Autism and Employment

 I have been attempting to reach out to my employer for help with my autism since diagnosed more than two years ago.

The way this process  has gone is that each time I experience an adverse affect that is caused by my autism I will reach out to my doctor then together, if she decides it’s right, we will reach out to the HR department of my employer.

I have seen no attempts by my employer to learn about autism or have any of my coworkers or superiors attend any classes concerning autism so that they may be more sensitive or understanding of the needs I have as an autistic individual.

What I have seen is what feels like retaliation for me reaching out to HR for help implementing my doctor’s recommendations.

We are assigned online learning  from time to time at work concerning many different subjects  as to educate us on how to handle different situations.

I can only recall being assigned one or two at a time and never within a close time period in my 8 years of employment with the company.

In the last week I have received  about a dozen online learning assignments , two of which where new employee orientation despite the fact that I have been employed in the same department for more than 8 years now. It’s obvious to me that this is different from how the assignments have gone in the past. The only difference I can see is that my doctor has recently recommended that I be transferred to another position.

These online learning assignments have deadlines. If the assignment is not completed by the deadline it’s the policy of my employer that you can be written up. If written up you will not be allowed to transfer to another position for 12 months.

This seems like obvious retaliation or at least an effort to deny my doctor’s recommendations.

I believe there is a failure at an institutional level with my employer to recognize , understand and implement an environment conducive with an autistic individuals needs. Despite the fact that autism is a protected disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

This is also despite the fact that my employer claims to promote diversity and inclusion.