There's an idiom "the devil is in the details" which comes to mind when I think of this topic.
The meaning of this idiom is "something may seem simple, but the details are complicated and are likely to cause problems."
So accommodations at it's core is asking for help.
If someone with diabetes is at a party, it seems common sense to offer drinks with no to low sugar. Or if someone breaks their leg, offer them a chair.
But when it comes to disabilities such as dylexia, ADHD, autism, things become a little more complicated.
To truely accommodate for disorders related to how the brain works, it means changing how the information is given compared to the average person.
This means the person doing the accommodation:
Needs to know more about the disorder and the prefered method for information intake
CHANGE their methods of communicating for multiple types of people
Aka, it takes EFFORT the person isn't used to.
For example, person A is dylexic. They have struggled with reading their whole life. They are used to copying and pasting documents and spacing characters and sentences. They are used to using certain fonts to help themselves read easier or using a program to read to them.
Although they are putting in more effort than the average person for reading, other people don't SEE that effort day to day.
So Person A? constantly putting in 200% effort to read
So at the end of the day, accommodator/workplace/teacher/etc. cannot truly understand what they are asking for when they ask you to "I can't provide that at this moment, do you think you can handle it until it's possible?"
They are thinking "Oh jeez, I would have to do X, Y, Z!! That's so much more than what I am used to!!"
You are asking them to do "double" the amount of work.
It's VERY TEMPTING to call them a jerk. But, in reality, you have no idea of how much they are doing on their end.
Yesterday, I made a lesson that required a lot of reading. I was really glad I was in charge of it's creation because of the amount of time I put into thinking: "How can I make it easier for people with X problem?"
Not going to lie, even if I think I did a BRILLIANT job, it took more time and effort than if I didn't consider dsylexia.
Reality is, not every person you meet will have this mindset, in fact, it's rare.
Do I think it's sad and EVERYONE should be willing to lend a stranger a hand? Yes
Should you EXPECT it? No
Why am I saying not to expect it?
Well, technically there ARE laws to protect people with disabilities and require accommodations.
But it takes:
Time
Money
Effort
Education
Luck
There's no garentee that the stars will align and you will get accommodations. You may burn out and give up during the process. Accommodations may happen but then the people you work with resent you.
So it becomes a bit of a "Pros and Cons" game.
If you cannot do it without the accommodation, well, they aren't getting work done unless you are accommodated. It's like a game of chicken. Who has more to lose?
Sadly, people WILL take advantage of you if they KNOW you have more to lose.
Autistic people have around an 80% unemployment rate, they know you are likely to stay in your situation.
It's like taking candy from a baby. "What are they gonna do? Cry?" Oof.
Am I saying to never fight for it? Oh no! In fact, if you have the tools, go to TOWN.
In the school system, getting accommodations is fairly easy with enough pestering or having a good advocate. The law is very much on the side of the child.
But in the workplace? It's very different. You are only as protected as you are useful or as far as the law protects you.
Accommodations is asking for people to change. To do "more", to put "thought" into their actions.
You cannot control other people's actions.
Who do you control? Yourself.
YOU are the constant that is in your life.
My best advice is weigh your options. If you cannot do the work without the accommodation, well, it's between getting fired or them saying no.
I will be completely honest, I don't have a perfect solution for this problem. I was harrassed for eating in the dark in my empty classroom as a public school teacher.
I do hope as people are more educated, they can find it in themselves to be kinder. But I also will ask for anyone reading this who isn't autistic. . .
Vote!
Make noise!
FORCE people to accommodate my community to a reasonable degree.
Just how we can't expect rich people to donate every cent they don't need, we can't expect people to accommodate us unless their are policies and laws requiring them to.
Until then, for those of us who depend on accommodations, weigh your options and may the odds be in your favor.
Thank you for reading
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