Why are accommodations for autistic people often seen as unfair?

[YourPoisedFinch]

In my last job, I received some accommodations and explained them to colleagues when they asked why I was coming in late. Instead of understanding, they accused me of fraud and faking my condition to get special treatment. This isn’t just my experience—many people with mental health conditions and other invisible disabilities face similar challenges. They’re either not believed and resented for receiving accommodations or believed but then negatively stereotyped.

Because receiving a diagnosis is something for the rich and privileged or the younger generation where it was recognised at school.
Meanwhile many other people struggle on undiagnosed and unable to afford or access the necessary diagnosis for the same support and go unsupported and it's unfair.

The reason is because quite often symptoms of autism are self reported.
If someone has a paralysed leg /is blind it is quite obvious to all around them.

Autism can be very invisible and we can only go on the individual telling us that they find busy public transport overwhelming, or can't cope with the noise of the kettle in the kitchen.

Quite a lot of NT people also hate busy public transport and annoying noises (just examples) so naturally they wonder whether the autistic person really does find these things completely intolerable.... Or just really fucking annoying, like the rest of us. Because who is to say where the line is?

Unfortunately, yes, it appears so.

Funnily enough, none of them have responded to posters suggesting that they can have the adjustments if they take the disability too.

But that’s different because catching the bus isn’t a disability

I haven't read much ableism as @WinterBones implies.

Most of us know that most employees do actually know the law, know it's legal for a firm to put in reasonable accommodations.

but we can all appreciate that many (most of us) can all be a tiny bit .... jealous? Of someone arriving late, leaving early etc. Even if you Know they have a medical condition. It's not inhuman! (I've had a medical condition since birth but never needed adjustments).

Exactly this. Where are they going to get a diagnosis from exactly? The costs of going private are prohibitive and NHS waiting lists about 10 years long.

do bc some people can get diagnosed, those people shouldn't get accomodations?

crabs in a bucket... if i can't have it nobody can

1/. Because the adjustments that Autistic people and lot of other people with invisible disabilities require seem to always be the ones everyone would like. Adjusted hours, amended duties which usually involve opting out of the shitty parts of a job, sensory related etc are things that would be of benefit to anyone. Who doesn’t want to travel when it’s quieter, start later, Boise their hours, have their own desk when everyone else has to share, opt out of meeting, travel, have extra breaks or be able to have a break whenever they need etc. It almost always ends up being that the adjustments mean that they are working the best parts of the job and everyone else has to do more of the shitty parts. That is not the case with other disabilities where the adjustments are often such that they end up doing the same job as everyone else just with different tools.

2/. because the exponential rise in people being diagnosed means it’s effecting everyone. Almost everyone I know has at least one person in their workplace that has been diagnosed and the knock on impact for the rest of the workforce is to have to do more of the shitty parts of the jobs or work the more hours at the busy parts of the day or attend more meetings, do more of the travel to compensate for the person who does less and they get to pick up the nicer parts and do more - quieter uninterrupted solo work.

Honestly , the self reported bit is tutted regularly for conditions that are said to be ‘invisible’. (It’s not autism. I’ve seen it says for back pain too for example)

Theyre not invisible though.
There is always many things that gives away the person is ill/disabled if people look a tiny bit more closely.
Most of the time though, people chose not to.

Well said.

this is actually very good ... well done

Which actually means that the more adaptations like choosing your iwn start or finish time are implemented, the more likely it is that ‘non disabled’ people will be able to have access to those too!!

Just like you have ramps for wheelchair users. But they actually help people with pushchairs, those who a bit wobbly on their legs, people who have a foot/leg in a cast etc etc…

Implementing accommodations fir dusabled people often leads to a better life fir non dusabled too.

It's definitely a (and I hate the term but can't think of any other way to say it) "sexy disability" thing too.

If I asked for accommodations for ADHD, I'm sure there would be people eye-rolling and whatever. If I asked for the exact same accommodations for a brain tumour, no one rolls their eyes at that.

They're both largely invisible, but one is "sexy" (totally the wrong term, but one of those conditions where the name carries more weight and people are like ooh that sounds scary and painful, if you get what I mean).

No they won't.

I think people see it as unfair because they don’t understand how challenging it is to live with a disability and think it’s comparable to normal daily struggles, as evidenced in the responses on here.

I have ADHD and use hearing aids. Until recently, I’d never been to an event with a hearing loop despite always asking. I felt ashamed and embarrassed that I was always muddling through sessions, missing words and relying on colleagues to fill in the gaps.

When I started at my new job, I raised it again and the next event I went to had one. I cried the first time I used it because it made me feel seen and included, I could hear everything and ask questions without worrying they’d been covered.

Adding a hearing loop will have taken event budget from somewhere else, maybe there was less Prosecco at the drinks reception or fewer printed programmes because of me. People might feel that’s unfair because I was getting by without it because they don’t know how hard it was for me before or how many years I spent struggling along.

Disabled people have the right to be included and supported in the workplace, your manager recognises that. Ideally everyone would have the same experience, even if their needs aren’t due to a disability, but if they don’t that’s an issue for management not you.

this person who said all are ND are typically ignorant. what do they think autism/adhd is?

Only in industries that can accommodate that. if everyone chooses their own hours, who covers the reception desk at hours when customers can actually call? Who provides care for the pensioner at 7pm? Who man’s the child social services phone line?
service industries are exactly that ….. they are there to serve the public and so they can’t just say ah well no social services in person visits on a Friday because everyone works from home thar day due to sensory overload.

I’m not decrying or disagreeing with any adjustments made btw - I am answering the Op as to why it might be seen that way. I honestly don’t know what the answer is tbh but I know that the needs of the individual and the needs of society are not always in alignment and this, for us in the public service sector, is a massive issue as the workforce is now over 30% ND in some dept

Sorry for the delay in responding.
There is a legal definition for disability. I can't quite remember it. It's around substantial impairment and lasting for more than 12 months. I don't think the whole UK workforce has substantial impairment. They might all have minor niggles though.

There's people who have all sorts, like constant pain and can hardly walk, but they dont have a named condition.

Absolutely this👆

I think one of the issues with autism is a lack of understanding as to how certain things affect ND people.

For example if you are allowed to come in an hour later because dealing with crowded public transport at rush hour is challenging for you, people may be thinking…well everybody hates herding onto crowded trains like cattle. Everyone hates being that close to strangers. Everyone hates the noise. But everyone else “just gets on with it”. They can’t imagine what that feels like in the brain and body of an autistic person. It can seem like you’re being dramatic about things everyone doesn’t like.

BTW you should absolutely put in a complaint about your colleagues saying those things to you. It’s completely unacceptable and they won’t say it to someone with a physical disability.

I’m sorry you felt that way but in general no one gives a shit about a hearing loop meaning there was less budget.
Most people do give a shit about every meeting starting late or having to take meticulous minutes and having to take time to do an extra meeting to answer questions on those minutes because their colleague with ADHD has time blindness and is permanently late or even completely missing meetings

It just is the case that ND adjustments make life harder for everyone else. Not their fault of course it it is what it is

You put this really really well! No one cares if a colleague who uses a wheelchair gets a different desk to accommodate their chair or a ramp is put in.

Why is a diagnosis for the rich and privileged? I was diagnosed as an adult on the NHS after years of struggles and anxiety, burnout, I wasn't able to finish school, and have had a rocky path with work not lasting long in any jobs I've done, all before knowing what was "wrong" with me.

The difference simple accommodations can make is the difference between being able to cope with life or burnout. My recovery from stress is longer then most. For example a holiday will talk me a few weeks to recover from. Or I need the help of someone to navigate somewhere new, activity, even then I'll worry about it weeks before.

OP you not addressing posts like this will lead people to draw their own conclusions.

Unless they were in asylums, which was fairly common until the 1980s.