Accommodation for Noise Sensitivity at Work

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Scientists and engineers in my group will be moved in late July to dual-occupancy cubicles. For me, concentrating on say, distribution of a weighted sum of squares of gaussian variables, in the presence of background conversations, phone calls, neighbors drumming on desks and the like is very frustrating. Having my concentration broken repeatedly at random intervals becomes increasingly painful and I eventually arise and walk away. Past coping strategies are to get unused lab space, storage areas, and work there. Presently I occupy converted storage space, but I must move with my group. I got diagnosed this year with Aspergers, and sought accommodation under the ADA, but the EEO says I will be moved into a cubicle, by myself at first, but with a co-occupant if staffing levels require it. The cube walls will block little noise, and my manager, who says I look normal to him, can move another occupant in to talk on the phone four feet from my head. So that equals zero accommodation. Who knows a good lawyer

Have you tried using ear plugs, or bring a MP3 play with you to block out the noise. Before suing maybe you should try making some adaptions yourself.

I don't know a good lawyer, sorry, but I do want to say it's so frustrating not having noise sensitivity taken seriously. If anything I (this is probably the nastiest thing I'll say and I hope it's not taken as NT-phobic but it comes from a lifetime of frustration) think people whose ears aren't hurt/nerves aren't rattled by loud clanging/ringing/strident talking/multiple simultaneous conversations to be sensorily deficient. I am not disordered, you are disordered for NOT being bothered by the ear damage you are scientifically certifiably incurring by listening to music at that volume, I feel like telling them. That you don't feel the pain of your ears being damaged as this happens is a problem. I just hate when people get annoyed at me for asking me to turn their unbelievably, horrendously loud music down when I'm in the car with them.

/curmudgeonly rant that I actually think is QUITE sensible!

So the manager thinks they are a Neurologist ? Do they not understand this is a diffrent brain you have not a leg or something ? Look normal to him what the hell does he know silly drone manager show him a brain scan or have the person who did the diagnose talk with him.

The US Department of Labor issued a series of recommendations on accommodating Aspies in the workplace through their Ask Jan (Job Accommodation Network) series including reducing auditory distractions. You may want to show that to the EEO:

Ask JAN on Aspergers, http://askjan.org/media/asperger.html