Disclosure and accommodations

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Hi there, for those of you who disclosed at work, how did it go? I'm considering at least a partial disclosure, and trying to figure the best way to do it, and even whether to do it. I am doing fairly well at work, and have been at my company for more than 15 years, but I've frequently had executive function problems like budget/time management issues and people skills issues, like understanding the meaning of what people say, being assertive, or knowing if I am doing well or poorly. I also have troubles remembering to follow any change in procedure. It's been enough to slow my career down a bit, so that people who were hired when I was have always been promoted faster than I. I am recently diagnosed.

Did you disclose that you had autism/Aspergers', or just that you had certain symptoms that needed accommodating (e.g., sensory issues)?

Did you disclose only to HR and your supervisor, or to everybody?

What was the reception from management and coworkers, if they knew? Positive or negative? Accommodating or hostile?

What accommodations did you ask for? Are there any work habits, techniques, software that have helped improve your productivity or work relationships?

Hi there! I'm sure other members will have more helpful suggestions, with actual experiences, but I thought I'd throw in an idea.

Keep in mind that I am currently doing a study about this topic and cannot talk about my findings yet because I'm still collecting data (feel free to participate!).

You could ask for accommodations without disclosing. Although I can't talk about MY findings, I can tell you that only a formal, doctor's note-type disclosure would be ADA protected. If you simply tell someone that you are on the spectrum, they are free to share that information with others and discuss among themselves whatever they think autism is.

If you have time management issues, you could ask for a written list of your job tasks. You can then set a schedule for yourself where you do each particular thing at a certain time every day and cross it off your daily list once it's done.

If you are having people issues, you could ask that people email you in advance when they need to speak with you, and tell you what it is about. You can say that you like to be prepared to speak with them. Then you can make sure to have a soothing item or activity right before and right after you deal with the person. You could also budget a certain amount of time for dealing with people. If it seems to take longer, tell them you have another commitment and will have to finish with them later. Set a time to finish with them right then.

As you are dealing with the people, have a piece of paper and pen with you. Write down the buzz words of what they say and then repeat back to them what they're saying. Tell them your hearing is a little off and you want to make sure you got everything right.

My recommendation is to try this for two weeks and if it doesn't help significantly, consider an official disclosure.

I'm really worried about this actually. I have never disclosed EVER to anyone in a workplace environment. I am not so afraid of the not giving accommodations, but instead of the more subtle and subliminal prejudice. I'm nervous about that. I have actually stayed away from jobs and such because I'm afraid that people will be weirded out by my Autistic tendencies- my autism, by me.

I'd also love to hear about other people's experiences! Office politics KILL ME- they are literally the bane of my existence...

Unless you think it will help you in a certain situation, I wouldn't necessarily bring it up. I certainly wouldn't bring it up in an interview.

that's the reason i had to disclose it to my coworkers, boss and HR dept.
plus it was real obvious that I was having MAJOR MAJOR troubles...even after I warned them that sticking me at the receptionist desk was a bad idea.

however, we are soon moving into a new building...and due to the layout...i may be back at square 1...maybe even lower than square one...in the negatives even....

That's what I'm trying to decide--if it would help to disclose. Or at least disclose the symptoms without the cause. I've been at this company for for more than 15 years, so I'm well past the interview stage, but I've got issues that I really struggle with, like meeting deadlines, going over budget, and remembering to follow new procedures. They know I can do the job, but I then do something stupid to get myself into trouble, or I have to do a bunch of overtime because I've used up all my budget. I hate to continue to struggle, and have my managers think that I'm not trying hard enough, but I'd hate to blow it all by exposing myself to prejudice.

They talk about valuing diversity a lot at this company. They actually got an award from some disability magazine recently for a perfect score on a national rating list. I'm just nervous about whether they would actually be as good as they say they are.

My HR and supervisor know about my diagnosis, and my direct co-workers know about the (relevant) symptoms only.

The accomodations i asked for are minor: i am allowed to listen to music as much as i want (as long as it's on headphones and i take them off if someone needs to interact with me); and i am allowed to take "sensory breaks", which are short times where i unload the sensory stress, similar to a smoke break but without the smoking.

With those two points in place, i can survive the day without too much trouble.

For my co-workers, all they have to think about is not touching me to get my attention...

Well, now, this is a good sign. They might *actually* value REAL diversity, or what they might mean by that is that they're okay with a black woman wearing her hair natural instead of doing a weave.

A friend and colleague of mine did a study (I can hunt it up and link it if anyone wants) about what kind of disabilities in the workplace resulted in the most lawsuits versus what kinds were accommodated without problems. Visible, physical disabilities (like a missing foot) are accepted diversity in most workplaces. Hidden, chronic disabilities (like Crohn's) are the kinds that are more often denied accommodations and often not accepted at all in workplaces.

Sometimes disclosing autism in a workplace is powerful. Again, I can't talk about my findings yet, and please consider participating to anyone who hasn't, but sometimes the right person talking about it can make positive change for themselves and for the people around them. Maybe another person you're working with is autistic and doesn't have the courage to talk about it. If both of you then become open, you're a force to reckon with.

It's a big thing, either way.

My husband is an Aspie.

He had the same work issues as you, too much over time. Coming in on Saturdays for free to catch up on the work he couldn't finish.

Distractions.

Before they moved him to a different position, coming in free wasn't an issue. Wearing head phones wasn't an issue. He was a cubicle shroom.

His job went from cubicle shroom to multitasking costumer services/tech guy.

His desk was right after the door. The distractions, horrible.

He went to HR and his boss, and begged for his old job back. Not happening.

They would not move his desk. He was forbidden to wear the head phones, because headphones are isolating in the NT world. You don't bother people who wear head phones. He worked customer service and head phones with a resting b***h face is not inviting, people complained "about the troll at the IT desk".

He also was forbidden to work unpaid over time, because the company got in trouble with the wage board. He was hourly, not salaried. That makes a huge difference if you can come in and work catch up. Someone reported my husband and the company. The company had to pay him all the back wages, and fines. They were NOT happy.

He was seeing a psychiatrist, and tried to work something out. So 6 months later he had a break down, and is on permanent disability.

He wasn't diagnosed ASD until after, but in reality there were no accommodations that could be made for his job. He could not work over time. He could not wear head phones. He could not have his desk look like a trash heap, because clients said things about it. This is a huge well known company.

His disability attorney said he could fight it, but in reality the company would have just layed off an NT who couldn't adapt to a new job. His old job might have had some wiggle room. This one had none.

Be very VERY specific on what you want and why. If your office is all open space with no cubicles, and all about team work with happy clients rolling into the fray, you'll probably not get a cubicle.

If you are salaried, you might not have a problem with over time. If the project is due Monday, working Sunday shouldn't be a problem, but don't expect an extension toTuesday.

Google ADA and business, and see what attorneys are telling business people about what they HAVE to do with employees. People think they have all these rights, and shoot for the moon, when in reality it can be very different.

I would start who ever has more pull, HR or your boss.

Good luck. Be confident and act like you know exactly what you need. If you waffle or look unsure, they won't do squat.

ETA: My husband's old company was all about diversity, until people b***h to HR and it ate into the bottom line. A wheel chair is very different from a person who has issues interacting with people. The company had no patience with that.

I suggest that you only disclose if you know specifically what accommodations you would want from your employer. If you don't know specifically, I would avoid telling people about anything related to your diagnosis. You have already been working there a long time, so people are probably used to you and don't want to change their perceptions. You could also be considered a weak link if you disclose with a bunch of problems but don't ask for specific acommodations that the employer can provide. Another thing is that many newly diagnosed people have urge to tell others about diagnosis, but I would give it some time to allow new diagnosis feelings and any such urges to decrease before telling others. Once you have got used to your diagnosis, you may find that you have different perspective.

This is quite astute.

I've actually put together a list of accommodations and what issues they address. Only one would involve a cost, for a project management software package that they were planning to buy anyway. The other things have to do with communication (I have an auditory processing disorder) and reminding me of changes in procedure. They are all very minor accommodations--they already let us wear headphones when clients are not in the lab, since several of us write code (two other people wear them too).

I see your point though about the need to control the rush to tell everyone. I do have this urge to go out and start waving some sort of Autism Pride flag and tell the world, and I'm having to rein it in. I've been out for years as a gay woman, and found the experience very empowering. I'm not sure what qualifies as a long enough time to wait. I've suspected I was ASD for a year, and was officially diagnosed two months ago.

I went to a talk for our "Diverse Ability" forum today, and it was pretty encouraging. They had a guest from the Department of Labor, and several employees talked about their experiences at our company as a disabled person, including a VP with PTSD and an employee with dyslexia.