Link to the original thread
I received such lovely advice on my last thread and the last couple of months have been so hectic, I totally forgot to come back and update everyone on the outcome.
Last time I updated, I'd had a phone call to say I was unsuccessful but the hiring manager wanted to meet with me to discuss a potential new role. We had that meeting but the proposed role was quite different to the one I'd interviewed for and, in the end, the funding request wasn't approved anyway.
Shortly after I'd applied for that job (but before I'd interviewed for it), I'd applied for basically the same job elsewhere, but the second one was part-time. I interviewed for Job 2 and was offered it, which I accepted. My HR stuff was fast-tracked and I started shortly after that.
Then, on my first day at Job 2, the manager of Job 1 phoned to say that the successful candidate had decided to stay put, so the original job was mine if I wanted it 🙈
Cue a very stressful couple of weeks and several uncomfortable conversations but I accepted Job 1 and I have been in-post for 6 weeks now. I love everything so far - the job, the people, the location. Everyone (who needs to know) knows I'm autistic and have ADHD, they're understanding without making a big deal of it. I also have my own office for the first time in my life and it makes SUCH a difference to how I feel about working on-site. I can keep the heating down low, I use a lamp instead of having the big lights on, I have my noise cancelling headphones on and nobody cares. My fidget toys and stims and echolalia don't bother anyone and the dress code is very much on the casual side of smart-casual so me wearing sensory-friendly clothes doesn't stand out.
In short, it worked out for me and my friend was right: if it's a problem for an employer, you don't want to work for them anyway!