Positive experiences 'coming out' as an Aspie?

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Yes, quite. This is reminiscent of my own experience, so "coming out" can have its up sides but also definitely its down sides.

I'll throw it right back at you!

Seriously....I'm glad you were able to get those letters and things done, without undue problems and hassle.

Actually, I was thinking about what I WOULD THINK if I had to get all those letters.

In fact, alas, the problems and hassle of getting the letters and filling up the forms were far from inconsiderable (to the extent of triggering several suicide attempts and involving a lot of ambulance rides). But never mind that now. Since the mental health people and the welfare people have unanimously pronounced me beyond all hope, I've felt lots better. And my lovely doctor continues to insist I'm still fit to drive a bus, and he says it's Occupational Therapy because it gets me out of the house. I can only cope with doing it once in a week or two, but still, there are quite a lot of people with Asperger's who like buses, and many of them can only dream of driving one, so I'm kind of winning there!

Children seem to welcome the fact I am willing (not to say eager) to answer their whimsical questions about What does that button do? Little old ladies appreciate my finicky olde-tyme double-declutching, because that was how they were taught to change gear, and they say they feel "safe" with me driving.

I think I probably quite like being liked. Sad but true.

I do not, generally, "come out" to my passengers as having Asperger's, because I think it would probably alarm them, but when they spot the fact I am not really a bus driver, I tell them I'm a retired teacher who happens to have a bit of a thing for buses. They seem to be just about able to take that in their stride. I have jeee-yust enough grey hair, now, for the adjective "retired" to pass unchallenged. Plus all the drink and the drugs in my 20s have probably prematurely aged me a bit, in the face and demeanour. Add that to the velvet waistcoat and the silk cravat and the terrible yellow teeth and the circa 1956 B.B.C. accent, and you can probably see why they can tell I'm not really a bus driver.

So you can perhaps see it is significantly easier for me, at least, to survive on this planet as an "out and proud" Aspie than it ever was, before the official diagnosis, as an "in-the closet", hesitant and tentative and cripplingly embarrassed Aspie. And this is why I, for one, am in favour of coming out, tho' you will also note I have found it advisable in certain contexts to brush over it slightly...

I've been with my current company for a little over 12 years, and only learned I was on the spectrum a couple of years ago. Judging by some of the things co-workers said to me in the past that only made sense in hindsight, I suspect many people there knew what I was before I did. Now that I do know, it seems to have become a sort of "don't ask don't tell" thing - I wouldn't mind explaining about it if anyone wanted to understand, but no one seems to. Anyway, a lot depends on your individual co-workers and supervisor, but probably as long as you are doing a good job and not causing too much trouble, no one is going to try to get rid of you.
Good luck, I hope things go well for you!

Sadly, I think it's a "Catch 22" in the world today.

The world at large is woefully ignorant about autism and therefore typically reacts negatively or overreacts which is also negative. In order to change this, greater awareness and then acceptance needs to happen.

The Catch 22 is, since the world at large reacts negatively to autism, I believe the probability of being met with a negative reaction is higher than being met with a positive one. But how can the world become more aware unless autistics today risk being a martyr or sorts by disclosing?

I also think autistics who embrace their autism and communicate regularly with others in autistic community (including online communities such as this) can be prone to thinking that the world is most likely to be just as positive about autism as they themselves are. Then the bubble bursts.

Yes, one response when you 'come out' can be a sardonic raising of the eyebrows and a query along the lines of: "Oh, and that's supposed to be news, is it? Are you seriously saying the doctors have only just told you?"

Hpl fan

The wespac boss, during the job interview, told me that she wanted to "make sure you don't have a learning disability"

And I told her I am autistic

Then the b***h had the nerve to ask me "is your sister autistic?"

She (involuntarily?) Scrunched her face in disgust, as though I told her that I got convicted of raping babies

f**k Renee tsu

She didn't offer reasonable accommodation

And her response surprised me so much, that I forgot to ask for reasonable accommodation

And then she hired me

Three days later she fired me

Mmmm. So clearly there are times when "going public" with your diagnosis may help, and times when it alas just won't. Still, and altho' it won't pay your rent, the most powerful weapon you can wheel into the field is self-knowledge, and getting a diagnosis after years of misdiagnosed or undiagnosed mental health struggles does have some parallels with "coming out" in the homosexual or bisexual sense of the phrase: it enables and empowers you, even if it doesn't automatically grant you acceptance and appreciation in all social or professional contexts.