Is AS considered a disablity?

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US Corporations, which are most likely part of multinational corporations working globally, have the profit margin as their guide. That's all they care about.

If they cared so much about it, they wouldn't get rid of their most productive people. I think it is more a culture of people hurting other people. I'm sorry I've veered this off-topic, though.

To k96822,

Come on down! Your most welcome here.

As is anyone else.

In the ADA context yes, but the ADA itself is pretty minimal - its there for when good employees are being threatened by any disability (from aspergers to a bad shoulder) and the idea is it keeps employers from losing money to have to retrain just on the grounds that they fired someone for flip reasons.

I think in a lot of ways, aside from everything people with AS are capable of in the non-social world, it is a block and in that sense when people have a harder case of it to where they can't hedge their behavior enough to fit in; it amounts to it in the sense that its something that's pervasively going to impact their lives in such a way that they themselves can't control.

For people with lighter cases, I'd think of the term 'dys'ability, in the sense that your able to hide it, able to pass as normal, but it can be an excruciating effort and can come with a lot of longterm hidden dysphoria and anxiety. Also, your in that boat like other aspies where you have no safety net to catch you and its really felt. Kind of a place out in limbo all its own where you'll have equal standing to a degree but people will see your differences in time and you'll still, in a lot of unspoken ways, have equality with imposed limits - your able to live with dignity but its still a fraction of a life in a lot of ways.

Some people have it, do great, don't really care what the world thinks of them and they seem to do great by people anyway - in that sense its not ill-effecting them much at all, I'm actually pretty happy for their luck. That's where I think its real debatable.

Last edited by techstepgenr8tion on 06 Feb 2008, 12:12 am, edited 1 time in total.

Thanks. If I can only dislodge my parents and brother from this frozen hell (the zip code in my name is where I WANT to live, not where I do), I'd strap them down on a plane and head right out to Sydney. I even have a friend who worked there who probably has the contacts I'd need. The ties that bind, the ties that bind.

I am high functioning and I receive Social Security Disability, not SSI. However, although I was diagnosed with emotional problems as a 12 year old kid, Asperger's Syndrome was not recognized as a psychiatric disorder until 1994. Currently, the present rules to obtain Social Security Disability and SSI have been tightened which is why it is much harder to obtain these entitlements.

I found this online, and it seems to sum it up nicely:

"What does social security recognize as a disability, or consider to be a disabling impairment?

The Social Security Administration recognizes any mental or physical impairment, which has prevented an individual from performing substantial gainful work activity for the past twelve months or which can be expected to prevent substantial gainful work activity for twelve months. In other words, your disabling condition can be practically anything as long as it sufficiently curtails your ability to work (or for children, sufficiently curtails the ability to engage in age-appropriate activities).

Also, it should be pointed out that you do not have to wait for an entire year before you take the step of starting a disability application with SSA---if you think your condition will disable you to the extent that you will not be able to work and sustain yourself for a year, go ahead and file. Social Security disability is based on functionality rather than the nature of your specific medical or mental impairments. Social Security medical decisions consider an individual’s medical or mental impairments, work activity, education, age, and residual functional capacity to determine whether an individual is, according to Social Security Administration rules and regulations, disabled."

Basically, if you absolutely cannot function well enough to support yourself, there's a good chance you would qualify for Social Security help. It takes a long time, you must be persistant, and if you are denied initially you must be prepared to appeal. I hope you do not need this, but if you do, best of luck to you!

PS Almost every medicaid program I've run into accepts your status if the federal government has declared it as "disabled." It's not always the other way around, though.

Doh; it requires us to convince them of something? I know I'd be screwed.

exactly.

I'm in a parent group and some have attempted to wade into the quagmire that is SS. They haven't had much luck. You have a better chance of getting help at the county or state level.
The Americans with Disabilities Act has requirements that an employer or establishment make "Reasonable Accomadations" for people with Disabilities. How this affects individuals on the spectrum? Your quess would be as good as mine.

Been there, done that.

The following is my experience, taken from both my applying for positions and being in several organizations in positions that screened applications and having been "in" on numerous job candidate interviews: I would strongly urge persons with a disability that is not obvious to NOT claim that disability until you are hired. Once there, you can then request reasonable accommodation. If you present yourself as anything but the absolutely most qualified, best candidate with the least amount of baggage that an employer will have to deal with, you won't get the job. Sorry, but in today's world, a disability is seen as a negative. If you cannot do the work with reasonable accommodation, save yourself and the employer the nightmare and do not apply.

If you CAN do the job, go for it. If you have a visible disability, you're going to have to be 50% better than the competition just to negate the subconscious stereotypes. If you have an invisible one, ... run with it as best you can. Once you are in the job and doing well, you'll be doing yourself a favor (your resume and references will show you're competent) and those who come after you will have it a bit easier.

If you're an aspie, you have to be better than 90% just to have a chance. I just scored more than 90% on an assessment exam from Brainbench for a Java position and I'm still going to have to struggle for it, no doubt, due to something I probably will say that I won't realize undermined me somehow because it came across 180 degrees different than what I meant.

If I might offer a few suggestions (it's worked for me):

In the interview - they'll ask you questions. Answer them in a direct manner, don't over-elaborate. That is, answer the question but don't give them a 20 minute speech on it.

Do not volunteer a lot of personal information about yourself (they shouldn't be asking for that anyway).

If they ask you what you've accomplished, have at least a couple of things that you did at the last job (if you had a last job) that helped the organization.

Do not lie.

If they ask you for your strengths, have though those out in advance and be able to tell them two or three things that apply to this job that you think are your strengths.

If they ask for your weaknesses, don't go on about being Aspie. Say something about how you have to work extra hard to overcome a tendency to not like change, or that you need to make extra effort to not be a workaholic (that's a winner, really). Whatever is the negative, be sure to phrase it so that it appears (and hopefully is) that you are aware of it and that you are taking active steps to improve yourself in that area.

Smile now and then, but don't sit there with a goofy grin on your face.

It's NOT necessary to make a lot of eye contact, but you should at least look at the person who has asked you the question when they start talking to you (in a panel interview) and then again when they finish asking.

Let them do the talking.

They may ask you if you have any questions. It's good to have a few, even if they're canned. Things like "why did the last employee leave this position?" "How does this position fit into the team (if they haven't already told you this, and if it's in a team environment)." "Does this position have the opportunity to cross-train and learn new skills?" (They tend to like that one.) "What do you think are the most important things an applicant would need to bring to this position" (Then show how you meet those.)

When you leave, make a note of precisely who it was you were talking to. Thank them all (if a panel interview.) Then send each one a short note within 24 hours thanking them for taking the time to speak with you and offering to provide any additional information they require. A hardcopy note is probably better.

I've seen people who were less qualified than others get a job simply because there were no typos in their resumes and because they sent a thank you note. Really.

Best of luck!

Last edited by Nan on 08 Feb 2008, 3:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Thanks for the advice! I usually do all of those -- except shut-up. I always go in with the intention of not saying more than what is necessary, but those HR peoples are just too good at digging and digging and digging. I'm so happy I just had an online test to counteract that kind of thing. Objectivity -- my bestest friend.