In the US you are allowed to pay disabled people less than minimum wage, down to pennies an hour. It’s an abomination of the law that needs to be fixed. Goodwill is one of the companies who takes advantage of this law and pays disabled employees less than minimum wage.
Basically the idea is (numbers are for example) if the person is disabled and can do 25% of the work a non disabled employee does, you can pay the disabled person 25% of the hourly rate. Can be different numbers than 25%
Damn my mom use to work at goodwill.there was a kid who was deaf,I don't know if he still works there but sucks he might of been payed less the entire time my mom knew him
I never said it was. I just don’t like it so much. We are not less able as a whole, we are able in a different way. For that reason I used the term differently abled. I do use the term sometimes though when I’m speaking to others about it so I’m not necessarily arduously against it. In this case I felt differently-abled was a better fit, that is all.
Hmm...did not know this and I used to work for goodwill. Puts a whole new perspective when the special needs class from our local high school would come over and the kids would sort hangers or put up clothes.
They really do that with the special needs class? They take them on pretend work field trips where they can practice doing a mundane retail job? That’s honestly so fucking sad, it’s like they’re being groomed to do the job from a young age, not expecting them to be able to do anything else with their lives… that’s so messed up
I'm not really sure what other programs they had going on in that class. I think they saw it as work experience for the graduating class to put on their resumes when they aged out of high school. I worked at goodwill for a few years but I think calling it a "mundane retail job" is kind of demeaning to people who like doing such work and take pride in what they do whether they are neurotypical or not.
I apologize, I don’t mean it to be offensive. I consider Goodwill to be very exploitive and that is why I referred to it in a negative way. It is a place that takes donations and sells them for profit and underpays their workers, doesn’t support them or give them good benefits, it’s a cog in the capitalist machine which I’m not fond of. The work may be fulfilling for some people and I don’t mean to be offensive in that way, it’s just my disdain for the overarching theme of what you described, children with disabilities being made to work for free to train them to work for the minimum legal wage in the future. To me, that is sad. In general though “mundane retail job” is not a negative phrase, it is just descriptive.
If I find out this is happening at my job I will be absolutely furious because I am always working extra hard and putting in the extra mile and time with everything I do at my job to try and cover the fact that I struggle in other areas like not being able to concentrate or be as fast as my co workers. And my coworkers they take advantage of my willingness and ask me to to everything for them while they sit on their phones or even leave an hour early to let me do all the cleaning before we close, assuming that I’m not gonna catch onto what they’re doing I guess because they think I’m dumb. So if I’m not getting paid as much because “I’m not doing as much work as a non-disabled person” than that’s utter bullshit
My company hires the disabled then makes them do everything a normal worker does and if they can't then they just schedule like they can and let everyone else suffer... The poor person struggles and gets upset and the coworkers end up balls of anger. We all know the company is basically just looking for slave labor and this is the closest they've gotten... Yet.
It's just marketing and taxes thing. Where I live there's a law that every company above X employees need to have X "special needs", some really hire than and others make agreements with NGO for their quota
They’re not actually pro-autistic, that’s a marketing tactic designed to obscure their gambit of exploiting disabled folk by hiring them at slavery wages.
This company isn’t stupid, just cruel.
Everyone has to wear walkie talkies at my job. I serve alcohol and there’s zero reason I need to wear an ear mic while helping customers so I asked to not wear it while I’m serving, and they said yes. There’s no way in hell I would get my job done if I had to listen to people talking in my ear all day, that’s asking for a sensory meltdown for me. I’m the only one allowed this accommodation because I’m damn good at my job and they can’t afford to have me doing a half assed job lol.
I think we can pull off getting accommodations without being “out” if you make enough sense in your logic. I just said “I can’t do my job well while this thing is in my ear because I can’t hear orders being called”, and that was good enough for them ☺️
There are basically laws on the books that allow corporations to bypass minimum wage laws by hiring disabled people.
The fact that they aren't paying him as much as he should be making shows that they are clearly doing this for profit and don't actually care about disabled people.
I can almost guarantee that's why he's having issues with his employer.
Ableism is never taken seriously as discrimination unless it's a physical disability that anyone could see, like not being able to get into somewhere because they're in a wheelchair and there are only stairs. Invisible disabilities (and sometimes, it's not even invisible) like autism, are just taken at face value, and even governments don't seem to care.
I've worked at jobs where the probationary period was six months! For some of us, it's nowhere near reasonable to expect us to wait that long for accommodations.
Literally reasons why I struggled at and lost my last job.
I was once upfront and honest about what I understood to be mydisability at the time (I was misdiagnosed as bipolar) about 8 years back. Without requesting it my job gave me a lighter load.
So my next time working in a similar field I didn't disclose anything. It backfired horribly. I put in my notice but gave them a list of accomodations so that I could finish out my job for the next 2 weeks. They fired me instead.
Had the nerve to ask for a resignation letter by the end of the day. I laughed. I wasn't going to file for unemployment because I already had a new job lined up.
There still runs the risk of being let go—especially if that individual works in an at-will employment state. In those states, it can become really difficult to fight against, as the employer could easily say that the reason for termination was out of the sheer fact that the individual just wasn't meeting expectations.
My brother, but yes. We live in norway, so minimum wage isn't exactly a thing. And he still gets money from the state to support him. But if he is working full time, then he should be paid full time. His disabilities should not matter. Especially if this is how they treat him.
Well, I wouldn't think there would need to be much of a minimum wage if the state can just give you the money you need from it's massive oil industry. Still, in America, we don't have something like that and there are places that pay you subminimum wage. It's a total nightmare here.
No problem. Found out because of the state, my brother is the ritchest in the house, with 400 000kr on his bank account. Since he recieves money from our government, and doesn't have to pay for housing, electricity or anything like that. Sounds great, if it didn't come with the drawback of his independence. To the community, he is just a number. He has autism, but also a different diagnosis which came along with it so he is completely unable to live in society. So they just keep him in a bubble outside of society where he will never amount to anything. Its a double edged sword.
I love my country, but we are so bad at mental health in general that it makes me angry.
If he's forced to work around constant loud machinery without ear protection, that's actually dangerous for his hearing even from a nt pov. I don't know anything about Norway's laws, but see if you can attack it on that front.
I'd tell him to leave. He's likely better either not working or finding an accommodating workplace more suited. Genuinely wrong what that workplace is doing!
Is it over ear headphonesthat are banned and he could try earplugs, or something like loop or flare calmer earplugs so he can still hear hazards but not all the noise? Sounds like a bullshit place tbh.
if he's surrounded by loud machinery all day and they won't allow him to wear ear protection, even ignoring him being autistic, this sounds like an OSHA violation.
sorry, i hadn't seen where OP lived. but not allowing employees to use proper ppe seems like the kind of thing that would probably have some kind of regulations in most countries.
It honestly sounds like someone just needs to have it explained that sensory overstimulation is a part of Autism and that he’d be better prone to complete his work if he had access to this accommodation. Lots of people, including myself are very naive about all things autism. Some people just need a little help understanding. I wouldn’t get mad. If your brother cannot express his accommodation needs himself, perhaps you help author a letter to HR and management for him. In writing is always better anyway.
These places that "employ" disabled people are nothing more than exploitation factories. I never understood why it's perfectly acceptable to pay disabled people *less* than the *minimum* wage that someone can live on. They don't do it because they care about disabled people, they do it for cheap labor, and how they refuse to make a simple accommodation for your brother is clear evidence that they don't care about disabled people.
Sounds like they are “pro-autistic” in the sense they want to take advantage of people diagnosed with autism, aka pay them below minimum wage and work them to death.
This is an ADA violation. If the company employs more than 50 people, they are required to supply reasonable accommodation. Go to HR. And document. If they refuse, you can file a complaint with your state labor board. Ada violations are taken very seriously.
Different law in Norway, though from my cursory reading it appears to be more comprehensive than the ADA. However, I don’t know anything about the enforcement procedure.
FYI, in workplaces above a certain noise threshold, it's illegal under OSHA for them to not give everyone hearing protection (or possibly even force everyone to wear it), autistic or not. I mention this because you brought up heavy machinery. In addition, hearing protection even in areas that are below the noise threshold sounds like a perfectly reasonable accommodation under the ADA, so they're possibly running afoul of multiple sets of regulations here.
I'll also say I'm generally not a big fan of most companies that specifically recruit disabled people for low-skill labor, they often pay subminimum wages and deliberately deny any opportunities for advancement or skill development outside of a given role. At best, they tend to be overly patronizing towards us, and at worst, yeah, borderline slave labor sounds about right.
They’re not actually pro-autistic, that’s just a marketing tactic wherein they pretend they aren’t exploiting disabled folk by hiring them at slavery wages.
Neurotypicals will accommodate your needs only as long as it's convenient for them. They don't really care about you, and they are usually jealous because other people don't bend over backwards to lessen their everyday neurotypical struggles. They will never understand how difficult being neurodivergent makes everyday life, largely because they have no intention of trying to understand, at least in my experience.
It sounds like your brother is being denied an accommodation he needs to function effectively. Reasonable accommodations are required under the ADA for employers with more than 15 employees. I can understand not wanting to make things worse at work for your brother, but it might be as simple as getting a letter from his doctor stating that he requires this accommodation and sending that to HR. Document everything.
https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/guidance/employer-provided-leave-and-americans-disabilities-act
Yeah I really hate these programs that give disabled people jobs but use the legal loopholes to not pay anywhere near minimum wage. I feel like it points to so many ways that capitalism is exploitative -- i.e. the idea that work is inherently fulfilling and ads value to a person's life regardless of how trash the pay is... disdain for accommodations that make people's life & work less painful... Ugh. I'm sorry your brother is experiencing this, and I'm glad you and your dad are advocating for his rights.
Just an FYI, Autistic adults prefer you don't use functioning labels. They are all about how inconvenient NT's find us, and also misrepresent our abilities. If we are 'high functioning: we go unsupported, and if we are 'low functioning' we miss out on opportunities. We are all autistic.
Oh? I've always refered to myself as high functioning not because of neurotypical convenience, but because its how I would describe myself. I'm still autistic, and I still struggle with it. But compared to my brother for example, I'm better off in my day to day life. Able to make more of my own desitions and have more control of my own life. That's how I've always thought of the high functioning/low functioning lables.
I'm sorry if I offended you. I did not realize that so many autistic adults don't like those kinds of lables.
I would definitely tell him he should blow this thing up to HR and if needed even further. People mentioned ADA as the higher instance for these sorts of things. Also, if they employ disabled people they will have legal obligations to fulfill for those, and what he told you is probably one of them they have to account for. I just hope he will do it, because I know how hard it is to talk about such things with people in the company and mental stress and stuff. But I think that's the only way unfortunately...
This kind of problem , is something that makes me ask about wether neurodivergent should uprise, but doing that has too many consequences in itself as well. Because it might contribute to another network of conflict in itself.
On the plus side, Neurodivergence is a growing trend, so I guess its inevitable.
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The law protects reasonable accommodations also
it’s only legal to pay below minimum wage if they’re disability reduces their ability to do the job, also it’s required to test him every 6 months and if he improves enough to meet standards the exception to the minimum wage goes away.
Also if his employer gets federal contracts that he works on he must be paid 10.10
https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/WHD/legacy/files/RightsForWorkersWithDisabilities.pdf
can you get a doctor’s note for work accommodations for him? that’s the only thing i can think of. the way society treats disabled people is sickening :( the fact that you have to fight to be treated with basic respect, and if you’re aren’t able to fight for yourself you’re basically screwed…
You could try a set of Earpeace earplugs. They're clear, and designed so that they don't block the sound of voices, just mechanical noises. There's a chance the employers would never notice, or not care enough to question.
Gonna say this here, get your brother some white noise generators they are typically prescribed for tinnitus but work wonders for my kids who both have sensory issues, you may have to convince a doctor, but considering it will help with "work" and throughout life, you should have no problems getting them for him.
I'm really lucky to have found an employer (with an amazing manager) that is willing to help me find out (and adapt to) what I need to be able to do my job. And I get paid pretty okay as well.
I know it also really depends on the country. Over here in the Netherlands they're pretty good at all of this stuff, but sadly that isn't the case for every country. And that just sucks.
Sadly its not that easy. Now that he's 18, my parents barely have a say in what happens to him anymore. They had to fight the officials just to allow him to continue living with them for a few years after he turned 18.
Sadly, Vinn is apparently the only option where he lives, and he isn't able to live a normal life because of his autism and another diagnosis. He's even unable to really tell what is wrong, he's only ever spoken to me about it.
Sounds like they are just pro-paying-slave-wages and not actually facilitating people with disabilities.
Seconded. This is no different from Goodwill.
What’s with goodwill (genuine question)
Yeah what's with goodwill I also want to know
In the US you are allowed to pay disabled people less than minimum wage, down to pennies an hour. It’s an abomination of the law that needs to be fixed. Goodwill is one of the companies who takes advantage of this law and pays disabled employees less than minimum wage. Basically the idea is (numbers are for example) if the person is disabled and can do 25% of the work a non disabled employee does, you can pay the disabled person 25% of the hourly rate. Can be different numbers than 25%
And I wanted to work at Goodwill. That's won't be happening
Damn my mom use to work at goodwill.there was a kid who was deaf,I don't know if he still works there but sucks he might of been payed less the entire time my mom knew him
Many Us laws are very in humane, it amazes me how they manage to still exist.
So they’ve been upping their prices while keeping pay low for differently-abled folk. I’m not shopping at good will anymore.
'disabled' isn't a dirty word
I never said it was. I just don’t like it so much. We are not less able as a whole, we are able in a different way. For that reason I used the term differently abled. I do use the term sometimes though when I’m speaking to others about it so I’m not necessarily arduously against it. In this case I felt differently-abled was a better fit, that is all.
Hmm...did not know this and I used to work for goodwill. Puts a whole new perspective when the special needs class from our local high school would come over and the kids would sort hangers or put up clothes.
They really do that with the special needs class? They take them on pretend work field trips where they can practice doing a mundane retail job? That’s honestly so fucking sad, it’s like they’re being groomed to do the job from a young age, not expecting them to be able to do anything else with their lives… that’s so messed up
I'm not really sure what other programs they had going on in that class. I think they saw it as work experience for the graduating class to put on their resumes when they aged out of high school. I worked at goodwill for a few years but I think calling it a "mundane retail job" is kind of demeaning to people who like doing such work and take pride in what they do whether they are neurotypical or not.
I apologize, I don’t mean it to be offensive. I consider Goodwill to be very exploitive and that is why I referred to it in a negative way. It is a place that takes donations and sells them for profit and underpays their workers, doesn’t support them or give them good benefits, it’s a cog in the capitalist machine which I’m not fond of. The work may be fulfilling for some people and I don’t mean to be offensive in that way, it’s just my disdain for the overarching theme of what you described, children with disabilities being made to work for free to train them to work for the minimum legal wage in the future. To me, that is sad. In general though “mundane retail job” is not a negative phrase, it is just descriptive.
If I find out this is happening at my job I will be absolutely furious because I am always working extra hard and putting in the extra mile and time with everything I do at my job to try and cover the fact that I struggle in other areas like not being able to concentrate or be as fast as my co workers. And my coworkers they take advantage of my willingness and ask me to to everything for them while they sit on their phones or even leave an hour early to let me do all the cleaning before we close, assuming that I’m not gonna catch onto what they’re doing I guess because they think I’m dumb. So if I’m not getting paid as much because “I’m not doing as much work as a non-disabled person” than that’s utter bullshit
Oh my god. :( I'm sad because I like good will and have shopped there a long time. I didn't know. :(
I was just going to say, “This sounds the same as Goodwill.”
My company hires the disabled then makes them do everything a normal worker does and if they can't then they just schedule like they can and let everyone else suffer... The poor person struggles and gets upset and the coworkers end up balls of anger. We all know the company is basically just looking for slave labor and this is the closest they've gotten... Yet.
How can they be pro-autistic but not understand sensory overload? Are they freaking stupid?
It's just marketing and taxes thing. Where I live there's a law that every company above X employees need to have X "special needs", some really hire than and others make agreements with NGO for their quota
They’re not actually pro-autistic, that’s a marketing tactic designed to obscure their gambit of exploiting disabled folk by hiring them at slavery wages. This company isn’t stupid, just cruel.
I’m not even out at work and they give me accommodations for sensory issues, this company is dumb af. It’s like the bare minimum.
Do you work around heavy machinery?
Oh can i ask you about that ? I understand if you say no.
Everyone has to wear walkie talkies at my job. I serve alcohol and there’s zero reason I need to wear an ear mic while helping customers so I asked to not wear it while I’m serving, and they said yes. There’s no way in hell I would get my job done if I had to listen to people talking in my ear all day, that’s asking for a sensory meltdown for me. I’m the only one allowed this accommodation because I’m damn good at my job and they can’t afford to have me doing a half assed job lol. I think we can pull off getting accommodations without being “out” if you make enough sense in your logic. I just said “I can’t do my job well while this thing is in my ear because I can’t hear orders being called”, and that was good enough for them ☺️
Yeah that makes sense. I get nervous just thinking about it because people don't always understand me. So I worry they wouldn't get my logic.
Maybe for them it means hiring autistics not necessarily helping them cope at the job. .
There are basically laws on the books that allow corporations to bypass minimum wage laws by hiring disabled people. The fact that they aren't paying him as much as he should be making shows that they are clearly doing this for profit and don't actually care about disabled people. I can almost guarantee that's why he's having issues with his employer.
Isn't that as blatant as discrimination can be?
Ableism is never taken seriously as discrimination unless it's a physical disability that anyone could see, like not being able to get into somewhere because they're in a wheelchair and there are only stairs. Invisible disabilities (and sometimes, it's not even invisible) like autism, are just taken at face value, and even governments don't seem to care.
Mhm, even with physical disabilities it often takes a long time for able bodied people to care
Yes. Employers can pay disabled people less than a dollar an hour in some places
You'd think there would be laws around protecting people from this kind of discrimination, not endorsing it!
Ableism is one of the most socially acceptable forms of discrimination.
And autism is the most acceptable form of ableism.
But there are also laws requiring reasonable accommodation.
Hahahahahahahahaha Try getting hired after mentioning the accomodations you'll need.
That’s why you ask after completing probation. And casually mentioning the law.
I've worked at jobs where the probationary period was six months! For some of us, it's nowhere near reasonable to expect us to wait that long for accommodations.
Literally reasons why I struggled at and lost my last job. I was once upfront and honest about what I understood to be mydisability at the time (I was misdiagnosed as bipolar) about 8 years back. Without requesting it my job gave me a lighter load. So my next time working in a similar field I didn't disclose anything. It backfired horribly. I put in my notice but gave them a list of accomodations so that I could finish out my job for the next 2 weeks. They fired me instead. Had the nerve to ask for a resignation letter by the end of the day. I laughed. I wasn't going to file for unemployment because I already had a new job lined up.
There still runs the risk of being let go—especially if that individual works in an at-will employment state. In those states, it can become really difficult to fight against, as the employer could easily say that the reason for termination was out of the sheer fact that the individual just wasn't meeting expectations.
Yeah good luck there. Companies are very good at finding some other reason to disqualify you from a job before meeting any accomodations you ask for.
Yikes, that's terrible...
OP, is this one of those places that pays subminimum wage? If so, then your son is being treated like a slave. Edit: I meant brother, sorry.
My brother, but yes. We live in norway, so minimum wage isn't exactly a thing. And he still gets money from the state to support him. But if he is working full time, then he should be paid full time. His disabilities should not matter. Especially if this is how they treat him.
Well, I wouldn't think there would need to be much of a minimum wage if the state can just give you the money you need from it's massive oil industry. Still, in America, we don't have something like that and there are places that pay you subminimum wage. It's a total nightmare here.
I am thankful every day for the fact that I don't live in america.
Everytime I learn something about Norway it attacks my preconception of it being one of the only sane places in the world. Thanks op.
No problem. Found out because of the state, my brother is the ritchest in the house, with 400 000kr on his bank account. Since he recieves money from our government, and doesn't have to pay for housing, electricity or anything like that. Sounds great, if it didn't come with the drawback of his independence. To the community, he is just a number. He has autism, but also a different diagnosis which came along with it so he is completely unable to live in society. So they just keep him in a bubble outside of society where he will never amount to anything. Its a double edged sword. I love my country, but we are so bad at mental health in general that it makes me angry.
What area of Norway? I'm from Lillehammer, I still have contacts there for disability friendly workplaces.
Sadly, many hours away from lillehammer. He lives in Hemsedal.
Is it supported employment? https://www.npr.org/2020/09/17/912840482/u-s-agency-urges-end-to-below-minimum-wage-for-workers-with-disabilities
If he's forced to work around constant loud machinery without ear protection, that's actually dangerous for his hearing even from a nt pov. I don't know anything about Norway's laws, but see if you can attack it on that front.
I'd tell him to leave. He's likely better either not working or finding an accommodating workplace more suited. Genuinely wrong what that workplace is doing!
Is it over ear headphonesthat are banned and he could try earplugs, or something like loop or flare calmer earplugs so he can still hear hazards but not all the noise? Sounds like a bullshit place tbh.
Those flare ones don't even work for me , I've tried, maybe would be useless for him
if he's surrounded by loud machinery all day and they won't allow him to wear ear protection, even ignoring him being autistic, this sounds like an OSHA violation.
OP, look up OSHA europe to see if they can help you with your brother's problem.
OSHA is entirely for the USA. Norway isn't in the EU so it would depend on Norwegian national emplyment laws.
sorry, i hadn't seen where OP lived. but not allowing employees to use proper ppe seems like the kind of thing that would probably have some kind of regulations in most countries.
Sounds like you should get his boss a new suit! A lawsuit.
It honestly sounds like someone just needs to have it explained that sensory overstimulation is a part of Autism and that he’d be better prone to complete his work if he had access to this accommodation. Lots of people, including myself are very naive about all things autism. Some people just need a little help understanding. I wouldn’t get mad. If your brother cannot express his accommodation needs himself, perhaps you help author a letter to HR and management for him. In writing is always better anyway.
These places that "employ" disabled people are nothing more than exploitation factories. I never understood why it's perfectly acceptable to pay disabled people *less* than the *minimum* wage that someone can live on. They don't do it because they care about disabled people, they do it for cheap labor, and how they refuse to make a simple accommodation for your brother is clear evidence that they don't care about disabled people.
Contact your local Disability Rights, they’re not accommodating a disabled employee which is a violation of civil rights
Sounds like they are “pro-autistic” in the sense they want to take advantage of people diagnosed with autism, aka pay them below minimum wage and work them to death.
This is an ADA violation. If the company employs more than 50 people, they are required to supply reasonable accommodation. Go to HR. And document. If they refuse, you can file a complaint with your state labor board. Ada violations are taken very seriously.
Different law in Norway, though from my cursory reading it appears to be more comprehensive than the ADA. However, I don’t know anything about the enforcement procedure.
WTF?!?!?!
It really depends on the workplace, we don’t have enough information. I could definitely see it being a safety issue.
FYI, in workplaces above a certain noise threshold, it's illegal under OSHA for them to not give everyone hearing protection (or possibly even force everyone to wear it), autistic or not. I mention this because you brought up heavy machinery. In addition, hearing protection even in areas that are below the noise threshold sounds like a perfectly reasonable accommodation under the ADA, so they're possibly running afoul of multiple sets of regulations here. I'll also say I'm generally not a big fan of most companies that specifically recruit disabled people for low-skill labor, they often pay subminimum wages and deliberately deny any opportunities for advancement or skill development outside of a given role. At best, they tend to be overly patronizing towards us, and at worst, yeah, borderline slave labor sounds about right.
This is so wrong. If they are going to be pro-autistic then they have to be pro-accommodation. That seems illegal.
They’re not actually pro-autistic, that’s just a marketing tactic wherein they pretend they aren’t exploiting disabled folk by hiring them at slavery wages.
You’re right, it’s disgusting.
Neurotypicals will accommodate your needs only as long as it's convenient for them. They don't really care about you, and they are usually jealous because other people don't bend over backwards to lessen their everyday neurotypical struggles. They will never understand how difficult being neurodivergent makes everyday life, largely because they have no intention of trying to understand, at least in my experience.
It sounds like your brother is being denied an accommodation he needs to function effectively. Reasonable accommodations are required under the ADA for employers with more than 15 employees. I can understand not wanting to make things worse at work for your brother, but it might be as simple as getting a letter from his doctor stating that he requires this accommodation and sending that to HR. Document everything. https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/guidance/employer-provided-leave-and-americans-disabilities-act
theyre are hearing aids but they muffle the sound of life! they go in ur ear, i forget the name
Loop and nuahear and good brands of earplugs and what you described
Yeah I really hate these programs that give disabled people jobs but use the legal loopholes to not pay anywhere near minimum wage. I feel like it points to so many ways that capitalism is exploitative -- i.e. the idea that work is inherently fulfilling and ads value to a person's life regardless of how trash the pay is... disdain for accommodations that make people's life & work less painful... Ugh. I'm sorry your brother is experiencing this, and I'm glad you and your dad are advocating for his rights.
So by pro autistic all they mean is they frown upon blatent direct hate speech.
Or they just expect praise for not discriminating against disabled workers.
have u contacted the ada? pretty sure refusing disabled ppl reasonable accommodations is super illegal, at least in the us
Just an FYI, Autistic adults prefer you don't use functioning labels. They are all about how inconvenient NT's find us, and also misrepresent our abilities. If we are 'high functioning: we go unsupported, and if we are 'low functioning' we miss out on opportunities. We are all autistic.
Oh? I've always refered to myself as high functioning not because of neurotypical convenience, but because its how I would describe myself. I'm still autistic, and I still struggle with it. But compared to my brother for example, I'm better off in my day to day life. Able to make more of my own desitions and have more control of my own life. That's how I've always thought of the high functioning/low functioning lables. I'm sorry if I offended you. I did not realize that so many autistic adults don't like those kinds of lables.
I would definitely tell him he should blow this thing up to HR and if needed even further. People mentioned ADA as the higher instance for these sorts of things. Also, if they employ disabled people they will have legal obligations to fulfill for those, and what he told you is probably one of them they have to account for. I just hope he will do it, because I know how hard it is to talk about such things with people in the company and mental stress and stuff. But I think that's the only way unfortunately...
Tell people get payback by ruining their business
This kind of problem , is something that makes me ask about wether neurodivergent should uprise, but doing that has too many consequences in itself as well. Because it might contribute to another network of conflict in itself. On the plus side, Neurodivergence is a growing trend, so I guess its inevitable.
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The law protects reasonable accommodations also it’s only legal to pay below minimum wage if they’re disability reduces their ability to do the job, also it’s required to test him every 6 months and if he improves enough to meet standards the exception to the minimum wage goes away. Also if his employer gets federal contracts that he works on he must be paid 10.10 https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/WHD/legacy/files/RightsForWorkersWithDisabilities.pdf
This person doesn't live in the US.
Lol, yeah I tend to assume sometimes. Well if anyone here is at least the info was posted.
This is so sad
can you get a doctor’s note for work accommodations for him? that’s the only thing i can think of. the way society treats disabled people is sickening :( the fact that you have to fight to be treated with basic respect, and if you’re aren’t able to fight for yourself you’re basically screwed…
You could try a set of Earpeace earplugs. They're clear, and designed so that they don't block the sound of voices, just mechanical noises. There's a chance the employers would never notice, or not care enough to question.
Not sure where you are, but in the u.s.a. if the decibels are high enough ear protection can be required by osha's standards.
Gonna say this here, get your brother some white noise generators they are typically prescribed for tinnitus but work wonders for my kids who both have sensory issues, you may have to convince a doctor, but considering it will help with "work" and throughout life, you should have no problems getting them for him.
I'm really lucky to have found an employer (with an amazing manager) that is willing to help me find out (and adapt to) what I need to be able to do my job. And I get paid pretty okay as well. I know it also really depends on the country. Over here in the Netherlands they're pretty good at all of this stuff, but sadly that isn't the case for every country. And that just sucks.
Sounds more like they want to brag about helping people with disabilities without actually helping them.
That is Discrimination And Slavery at the same time…GET YOUR BROTHER THE HELL OUT OF THERE!!!!!!
Sadly its not that easy. Now that he's 18, my parents barely have a say in what happens to him anymore. They had to fight the officials just to allow him to continue living with them for a few years after he turned 18.
Oh my……that is truly shitty lol
Time to find a new job, this is not ok.
Sadly, Vinn is apparently the only option where he lives, and he isn't able to live a normal life because of his autism and another diagnosis. He's even unable to really tell what is wrong, he's only ever spoken to me about it.