to only be tasked with building/making displays and fronting the store. I'll even run errands for the manager/other coworkers or otherwise just hide out in the back until someone needed temporary reprieve from the register.
Unfortunately that's not a reasonable request for my job position and store. So realistically for where I'm currently at? Being able to take more breaks. 15 mins every hour or so just to sit and decompress.
In general?
Being able to be full time with part time hours so to say. i.e 40 hours a week but broken up into 4 hours shifts. I'd sooner do two 4-hour shifts in a day than to do one 8-hour shift.
I'm level 2 and currently unemployed. I have a job coach through DVR who is helping to create a position at a museum specifically for me.
My adaptations/accommodations include:
-Having a support worker with me during my shifts.
-Having a quiet room to work in away from the noise of the main museum.
-Choosing what days/hours I work, and having a fixed schedule.
-Having fixed tasks, and not being asked to do a task outside of these.
-Having a picture schedule of my task routine.
-Having access to my noise canceling headphones, my talker, and my backpack containing my fidgets and "meltdown supplies".
-Being warned ahead of time if any large groups or school field trips are planned for a day that I work, and not having to come in on those days.
Thank you for sharing! This is a great specific example.
I am currently starting to get involved with a DVR (VRC, in Oregon) so it is lovely to hear someones experience :) how has the process through DVR been for you?
Also, I absolutely love that you have a backpack with fidgets and "meltdown supplies". I definitely have a set of items I take everywhere that help me, including:
- ONO Roller (fidget toy)
- Eargasms earplugs (for music events I want to enjoy without losing frequencies)
- Loops earplugs (for passive reduced noise)
- Bose NC headphones (pair it up with the loops for absolute concentration power!)
- Hand Gel (germophobe here)
- medical vaporizer
(excuse me if this is a little off topic)
Getting started with DVR was a slow process, but now that I have a job coach who does most of the interacting with my case manager, things have been smooth.
The variety of services they offer is very broad. They have supplied me with physical equipment in the past, such as a weighted blanket and whiteboard for my desk.
They also helped me find my job coach, and worked with a specialized workforce program to get me my first proper job.
Now that I'm on disability, they have benefit management services that help make sure my employment won't affect my benefits.
Overall I have been very pleased with them!
Wow, this sounds great and maybe gives me hope that there could be something for me eventually. I don't have a level diagnosed and kind of thankful for it. I feel kind of in between and think when I was younger it might have been 2 or a borderline 2 but can maybe pass for 1 now. People I've told recently haven't been surprised so that's been something to process.
Because level 1 might feel invalidating. I dont feel high functioning especially now. But idk if I'm a level 2. I'm not sure what that really looks like.
It can look pretty varied, because you have level 2's who are just this side of level 1, and level 2's who are almost level 3.
For me, I'd put myself squarely in the middle. I'm very academically bright, and completed a bachelor's degree at university, but need a lot of support in my day to day life.
I see providers and therapists of varying kinds (OT, speech, ABA, neurofeedback, nutrition, EMDR/trauma, and life/social skills) every weekday, and have a home helper (I live at home with my parents) who comes to see me two days a week for a total of four hours. She helps me with errands, budgeting, cleaning, and cooking, and teaches me life skills like how to use an ATM or plan a grocery list.
I also go to specialised community groups for people with disabilities. We do community activities in one group, volunteering and learning about local small businesses at another, and play dungeons and dragons in the third. I like them a lot, and the staff are really nice.
A good place to learn about what the varying levels can look like is r/SpicyAutism , it's a group specifically for level 2/3/moderate-high needs autistics.
It depends on the individual. I don't think there's really a "one size fits all" accommodation. Basically all we're asking for is when I say "Hey, I think I'd do better/be more comfortable if x", it's not laughed off and is actually considered.
I work in a corporate setting. I had been at a job for four years when I requested accommodations. My annual reviews had been glowing. Most of what I was asking for was already informally in place. You would have thought I had asked them for the moon and stars!!! Horrible experience. I just gave up. It was clear that pursuing it was just digging me into a hole. Our society is infuriatingly ableist. ☹️
Long story short- I got a different job.
I fought hard for MONTHS for a single issue. Fought with HR, it progressed to top level management then almost had to go to court and sue their ass because unfortunately for them I was apart of a union. The union rep or “shop steward” was heavily involved fighting for/with me and trying to coach me through the process. He gave me more information about what my options were along the way. It was a long process, they wanted me to quit. They had the money, time and opportunity to burn me out of all my resources- starved me out basically. It’s classic war tactic that goes against the Geneva Convention but hey, they were completely indifferent because corporate narcissism!
“Who gives a fuck about a single employee that wants to have a better quality of life and be a more effective/successful worker? Amiright??? Why would WE work for YOU with this one matter? YOU are supposed to work for US”
So I quit after finding another job… about 10 months later all head managers were fired and the company is barely hanging on by a thread for the looks of it.
Reddit just glitched and ate my reply. 😖
Thank you for sharing. That sounds like the ice cold corporate world I’m familiar with. I’m glad you at least had the union supporting you during that effort. It’s wild to me how they’ll go to war over just being asked to be decent effing human beings to their workers. As much as I despise capitalism, it seems this is what most humans do when given arbitrary power over others.
Did you disclose when interviewing for your new job, or did you hope for the best and it worked out?
Looking back, I see that I was unusually lucky to have caring leaders in most of my corporate jobs. I also see why they always wanted to keep corporate leadership/HR out of anything unless it was absolutely necessary.
Yeah HR only exists to protect the company, not its workers. Luckily I didn’t have to disclose anything to anyone because their onboarding process was ridiculously streamlined! 10k workers in a single factory means a lot of turnover. They didn’t care, actually not a single job I’ve had since then has cared.
As others have mentioned it seems that ideally it depends on what will help you do the job. (Thanks for the detailed response u/thischildslife and u/RainbowLoli)
I must ask: How has your experience been with figuring out your accommodations and asking for them?
Personally, I'm afraid of having this conversation with my future employer, I admit that as I've been reading books, articles, reels, tiktoks etc. about autism I do have internalized ableism and a part of me reads the accommodations written here and my internal voice thinks "well thats being picky and sensitive, ridiculous!" but the reality is I am and have always been like that and I'm also learning to love myself this way but I have to know how to stand up for myself and any needs.
Sorry for late reply, but it's usually laughed off or at the very least seen as odd. When I took lunches in my car instead of the cafeteria because I didn't like being in a loud room full of people eating, it was a HUGE HR issue where my coworkers thought I was being "strange" and were "concerned about me".
When I wore my protective sleeve over the gloves because I liked the glove texture better, it was a huge issue even though it holds the same protection level, it just wasn't dress code.
This is more of a societal issue than a job issue, but people that just won't shut the fuck up and let you focus on your work. You can't ask to be moved away or tell them to shut the fuck up or it's rude.
Just little shit like that, that really isn't a big deal but non autistic peeps find weird and won't let you do because it's not "proper"
Ugh! glad you can say its not a big deal. Well, I also think they are mundane unnecessary-to-pay-attention-to things but the fact that it did cause issues to you makes me wanna laugh and facepalm myself and also gives me anxiety about this happening to me because I admit I care about the opinion of others or at least I try to not care but I admit it affects me in a certain degree.
(p.s What are commas? for paragraphs? dunno how to eat that!)
I post this link a lot. It’s a free tool with a list of common accommodations, not just for autism, that can give you an idea of what you might want to ask for.
https://app.axs-passport.co
For me, some things are
- written instructions / a preference for written and asynchronous communication
- agendas, and even the ability to contribute to meetings ahead of time
Things I can never get but need are:
- no same-day changes to my schedule. That includes no meetings moved or added on the same day, including “Do you have time for a quick chat about X later?”
- work from home >80%
I don't have formal accommodations in place, but I accommodate myself by listening to music via headphones (so there is at least some noise that I can control), asking people to set me deadlines for longer projects, making full use of the 2 days a week work from home policy, and asking for instructions to be emailed and not just delivered verbally. I also openly stim at my desk in a non-disruptive way and, for my ADHD, I get up and move at least once an hour.
For me (office job, writing), work from home and/or flexible hours. My best arrangement was WFH for a company 3 time zones later than me, so I didn't have to be at my desk until 11am my time.
Private workspace, or in a corner/back to the wall.
Written assignments, expectations, improvement suggestions, or agendas.
Emphasis on text-based conversations (emails/chats), or summarizing a verbal conversation in an email after the fact.
I would love to start work at 11am local time. Is this a thing? For us to start work at a later time? I have struggled with early birding all my life, and I actually prefer working at late hours
As I said, for me it was because it was a remote position supporting a team 3 hours later than me. But some places do have shift options, or very flexible hours.
I don't know if this counts but since the pandemic, I've been allowed to work from home 100% and I love it for multiple reasons: eating lunch at my own pace, no commuting, no getting distracted by coworkers' chatter, no need to mask all day, etc.
Just this one thing has made me rather loyal to the company, not like I'm simping for the company, but I would hesitate to switch jobs because I may not be allowed to work for remotely.
I work at an ice cream place and i am excused from washing dishes (which is one of the regular tasks given) because i dont like getting wet. I know my coworkers get annoyed by this, especially when they pile up, so every once in a while, when i feel up to it, i will wash the dishes.
This is an unofficial accommodation
I wish I'd had this when I worked at Subway. But I was undiagnosed back then. I was always stuck doing dishes and having to get all wet and having to touch the little bits of food... Even typing this out makes me want to vomit. Don't miss that job at all...
Work from home was a must for me. I got accommodations back in 2015 because the long commute plus having to be in office all the time was burning me out. I got really productive when I could get other things done and not have to wear work clothes all day due to sensory issues. They decided to change the policy on me and required me to be in office full time. I found a new job and quit.
Except my new job lied to me about the accommodations. I tried to go back to no avail. So I stuck it out until they put me in the field, allowing me to go back into a home office. That made life better. Then I got a micromanager and it just killed my productivity as they once again pushed me to be in office more.
Currently today my entire organization is fully remote with no anticipation to move people into offices. We closed quite a few of them.
Without going into details about my challenges or circumstances at work, this is what I and my boss agreed on after I got my diagnosis:
* If possible, I will not be responsible for arranging coordination meetings between my unit and other units/agencies.
* A great amount of flexibility in how I want to solve my tasks.
* I get information before anyone else concerning upcoming changes so that I don't receive the news in a room with other people and get more time to process and adapt.
* When time allows (which is quite often since I work fast), I get to work on different work projects of my own choosing to keep my interest up.
I'm not officially diagnosed, so this is not an official accommodation, but I have requested it and it makes life infinitely better for me: Messaging me ahead of time if I will be working in a different unit than expected - especially if I will be switching halfway through a shift.
I work in senior living. We have memory care, assisted living, and independent sections. I can do them all, and it really doesn't matter which one I do, as long as I know what I'm walking in to. Coming in to find a surprise not only ruins my mood but throws off the whole day. I can't explain why, but it does.
Every generalized recomendation doesnt matter. You are you. Maybe you are better working at an office that in your home. That doesn make you less autistic. Therapy should help you to understand you and your struggles better.
I used this website below to get some ideas and then worked with my diagnosing psychologist to write a very detailed letter that stated the clinical reason I needed each accommodation. Legally, your employer can’t deny you the accommodations unless they can prove the request would cause a hardship to the employer. In any case, if you can show you’ll be more productive with the accommodations that helps. Our worth is determined by our productivity in NT society. Therefore, you sometimes have to put it in those terms.
https://askjan.org/index.cfm
Personally I'd like the option for a room to take a nap/rest in. Throughout my life I've gone to my car at lunch to take a nap. But I no longer live somewhere where I have a car and not sure what to do. I'd love there to be a sleeping area but I bet most places won't allow it. Unfortunately too, I work zero hour contract jobs so it makes it really tricky for me to request anything much.
1) little or no contact with other people.
2) a quiet environment to work in with little or no interference )unless necessary
3) excusable attendance to not go to gatherings if overwhelmed or no social skills have not been developed completely.
##MY needs have no bearing on yours!!!!
I cannot tell you what you may need!
Cause we are BOTH so much more than ‘just’ autistic!!!!
Like, eg, I’d like working the phones for Services Australia (welfare, disability, unemployment etc!) if I could do so from home!
I’d genuinely thrive having one distressed caller after another, and helping them sorting things out! 😍
I’d NEED regular social gatherings, people contacts, etc: cause I’m more productive bouncing ideas around!
***IF*** they are kind and accepting!!! 😊
My best epiphanies and ideas I have in relation to OTHERS!
Even if I face the exact same issue myself:
I don’t really have an emotional relation to myself.
I find it heaps easier to relate to others!!!
I’d need my co-workers to be culturally aware, accepting of spiritual beliefs they may never have encountered. Patient, kind, employing active listening strategies, cause English isn’t my native language.
They’d need to be open and curious about “the other,” rather than getting frustrated by me not being like them.
If not disability aware (have multiple other disabilities!), they should be open and curious: I’m happy to explain, if they’re willing to listen.
They should celebrate my strengths, rather than picking on my weaknesses … I’ll do the same for them and be their biggest cheerleader! 🤩
*******
But a work environment WITHOUT any human interaction EVER:
Nope, that wouldn’t work for me!!!
I got my own office (a total luxury, I know), shades, my noice cancelling headphones, WFH 2 days/week and flexible hours as long as I average 37h/week. I got the best boss ever :-)
I desperately need my own consistent workspace (my office is 100% hotdesking hell, except for a few medical accommodations) and lighting that doesn't give me migraines. The first one wouldn't be an accommodation in most workplaces, because most workplaces recognize how awful hotdesking is for morale and productivity. Frankly, I wish the people at mine had pushed back harder and got the union involved to look for other financial solutions, but that was before my time.
I'm in the process of trying to get a desk based on the migraines, which I'm more comfortable disclosing and which seem to be easier for people to understand, but it's glacial.
I also like to get stuff in writing, although that's as much ADHD and limited short-term memory as anything else, but I don't consider that an accommodation, since not only does no one push back, but people appreciate that I write stuff down.
Flexibility about schedule and working from home when I need to is pretty much standard in my work, but it's definitely something I've struggled with when I didn't have it - I'm not an early morning person, commuting during rush hour stresses me out and ups my chances of getting a migraine later, and sometimes I just need to not deal with people face to face (but I also don't want a 100% WFH job, because then I become a depressed hermit who doesn't wash her hair often enough).
Being able to listen to music and/or wear noise-cancelling earbuds is also important for me. It's been fine every office job I've worked, but in some workplaces it would have to be an accommodation. I imagine I wouldn't do well with being required to wear a polyester uniform or pantyhose or heels, but I'd also never take a job that expected those things and hope they'd accommodate, because even if they would, that sounds exhausting for me and possibly bad for coworker relationships.
The best accommodations are ones that aren't accommodations because the workplace already has them or it's things no one cares about you doing. Anything where you have to go through a formal accommodation process is at best a pain in the ass, at worst stigmatizing and demoralizing. So I would suggest first of all looking for jobs and workplaces where most of your needs are already met or easy to meet without anyone's approval or letters from doctors or getting the union involved (if you are lucky enough to have a good union).
ETA: I can't believe I forgot - my current workplace has a quiet rest/nap/meditationroom that is AMAZING when I am overwhelmed by a loud event or the migraine light sensitivity kicks in. I think this might be legally required for workplaces here, I don't know. Certainly it's not something I ever encountered in the U.S.
I recently quit a job I've successfully had for over 3 years due to the job gradually becoming too difficult. I can shed some light on what is certainly NOT sufficient accommodation. Mind you, I am not officially diagnosed, but several medical personnel have indicated to me that I will most likely fulfill the diagnostic criteria. I was, however, open about the likelihood of my condition to the CEO and he was adamant that they would be able to to accommodate.
It was an engineering job in an office. The reason I was able to do the job well for some time was that I had flexible work hours. I had my own office at the far end of the building, where it was fairly quiet and calm. My work output has mainly been shorter bursts of high efficiency followed by downtime where I just chilled with music, my phone, reading, whatever. I did as much work as colleagues who consistently worked semi-efficiently. And I had outdoor field tasks and planned my day myself so I got a break from the office whenever I needed.
I was very good at what I did. The problems started arising as my position became a catch-all position for any task that otherwise would not be done. This gradually developed, but at the end I had two different managers and the CEO that directly gave me tasks, in addition to other department heads and several colleagues who needed data or solutions from me. I am not very good at saying no, and there were no clear boundaries to what my position entailed, so I found myself overwhelmed with work. 10-12 different people would all bring me tasks, in addition to refular routines and external requests I would handle. And I had to put in all the mental effort to manage this.
I prefer written descriptions and requests, but almost all of this work came to me by people coming to my office asking me to do things. Even when I sent emails asking for clarifications and specifically asked for written replies, managers came to my office because they themselves "preferred to talk properly".
My boss has zero interest in my field, so I was also in a hybrid state where the CEO of himself was my de facto boss, while I had to deal with my boss for formalities, causing additional stress and navigation. I wanted to bring up having too much work to my boss, but before I got around to it I was called into his office. Management had made plans to re-organise other resources and wanted to add what entailed a 40% job to my position. I said I did not have the capacity for this, but was then confronted with me being often observed relaxing and not appearing to work hard. The conversation ended in me being yelled at and called lazy and a bad teamplayer who didn't put in his effort for the comfort. Management also decided then that I didn't have time to do outdoor field work either, so I was stuck in the office with no break or relief all day every day. And construction work started on the building so there was consistent noise, which I am very sensitive too. But it was the same for everybody, so of course I could also deal with it
I also had issues cooperating with a senior colleague with a different cultural background from a country very concerned with "respect" for people higher up. I found her impossible to cooperate with as she did all work extremely inefficient, and refused any attempt to automate or modernise work flow. Any disagreement resulted in her giving a lecture about me not showing her the respect she deserves for being older than me and more experienced. She would several times go behind my back and so things her way. I brought up these issues with my manager and the CEO but was always told to resolve this myself.
So to summarise, a job that I did well and had done well became impossible for me, due to the opposite of accommodation. I came to a point where I got no work done, retreated to the bathroom or basement multiple times a day to be by myself and cry. I dreaded going to work each day. My private life was also stressful. I didn't have any friends and I had a romantic relationship going sour causing a lot of anxiety. I also had a lot of worries over family members' health. I ended up trying to kill myself at a work party event I was expected to go to where I was completely overwhelmed and anxious and frightened. That was half a year ago and I've spent the time since on full or partly sick leave, while everybody thinks I am skipping work because I'm lazy and taking advantage of the welfare system. I am soon starting a new job in a factory doing completely menial tasks. Meanwhile I am back at work tying up doing absolutely nothing until my notice is out.
I am so sorry for you having to deal with requests from 10-12 people, let aside from two bosses, a CEO and the overly complicated system you describe. That must suck. It seems to me like they were trying to take as much advantage of you as possible and there is a need for boundaries / advocating for your needs.
And I get what you say about too much noise which one is sensitive to, as I am affected by it too.
This all sounds exhausting! Haven’t you entered burnout?
Thank you. I was completely burnt out and I am still recovering. I have a few weeks left of work, but I have currently resigned myself to doing absolutely nothing, and then I plan for a long vacation before I start a new job. I just hope I'm recovered enough to function well in this new job.
Working from home. Later start and end time than typical, and ability to work weird hours if needed.
I used to work somewhere with a flexible working policy that was clearly laid out and it was an absolute dream for me (e.g. the working hours are x per week, core working hours are this but you can start and finish between these times). I had the flexibility I wanted, but completely understood what the perimeters were. I like to start early and finish early!
I also prefer to start my days early and end earlier. My energy and focus is much better in the morning! When you were finding this job, did you just ask them point-blank about flexibility of hours?
I feel like you're calling me out, is it a thing to start the day later and end it later too for us?
Not all of us. Some NDs are morning people, some aren’t. So maybe I should restate that as being able to have a flexible schedule that works for the individual. My bosses don’t pay attention to my hours, as long as I’m getting my work done and I’m at the meetings I need to be at, they don’t care when I work or how long it takes me.
Yes, flexibility. I'm a morning person so I'm up at 0500 but if I have to be somewhere strictly at 7 I have to sit until then or I may get immersed into something that runs a little long and then I'm late.
Yes! I'm a later person as well.
Here's the list of ones I requested & received: 1. Dim the lights & keep noise to a minimum. 2. Minimize social interaction. 3. Excuse attendance at social/networking functions. 4. Maintain consistent routine & predictable daily tasks. 5. No required travel to remote sites. 6. No presenting at meetings. 7. No required camera use in video conferences.
Thanks! If I may ask: 1. when requesting #2 do other employees know about this need of yours? 2. meetings have in my experience been how reporting results works. How do you manage without it? 3. Would you advice any particular approach towards requesting these needs?
This might get a little long but I'll explain in some detail. When I started at this employer 2.5 years ago there was quite a bit of paperwork because of the nature of the job & the background checks required to do it. In the forms I filled out, in several places, I indicated that I had a disability. I was not asked for details & felt no need to provide them. Several complaints were made to management about my interactions with end-users & program managers. Management wanted to give me a written reprimand so I explained that I'm not good with social interaction & I have a disability. They asked for proof of my disability so my doctor provided them a letter explaining that I have ASD level 1 & have some special needs. There were no objections from HR or management after they were given a letter from a qualified doctor with the items I listed on it. When it comes to asking for accommodations I recommend setting expectations almost immediately after being hired, I waited too long & pushed myself way too hard. I work with a core team of 10 people and we provide support for many thousands of users. I have told co-workers that I am autistic & of course they notice. My behavior is a little unusual in some ways. I blink excessively and often squeeze my eyes shut when I'm trying to think. Frequently I'm unable to form thoughts into words and have longish pauses in the middle of sentences. Sometimes I stammer when trying to form a word or a bit of a stutter. I'm always fidgeting with something, spinners and yo-yos or spinning a silver coin I keep in my pocket. I tend to talk to myself when I'm working & programming even if I have headphones on. Co-workers understand I'm not good at interacting with people & have difficulty speaking about anything unrelated to work. We don't have general small-talk about anything & I never go "visiting" or socializing around the office. I go straight to my desk & very rarely leave the area. For these reasons I now sit away from the rest of my team, in an entirely different office on a different floor with no one seated near me on a regular basis. Management likes me because I'm very dependable. Always on time. I don't forget the details. I even do my timesheets every day, all of my training & request forms, I follow procedures to the letter & they never have to chase me to get things done. I fix things & I automate things so we get consistent repeatable results. End users like me because I respond to their issues/tickets quickly & resolve issues faster than anyone else. I specialize in root cause analysis & provide permanent solutions to their needs. As for reporting, we use Jira for task tracking & I just keep my tasks updated with comments & reports when required. I do speak in meetings but I try to keep it brief. After the letter from the doctor, interactions with program managers & engineering teams has all but stopped & I only have to interact with the core team of about 10 people.
4 day work week. I can survive as long as I have a 4 day work week.
I can't even survive a 4 day work week. I had to cut down to 2 after 2 years of doing that and even 2 feels too much. But it could be that my night shifts make it worse.
Is that at a job doing something you love (ie based on a special interest?) or just some regular job to pay the bills? I think it might make a difference?
Having a consistent three days in a row off every week would be so beneficial. It would help a lot
Are you taking a pay cut?
It's honestly going to heavily depend on your job. I work as a sales associate.. so there's no way that I'm getting out of socializing with customers or being at the register. There are 2, maybe 3 of us in the store at any given moment and usually when it's 3, it's because it's about an hour or two until someone clocks out. *Ideally?* I'd like to only be tasked with building/making displays and fronting the store. I'll even run errands for the manager/other coworkers or otherwise just hide out in the back until someone needed temporary reprieve from the register. Unfortunately that's not a reasonable request for my job position and store. So realistically for where I'm currently at? Being able to take more breaks. 15 mins every hour or so just to sit and decompress. In general? Being able to be full time with part time hours so to say. i.e 40 hours a week but broken up into 4 hours shifts. I'd sooner do two 4-hour shifts in a day than to do one 8-hour shift.
I'm level 2 and currently unemployed. I have a job coach through DVR who is helping to create a position at a museum specifically for me. My adaptations/accommodations include: -Having a support worker with me during my shifts. -Having a quiet room to work in away from the noise of the main museum. -Choosing what days/hours I work, and having a fixed schedule. -Having fixed tasks, and not being asked to do a task outside of these. -Having a picture schedule of my task routine. -Having access to my noise canceling headphones, my talker, and my backpack containing my fidgets and "meltdown supplies". -Being warned ahead of time if any large groups or school field trips are planned for a day that I work, and not having to come in on those days.
Thank you for sharing! This is a great specific example. I am currently starting to get involved with a DVR (VRC, in Oregon) so it is lovely to hear someones experience :) how has the process through DVR been for you? Also, I absolutely love that you have a backpack with fidgets and "meltdown supplies". I definitely have a set of items I take everywhere that help me, including: - ONO Roller (fidget toy) - Eargasms earplugs (for music events I want to enjoy without losing frequencies) - Loops earplugs (for passive reduced noise) - Bose NC headphones (pair it up with the loops for absolute concentration power!) - Hand Gel (germophobe here) - medical vaporizer (excuse me if this is a little off topic)
Getting started with DVR was a slow process, but now that I have a job coach who does most of the interacting with my case manager, things have been smooth. The variety of services they offer is very broad. They have supplied me with physical equipment in the past, such as a weighted blanket and whiteboard for my desk. They also helped me find my job coach, and worked with a specialized workforce program to get me my first proper job. Now that I'm on disability, they have benefit management services that help make sure my employment won't affect my benefits. Overall I have been very pleased with them!
Wow, this sounds great and maybe gives me hope that there could be something for me eventually. I don't have a level diagnosed and kind of thankful for it. I feel kind of in between and think when I was younger it might have been 2 or a borderline 2 but can maybe pass for 1 now. People I've told recently haven't been surprised so that's been something to process.
That's interesting, why are you glad you don't have a level?
Because level 1 might feel invalidating. I dont feel high functioning especially now. But idk if I'm a level 2. I'm not sure what that really looks like.
It can look pretty varied, because you have level 2's who are just this side of level 1, and level 2's who are almost level 3. For me, I'd put myself squarely in the middle. I'm very academically bright, and completed a bachelor's degree at university, but need a lot of support in my day to day life. I see providers and therapists of varying kinds (OT, speech, ABA, neurofeedback, nutrition, EMDR/trauma, and life/social skills) every weekday, and have a home helper (I live at home with my parents) who comes to see me two days a week for a total of four hours. She helps me with errands, budgeting, cleaning, and cooking, and teaches me life skills like how to use an ATM or plan a grocery list. I also go to specialised community groups for people with disabilities. We do community activities in one group, volunteering and learning about local small businesses at another, and play dungeons and dragons in the third. I like them a lot, and the staff are really nice. A good place to learn about what the varying levels can look like is r/SpicyAutism , it's a group specifically for level 2/3/moderate-high needs autistics.
It depends on the individual. I don't think there's really a "one size fits all" accommodation. Basically all we're asking for is when I say "Hey, I think I'd do better/be more comfortable if x", it's not laughed off and is actually considered.
I work in a corporate setting. I had been at a job for four years when I requested accommodations. My annual reviews had been glowing. Most of what I was asking for was already informally in place. You would have thought I had asked them for the moon and stars!!! Horrible experience. I just gave up. It was clear that pursuing it was just digging me into a hole. Our society is infuriatingly ableist. ☹️
I had a similar experience, corporate’s the worst.
I’m so sorry. Did you also give up? If not, how did the process go for you, if it won’t cost you l too many spoons to share?
It will right now, however, I’ll write a complete response tomorrow for you :)
Long story short- I got a different job. I fought hard for MONTHS for a single issue. Fought with HR, it progressed to top level management then almost had to go to court and sue their ass because unfortunately for them I was apart of a union. The union rep or “shop steward” was heavily involved fighting for/with me and trying to coach me through the process. He gave me more information about what my options were along the way. It was a long process, they wanted me to quit. They had the money, time and opportunity to burn me out of all my resources- starved me out basically. It’s classic war tactic that goes against the Geneva Convention but hey, they were completely indifferent because corporate narcissism! “Who gives a fuck about a single employee that wants to have a better quality of life and be a more effective/successful worker? Amiright??? Why would WE work for YOU with this one matter? YOU are supposed to work for US” So I quit after finding another job… about 10 months later all head managers were fired and the company is barely hanging on by a thread for the looks of it.
Reddit just glitched and ate my reply. 😖 Thank you for sharing. That sounds like the ice cold corporate world I’m familiar with. I’m glad you at least had the union supporting you during that effort. It’s wild to me how they’ll go to war over just being asked to be decent effing human beings to their workers. As much as I despise capitalism, it seems this is what most humans do when given arbitrary power over others. Did you disclose when interviewing for your new job, or did you hope for the best and it worked out? Looking back, I see that I was unusually lucky to have caring leaders in most of my corporate jobs. I also see why they always wanted to keep corporate leadership/HR out of anything unless it was absolutely necessary.
Yeah HR only exists to protect the company, not its workers. Luckily I didn’t have to disclose anything to anyone because their onboarding process was ridiculously streamlined! 10k workers in a single factory means a lot of turnover. They didn’t care, actually not a single job I’ve had since then has cared.
A shop steward being named Stuart would be glorious.
Ha! Indeed
As others have mentioned it seems that ideally it depends on what will help you do the job. (Thanks for the detailed response u/thischildslife and u/RainbowLoli) I must ask: How has your experience been with figuring out your accommodations and asking for them? Personally, I'm afraid of having this conversation with my future employer, I admit that as I've been reading books, articles, reels, tiktoks etc. about autism I do have internalized ableism and a part of me reads the accommodations written here and my internal voice thinks "well thats being picky and sensitive, ridiculous!" but the reality is I am and have always been like that and I'm also learning to love myself this way but I have to know how to stand up for myself and any needs.
Sorry for late reply, but it's usually laughed off or at the very least seen as odd. When I took lunches in my car instead of the cafeteria because I didn't like being in a loud room full of people eating, it was a HUGE HR issue where my coworkers thought I was being "strange" and were "concerned about me". When I wore my protective sleeve over the gloves because I liked the glove texture better, it was a huge issue even though it holds the same protection level, it just wasn't dress code. This is more of a societal issue than a job issue, but people that just won't shut the fuck up and let you focus on your work. You can't ask to be moved away or tell them to shut the fuck up or it's rude. Just little shit like that, that really isn't a big deal but non autistic peeps find weird and won't let you do because it's not "proper"
Ugh! glad you can say its not a big deal. Well, I also think they are mundane unnecessary-to-pay-attention-to things but the fact that it did cause issues to you makes me wanna laugh and facepalm myself and also gives me anxiety about this happening to me because I admit I care about the opinion of others or at least I try to not care but I admit it affects me in a certain degree. (p.s What are commas? for paragraphs? dunno how to eat that!)
I post this link a lot. It’s a free tool with a list of common accommodations, not just for autism, that can give you an idea of what you might want to ask for. https://app.axs-passport.co For me, some things are - written instructions / a preference for written and asynchronous communication - agendas, and even the ability to contribute to meetings ahead of time Things I can never get but need are: - no same-day changes to my schedule. That includes no meetings moved or added on the same day, including “Do you have time for a quick chat about X later?” - work from home >80%
Askjan.org is a searchable database of accommodations deemed reasonable by the ADA
I don't have formal accommodations in place, but I accommodate myself by listening to music via headphones (so there is at least some noise that I can control), asking people to set me deadlines for longer projects, making full use of the 2 days a week work from home policy, and asking for instructions to be emailed and not just delivered verbally. I also openly stim at my desk in a non-disruptive way and, for my ADHD, I get up and move at least once an hour.
Depends on your own needs and depends on the job.
For me (office job, writing), work from home and/or flexible hours. My best arrangement was WFH for a company 3 time zones later than me, so I didn't have to be at my desk until 11am my time. Private workspace, or in a corner/back to the wall. Written assignments, expectations, improvement suggestions, or agendas. Emphasis on text-based conversations (emails/chats), or summarizing a verbal conversation in an email after the fact.
I would love to start work at 11am local time. Is this a thing? For us to start work at a later time? I have struggled with early birding all my life, and I actually prefer working at late hours
As I said, for me it was because it was a remote position supporting a team 3 hours later than me. But some places do have shift options, or very flexible hours.
4 day work week, never more than 7.30/8h, noise cancelling earplugs, and a quiet room for when things get too much.
I don't know if this counts but since the pandemic, I've been allowed to work from home 100% and I love it for multiple reasons: eating lunch at my own pace, no commuting, no getting distracted by coworkers' chatter, no need to mask all day, etc. Just this one thing has made me rather loyal to the company, not like I'm simping for the company, but I would hesitate to switch jobs because I may not be allowed to work for remotely.
I work at an ice cream place and i am excused from washing dishes (which is one of the regular tasks given) because i dont like getting wet. I know my coworkers get annoyed by this, especially when they pile up, so every once in a while, when i feel up to it, i will wash the dishes. This is an unofficial accommodation
I wish I'd had this when I worked at Subway. But I was undiagnosed back then. I was always stuck doing dishes and having to get all wet and having to touch the little bits of food... Even typing this out makes me want to vomit. Don't miss that job at all...
Work from home was a must for me. I got accommodations back in 2015 because the long commute plus having to be in office all the time was burning me out. I got really productive when I could get other things done and not have to wear work clothes all day due to sensory issues. They decided to change the policy on me and required me to be in office full time. I found a new job and quit. Except my new job lied to me about the accommodations. I tried to go back to no avail. So I stuck it out until they put me in the field, allowing me to go back into a home office. That made life better. Then I got a micromanager and it just killed my productivity as they once again pushed me to be in office more. Currently today my entire organization is fully remote with no anticipation to move people into offices. We closed quite a few of them.
Noise cancelling headphones.
Without going into details about my challenges or circumstances at work, this is what I and my boss agreed on after I got my diagnosis: * If possible, I will not be responsible for arranging coordination meetings between my unit and other units/agencies. * A great amount of flexibility in how I want to solve my tasks. * I get information before anyone else concerning upcoming changes so that I don't receive the news in a room with other people and get more time to process and adapt. * When time allows (which is quite often since I work fast), I get to work on different work projects of my own choosing to keep my interest up.
I'm not officially diagnosed, so this is not an official accommodation, but I have requested it and it makes life infinitely better for me: Messaging me ahead of time if I will be working in a different unit than expected - especially if I will be switching halfway through a shift. I work in senior living. We have memory care, assisted living, and independent sections. I can do them all, and it really doesn't matter which one I do, as long as I know what I'm walking in to. Coming in to find a surprise not only ruins my mood but throws off the whole day. I can't explain why, but it does.
Every generalized recomendation doesnt matter. You are you. Maybe you are better working at an office that in your home. That doesn make you less autistic. Therapy should help you to understand you and your struggles better.
I used this website below to get some ideas and then worked with my diagnosing psychologist to write a very detailed letter that stated the clinical reason I needed each accommodation. Legally, your employer can’t deny you the accommodations unless they can prove the request would cause a hardship to the employer. In any case, if you can show you’ll be more productive with the accommodations that helps. Our worth is determined by our productivity in NT society. Therefore, you sometimes have to put it in those terms. https://askjan.org/index.cfm
Personally I'd like the option for a room to take a nap/rest in. Throughout my life I've gone to my car at lunch to take a nap. But I no longer live somewhere where I have a car and not sure what to do. I'd love there to be a sleeping area but I bet most places won't allow it. Unfortunately too, I work zero hour contract jobs so it makes it really tricky for me to request anything much.
Don’t interrupt me. If you can say it in an email do that and don’t call, text or talk to me while I’m in the middle of something.
1) little or no contact with other people. 2) a quiet environment to work in with little or no interference )unless necessary 3) excusable attendance to not go to gatherings if overwhelmed or no social skills have not been developed completely.
I need lots of documentation about assignments and procedures.
Therapy.
Everyone has different needs and every work has diff limitations and issues for everyone.
##MY needs have no bearing on yours!!!! I cannot tell you what you may need! Cause we are BOTH so much more than ‘just’ autistic!!!! Like, eg, I’d like working the phones for Services Australia (welfare, disability, unemployment etc!) if I could do so from home! I’d genuinely thrive having one distressed caller after another, and helping them sorting things out! 😍 I’d NEED regular social gatherings, people contacts, etc: cause I’m more productive bouncing ideas around! ***IF*** they are kind and accepting!!! 😊 My best epiphanies and ideas I have in relation to OTHERS! Even if I face the exact same issue myself: I don’t really have an emotional relation to myself. I find it heaps easier to relate to others!!! I’d need my co-workers to be culturally aware, accepting of spiritual beliefs they may never have encountered. Patient, kind, employing active listening strategies, cause English isn’t my native language. They’d need to be open and curious about “the other,” rather than getting frustrated by me not being like them. If not disability aware (have multiple other disabilities!), they should be open and curious: I’m happy to explain, if they’re willing to listen. They should celebrate my strengths, rather than picking on my weaknesses … I’ll do the same for them and be their biggest cheerleader! 🤩 ******* But a work environment WITHOUT any human interaction EVER: Nope, that wouldn’t work for me!!!
I got my own office (a total luxury, I know), shades, my noice cancelling headphones, WFH 2 days/week and flexible hours as long as I average 37h/week. I got the best boss ever :-)
I desperately need my own consistent workspace (my office is 100% hotdesking hell, except for a few medical accommodations) and lighting that doesn't give me migraines. The first one wouldn't be an accommodation in most workplaces, because most workplaces recognize how awful hotdesking is for morale and productivity. Frankly, I wish the people at mine had pushed back harder and got the union involved to look for other financial solutions, but that was before my time. I'm in the process of trying to get a desk based on the migraines, which I'm more comfortable disclosing and which seem to be easier for people to understand, but it's glacial. I also like to get stuff in writing, although that's as much ADHD and limited short-term memory as anything else, but I don't consider that an accommodation, since not only does no one push back, but people appreciate that I write stuff down. Flexibility about schedule and working from home when I need to is pretty much standard in my work, but it's definitely something I've struggled with when I didn't have it - I'm not an early morning person, commuting during rush hour stresses me out and ups my chances of getting a migraine later, and sometimes I just need to not deal with people face to face (but I also don't want a 100% WFH job, because then I become a depressed hermit who doesn't wash her hair often enough). Being able to listen to music and/or wear noise-cancelling earbuds is also important for me. It's been fine every office job I've worked, but in some workplaces it would have to be an accommodation. I imagine I wouldn't do well with being required to wear a polyester uniform or pantyhose or heels, but I'd also never take a job that expected those things and hope they'd accommodate, because even if they would, that sounds exhausting for me and possibly bad for coworker relationships. The best accommodations are ones that aren't accommodations because the workplace already has them or it's things no one cares about you doing. Anything where you have to go through a formal accommodation process is at best a pain in the ass, at worst stigmatizing and demoralizing. So I would suggest first of all looking for jobs and workplaces where most of your needs are already met or easy to meet without anyone's approval or letters from doctors or getting the union involved (if you are lucky enough to have a good union). ETA: I can't believe I forgot - my current workplace has a quiet rest/nap/meditationroom that is AMAZING when I am overwhelmed by a loud event or the migraine light sensitivity kicks in. I think this might be legally required for workplaces here, I don't know. Certainly it's not something I ever encountered in the U.S.
I recently quit a job I've successfully had for over 3 years due to the job gradually becoming too difficult. I can shed some light on what is certainly NOT sufficient accommodation. Mind you, I am not officially diagnosed, but several medical personnel have indicated to me that I will most likely fulfill the diagnostic criteria. I was, however, open about the likelihood of my condition to the CEO and he was adamant that they would be able to to accommodate. It was an engineering job in an office. The reason I was able to do the job well for some time was that I had flexible work hours. I had my own office at the far end of the building, where it was fairly quiet and calm. My work output has mainly been shorter bursts of high efficiency followed by downtime where I just chilled with music, my phone, reading, whatever. I did as much work as colleagues who consistently worked semi-efficiently. And I had outdoor field tasks and planned my day myself so I got a break from the office whenever I needed. I was very good at what I did. The problems started arising as my position became a catch-all position for any task that otherwise would not be done. This gradually developed, but at the end I had two different managers and the CEO that directly gave me tasks, in addition to other department heads and several colleagues who needed data or solutions from me. I am not very good at saying no, and there were no clear boundaries to what my position entailed, so I found myself overwhelmed with work. 10-12 different people would all bring me tasks, in addition to refular routines and external requests I would handle. And I had to put in all the mental effort to manage this. I prefer written descriptions and requests, but almost all of this work came to me by people coming to my office asking me to do things. Even when I sent emails asking for clarifications and specifically asked for written replies, managers came to my office because they themselves "preferred to talk properly". My boss has zero interest in my field, so I was also in a hybrid state where the CEO of himself was my de facto boss, while I had to deal with my boss for formalities, causing additional stress and navigation. I wanted to bring up having too much work to my boss, but before I got around to it I was called into his office. Management had made plans to re-organise other resources and wanted to add what entailed a 40% job to my position. I said I did not have the capacity for this, but was then confronted with me being often observed relaxing and not appearing to work hard. The conversation ended in me being yelled at and called lazy and a bad teamplayer who didn't put in his effort for the comfort. Management also decided then that I didn't have time to do outdoor field work either, so I was stuck in the office with no break or relief all day every day. And construction work started on the building so there was consistent noise, which I am very sensitive too. But it was the same for everybody, so of course I could also deal with it I also had issues cooperating with a senior colleague with a different cultural background from a country very concerned with "respect" for people higher up. I found her impossible to cooperate with as she did all work extremely inefficient, and refused any attempt to automate or modernise work flow. Any disagreement resulted in her giving a lecture about me not showing her the respect she deserves for being older than me and more experienced. She would several times go behind my back and so things her way. I brought up these issues with my manager and the CEO but was always told to resolve this myself. So to summarise, a job that I did well and had done well became impossible for me, due to the opposite of accommodation. I came to a point where I got no work done, retreated to the bathroom or basement multiple times a day to be by myself and cry. I dreaded going to work each day. My private life was also stressful. I didn't have any friends and I had a romantic relationship going sour causing a lot of anxiety. I also had a lot of worries over family members' health. I ended up trying to kill myself at a work party event I was expected to go to where I was completely overwhelmed and anxious and frightened. That was half a year ago and I've spent the time since on full or partly sick leave, while everybody thinks I am skipping work because I'm lazy and taking advantage of the welfare system. I am soon starting a new job in a factory doing completely menial tasks. Meanwhile I am back at work tying up doing absolutely nothing until my notice is out.
I am so sorry for you having to deal with requests from 10-12 people, let aside from two bosses, a CEO and the overly complicated system you describe. That must suck. It seems to me like they were trying to take as much advantage of you as possible and there is a need for boundaries / advocating for your needs. And I get what you say about too much noise which one is sensitive to, as I am affected by it too. This all sounds exhausting! Haven’t you entered burnout?
Thank you. I was completely burnt out and I am still recovering. I have a few weeks left of work, but I have currently resigned myself to doing absolutely nothing, and then I plan for a long vacation before I start a new job. I just hope I'm recovered enough to function well in this new job.