Jury Duty, UK - Attendance & Disability help

[alp1002]

Hi all, this is a lot, sorry! :(

Looking for reassurance/advice. I (22f) have been summoned for jury. I got a letter detailing what exempts you, (holidays, physical disabilities, mental health issues etc).

My issue is, I’m autistic, and can’t drive. To get there would be ~2.5hrs each way, (2 buses + ~40min wait between) and would involve me travelling alone in the dark in ‘bad’ areas. Autism isn’t a physical disability or MH condition - could I still be exempt based on my struggles + difficulty attending? And if not, are there any accommodations there?

I struggle to process & understand verbal info, and to communicate in groups - both of which are important for this. I also have severe sensory issues (e.g. awful headaches from lights, ‘shutdowns’ from loud noises, ARFID), which would make travelling alone for 5hrs daily very challenging. I do not have an official carer, but my family & partner help me to access the community - help me find words & understand others, ‘walk me through’ all tasks etc.

I’m someone who ‘looks fine’, but without help things can get bad quickly. I lose the ability to speak in distressing situations and I’m concerned that travelling alone, in unsafe areas, to a coroner’s court in an unfamiliar location, may indeed be distressing. But, because my written comm. & exterior come off as ‘fine, just odd’, I don’t know if they’d care. I have said the wrong things/acted inappropriately in the past without meaning to. I’m scared I’ll have to do it and mess something up as I wouldn’t have anyone to help me, and could get into serious trouble. If the bus didn’t come, if I didn’t understand things in the court - what would happen? I wouldn’t be able to speak to explain myself.

I’ve filled in the form & sent by email, but am yet to have a reply. How long does it usually take for a response, and am I likely to be exempt? If not, what can I do next, are accommodations available? I don’t expect much, I just genuinely don’t know how I’m going to do this. Thank you for reading and sorry for yapping, further context below.

Further info: My town has a dr*g issue - bus station & streets are unsafe due to ‘high’ aggressive men congregating, I’ve been approached 3 times and haven’t gone alone to that area since. The town I need to get to has similar issues. Jury duty in January. I’d need the 1st bus of the day (5:45am) to arrive on time, so if either bus was late/cancelled, I’d be screwed as they only come once an hour, I can’t set off earlier. Taxis would be ~£80 a day, ~£1200 for the duration I’d need to attend (3 wks). I was made redundant and am on no income currently (not eligible for benefits), I rely on my partner. I know you can claim the money back, but we can’t really afford to spend it in the first place. Partner & fam all work Mon-Fri (same as court) so can’t get a lift. Even with reliable transport to get me there, I’m not at all confident that I would understand the court cases & be suitable as a juror. Usually I can find solutions & work around my disability without fuss, but unfortunately I’m stuck this time! :(

If you have given details as above I would expect them to exempt you.

distance and travel are not usually ground for exemptions.

This must be so stressful for you. Well done for getting it all down in writing in this post. I don't have any relevant expertise or experience to share that would help, but just commenting to keep the thread active and visible. I think I caught it by chance at the top of my thread list as you'd just posted.

I hope you find a solution. I can totally understand how jury service would be too much for you.

Thank you, I attached my diagnostic report in the email, hopefully that is sufficient evidence!

Thank you so much 💗

I’m sure I’ve read that autism can be grounds for exemption, because I thought I’d keep that up my sleeve for if/when I get summoned. I think it’s not automatic, you have to explain why you think you wouldn’t be able to manage it. But sounds like you have done that very clearly. Fingers crossed.

I'm sure you will be excused.
I got excused for a much, much less of a reason than yours.
No way would it be acceptable for you to be forced to do this.

Thank you, yes online says it can sometimes exempt you depending on the severity. I’ve been worrying because I ‘look fine’ but wouldn’t be able to successfully mask for that long. I’m sure they’ll realise I’m unsuitable if I have to turn up there - hopefully!

Thank you so much for the reassurance, the only government type thingy I’ve ever dealt with before is HMRC and that was horrific (through no fault of my own) so I’ve been very panicky about dealing with these people! Should hopefully be fine :)

Update!

Luckily I found out today that I’ve been fully excused. Thank you for all contributions, you truly calmed my nerves ☺️

Apparently the suggested daily travel time is 90mins, so you can ask to be excused/moved elsewhere if your travel would exceed that, but it is pure luck as to whether they honour this. Decisions differ depending on where you are & who reviews your form. I suspect the disability report is more likely to be what ‘got me out of it’. Hopefully someone with a more compatible brain than me will be chosen to give the case(s) a good trial :)