Sometimes it's good to say so

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I had a coming-out of sorts at work the other night. Another person and I had a conversation about relationships, and in explaining why I didn't have one, I mentioned that I was on the spectrum. I've been loath to tell a lot of people this (only three know so far) for fear of their reactions, but on the other hand, saying I'm autistic would explain a lot. Well, this time it explained a lot...and got me a very unexpected reaction.

The person I came out told me he has an autistic cousin.

I'm sure we'll be talking more about autism now that we've opened up to each other. He's got questions, I'll try to have answers. It's a little tough to be on the giving end of the advice and trying to remember how they treated my autism almost 30 years ago, but I'm glad I got the chance to tell someone about it. And I'll be especially glad to have the opportunity to help someone understand it better for his family's sake.

Be very careful who you share this with, especially if there are a lot of office politics where you work. Your 'mental condition' could be used against you.

As you read, I'm loath to tell a lot of people. I'm pretty selective about who I trust with this, even with our company's open-minded culture (if word got out to our main offices, they might make an awareness campaign out of it, for all I know - they're like that).

Of course it is!

Actually, that would be illegal, at least in the USA, according to the Americans with Disabilities act.

Illegal or not: it is sound advice.

If it's illegal then I should sue Office Depot, they're like satan!

What they would do is likely give him all the hardest work, then when he couldn't complete it fire him saying he wasn't performing his duties, which of course is BS. I suggest ignoring people at work treating them like employees rather than people, it's what your boss does :-)

Anyway, Asperger's is not a mental condition - it is a condition where the brain is wired differently to the majority. Discrimination on the basis of having Aspergers is illegal and should be dealt with as such.

Agreed. If an employer doesn't like something about you, they will find a way to get rid of you. They might even just put the pressure on until you make a mistake.