Reasonable Adjustments

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automatedhero

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According to the disability rights act, people, including those with autism, have the right to expect employers make reasonable adjustments.

In respect of autism what constitutes reasonable adjustments?
 
My work place went though the DWP access to work scheme, with this your have a independent assessor asess your needs and the company then buys the required items and claims the funds back.
 
I have a very supportive boss who has done a number of things to help me do my job better and enable me to stay in work despite burnout and high anxiety levels. I'm lucky that I mostly work from home and as I'm part time have a lot of flexibility of when and how work. I also have hearing loss and getting accomodations for that in the past has been tricky.
I haven't bothered with Access to Work as my boss has already gone over above, but this may be helpful in a larger organisation. I did get a very generic letter to send to my employer on diagnosis. Most of the adjustments were not about equipment but about ensuring specific instructions etc.
It depends on your job and how your autism affects you, but things like flexible hours, being able to work from home, if you are in an office having a fixed desk in a quiet location etc might help.
I have to minute meetings and have really struggled with face to face contact,so adjustments have included recording the meeting and letting me write up at home, having a colleague sit with me so I can ask them questions if necessary and getting people to email content when I'm struggling to take it in verbally. My boss also offers me a choice over how we meet, usually phone or Teams and occasionally face to face. You might want to request papers to read ahead of meetings and not having your schedule changed at short notice etc.
Initially I didn't always know what to ask for, but now I'm learning and feeling more confident to ask. I appreciate I'm very lucky to have a boss who is an excellent manager and wants to do his best by his neurodivergent employees. In my role having high attention to detail and hyperfocus is quite useful.
 
MadCatLady said:
I have a very supportive boss who has done a number of things to help me do my job better and enable me to stay in work despite burnout and high anxiety levels. I'm lucky that I mostly work from home and as I'm part time have a lot of flexibility of when and how work. I also have hearing loss and getting accomodations for that in the past has been tricky.
I haven't bothered with Access to Work as my boss has already gone over above, but this may be helpful in a larger organisation. I did get a very generic letter to send to my employer on diagnosis. Most of the adjustments were not about equipment but about ensuring specific instructions etc.
It depends on your job and how your autism affects you, but things like flexible hours, being able to work from home, if you are in an office having a fixed desk in a quiet location etc might help.
I have to minute meetings and have really struggled with face to face contact,so adjustments have included recording the meeting and letting me write up at home, having a colleague sit with me so I can ask them questions if necessary and getting people to email content when I'm struggling to take it in verbally. My boss also offers me a choice over how we meet, usually phone or Teams and occasionally face to face. You might want to request papers to read ahead of meetings and not having your schedule changed at short notice etc.
Initially I didn't always know what to ask for, but now I'm learning and feeling more confident to ask. I appreciate I'm very lucky to have a boss who is an excellent manager and wants to do his best by his neurodivergent employees. In my role having high attention to detail and hyperfocus is quite useful.
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@MadCatLady great glad you have a good boss + employer - I think this is the key differential regardless of our individual support needs

TBH my experience so far has been a bit mixed - but I would say keeping a paper trail of what was said and done is something anyone needs to keep. As time just ticks by, and I suspect many a time things turn sour.

So reasonable adjustments in law sound great but the reality is you're pretty much on your own - and may come down to how hard you wish to push

HR may send you on a Occupational Health assessment - but reality that is fairly quick "chat" that is obviously done for the companies benefit (to see if you'rrre likely to be covered by the equalities act and can you do your current job), well that's HR for you. Thereafter my experience is, that box is ticked, and the detail (which we love ) is lacking and in its place is ambiguity (possibly intentionally) so you never know what's informal and what's formally agreed, and their NT understanding differs for what you thought you need.

Sorry if I sound slightly negative about Reasonable Adjustments
 
Chill-E said:
@MadCatLady great glad you have a good boss + employer - I think this is the key differential regardless of our individual support needs

TBH my experience so far has been a bit mixed - but I would say keeping a paper trail of what was said and done is something anyone needs to keep. As time just ticks by, and I suspect many a time things turn sour.

So reasonable adjustments in law sound great but the reality is you're pretty much on your own - and may come down to how hard you wish to push

HR may send you on a Occupational Health assessment - but reality that is fairly quick "chat" that is obviously done for the companies benefit (to see if you'rrre likely to be covered by the equalities act and can you do your current job), well that's HR for you. Thereafter my experience is, that box is ticked, and the detail (which we love ) is lacking and in its place is ambiguity (possibly intentionally) so you never know what's informal and what's formally agreed, and their NT understanding differs for what you thought you need.

Sorry if I sound slightly negative about Reasonable Adjustments
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I've had some pretty terrible experiences with my hearing issues, so I can share your cynicism. And now I know I'm autistic I can look at all the jobs I experienced prejudice and often left of my own accord.

I think the law is one thing, but somehow all employers need to understand the value their neurodiverse staff bring them. It's time we promote our strengths.
A lot of so called adaptations cost very little but can make a huge difference to our work experience. I never want to work in a large open plan office again, and hot desking is even more squalid. So asking for a window desk in a quiet corner away from a team on the phones all day won't cost anything but will enhance wellbeing etc.

The problem with the current system is we all have to fight your own battles. I'm lucky as I have a good boss and this is likely my last job before I finally retire. We really need a union to fight our cases for us. And employers need much better education about what autism really is and how to support us together the best out of us. Things are moving in the right direction, but slowly.
 
bluelyn said:
This is a big question because reasonable adjustments would be different depending on your needs.

I've been doing a lot of work with myself to understand what I need from the workplace and why

The reasonable adjustments I need

A quite space to work when I'm starting to feel everything to much

The ability to wear my headphones and not be judged

My desk to be away from air con, radiator, and no overhead lights

Instructions in writing

My workload agreed at the start of the day (day before would be better)

Working hours 8-3 because I just don't have energy after 3pm

Not being forced to make phone calls

No expectations to attend social events

Involving me in change so I understand why and implications and expectations

Understanding that asking a hundred questions means I need clarity, not I'm questioning authority

Understanding that I go non verbal and that normally means I'm overloaded, not I'm being unsociable, creating an atmosphere etc

Clear instructions of expectations, but then being allowed to get on and do my work the way I find the easiest

Understanding that stopping me in the middle of a hyperfocus is going to be really hard for me to get back into the task

Understanding I need all elements required to complete a task before I can start, so please give me everything straight up

Understanding that I need 7 minutes transition time in-between tasks to stretch, rest my eyes, before starting the next task (I'll still get more done than everyone else)

Not working in a visually busy environment

If uniform required , needs to be cotton not polyester

Understanding notifications I have turned off and I will check messages in my 7 minutes transition time, so don't get angry if not getting an immediate reply

The need to add additional holiday allowance, 5.6 weeks is just not enough for me, I need a minimum of one week of every 6 weeks, ideally 10 weeks of a year, but minimum 8 weeks ((this is one I just don't think I'm going to get agreement to, but it's something I know I need)

These are the main reasonable adjustments I've identified i need and almost done would cost any money, but not easy finding a workplace that will accept all of this as reasonable adjustments
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Its a good list to have - but I expect you may need to separate these into "must have" and "preferences" some of these may to one employer sound very demanding and I can see that being a problem to them, other employers may actually suit them, based on their working model about hours and deliverables, some roles more than other suit these arrangements

I WFH, technically my role is hybrid I should go to the office, but my OH report says no forced office attendance, but within months of the report, the question has been asked. So for me this is the greatest RA you can have, since you control your environment, although it does bring some of the issues around being ping'd on work message channels all day long

How open would you be with your Autism at interview stage - would you seek to disclose (even partially) that you are ND ? or would you seek to gain employment and then once started request reasonable adjustments

I've not gone for an interview myself, since my diagnosis, my last interview a couple of years back went terrible, but I was a internal candidate and my old manager got me less formal second interview as they knew my capability (not how well I interviewed), and so I had another chance and the questions were more job focused, rather than the usual set of interview questions, that makes you question what they are asking
 
automatedhero said:
According to the disability rights act, people, including those with autism, have the right to expect employers make reasonable adjustments.

In respect of autism what constitutes reasonable adjustments?
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In my experience, 'reasonable adjustments' are never made. Employers enjoy all forms of discrimination as it gives the limited and mediocre a temporary flash of power and control to see they have made others distressed. Frequent discriminatory accusations against ASD are: autistic people don't listen (not true), are not hygenic (offensive and untrue) and are dangerous (also not true). 'Reasonable adjustments" are not made when Talking Therapies refuse to help people with ASD, MIND does the same, and even the NEU (National Education Union) will not recognise online employment as valid. It is the opposite of 'reasonable adjustments'. There is nothing that gives a bunch of talentless gangsters more of a thrill than to send the person with ASD flying. Afterall, what use would their organisations be if they weren't a witch-hunting lynch mob for them and their friends?
 
bluelyn said:
My last interview in 2024 I told them I was autistic and at times need to wear headphones, they pretty much ended the interview, only three questions they asked me,

My issue is I want to be honest up from because don't want to announce when in the door then accommodation I need, I would rather be taken on knowing, but that interview experience has me questioning what to do

I know the list is what I need to function, but finding an employer willing to accommodate, well that is impossible

I was thinking of training to be a sen teaching assistant as the environment and hours and holidays would be just what I need, then the government announced shake up in sen schools, I feel is it going to be a job still around for the next 17 years I have to work
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Hi @bluelyn - I think SEN TA would be a demanding role in a very dynamic environment and many of the adjustments you list, I expect would not be reasonable - maybe see if you can volunteer at a local school before committing to any training
 
automatedhero said:
According to the disability rights act, people, including those with autism, have the right to expect employers make reasonable adjustments.

In respect of autism what constitutes reasonable adjustments?
Click to expand...
This is the first time I've ever asked an employer at interview. Didn't know I was Autistic and didn't know I needed any prior to Jan 26. I've requested a time out when the overwhelm becomes too much (5 mins or so approx.). I might be working outside so temp and light I can mitigate myself. If I was in my old job I would have asked to sit away from the main corridor of office foot traffic, discussion about the temperature and the lighting in meeting room perhaps, but that's wishful thinking I suspect.. good luck.