Work Accommodations for a Teacher

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I work at a Middle School, so sensory overload is a part of life. In the fall, I talked to the principal about certain accommodations that would be helpful. I didn't put them in writing at that time because I hadn't been formally diagnosed yet. But today, I got to work and found out that my daughter had a stomach virus. My wife (also a teacher) recently had surgery on her arm, so she asked me to take the baby home.

I have 15 sick days, and haven't taken a single one this year. Yet when I called for a sub, she told me that I would have to speak to the principal, who asked why my wife couldn't take her home and basically tried to intimidate me into staying. My daughter is at daycare, sick.

So, accommodation #1: If an explanation is required for leave, allow the employee to provide written (instead of verbal) communication.

This guy also tried to intimidate me into changing his nephew's grade last year, and actually kind of threatened to shoot me when I refused. So...

Accomodation #2: (For short-term memory, of course) Allow meetings to be recorded for future playback.

Most of my problems concern sensory overload, though. What can you suggest, based on what you know about schools, that might help? Has anyone had experience submitting work accommodations before? Is there a certain format that I should use?

Thanks,

Fred

Fred, pursuant to the FMLA, a school has no choice but to give you off--at least without pay. It sounds to me as if your superiors are simply being difficult to deal with.

Also, if anybody ever threatened me, I would call the police immediately. That's not something any of us have to put up with. Threatening somebody with bodily harm is very illegal.

Thanks. If he ever threatens me again, I'll have a record of it and get a restraining order. The first time was a surprise, an example of "fool me once..."

Teachers are kind of the exception to every employment rule, though. It depends on where you live and teach, of course. Where I live and where I taught, teachers had all sorts of rights "on paper," but very few rights in actual practice. You're in a bad situation as a teacher (relative to other professions) because you're basically a legally-mandated babysitter. You don't get to take time off because your obligations to your students must always come first above everything else. I'm not saying that's RIGHT, I'm just saying that's the way it IS. And that might also sound idealistic and not rooted in reality, but I'm not trying to be all idealistic about it. As a teacher, YOU are the one in charge of those kids. There IS no one else, which makes it a high pressure job in that it demands so much more sacrifice than other kinds of jobs.

As a rule, teachers can't really get fired. They CAN, but they really have to screw up to get fired. The reason why is they're too difficult to replace, whereas in other jobs you can share responsibilities among the rest of the employees until you can get a replacement. You can't do that with teachers--or if you DO, you're really lucky. I'd say that teaching is even more demanding than police work.

The way you get rid of a teacher is not by firing--since by firing a teacher people tend to ask too many questions. What you do is make that person's life so difficult they either choose to break their contract or ask to be released from it, or at the end of the year refuse to offer a new contract. Where I live, admins are under no obligation to give a reason for failure to renew. If a teacher can PROVE discrimination, she can go after a school for damages, but it's extremely difficult if admins have gone through the process of issuing formal reprimands and documenting deficiencies they see in teacher performance. Then all they'll say in court is that they teacher can't handle the job and that the teacher is lucky the school didn't terminate the contract mid-year. What's more is now your business is all public, whereas otherwise you might have gotten a recommendation to go somewhere else where you might have been treated better.

Every sub I've ever known was awful, and that alone was enough to keep me coming to work every day without fail. There were SOME days that it was just impossible, but extremely rare. The policy was arrangements had to be made the day before I missed, and only in extreme emergencies could I call in that morning. I knew a lot of teachers who blatantly abused this process. I always got a hard time about it, and I just assumed that I was getting a hard time about it was because they didn't want to have to figure out what to do with my kids, whether to get a sub or just have them meet in the gym (I taught band and general music, so I had a little more leeway than most teachers). I also did volunteer work and community service kinds of things, so I'd make arrangements sometimes weeks in advance. The schools actually encouraged me to miss on those occasions since it made the school look good that one of their teachers was directly involved in the community, and it didn't even count against my personal or sick days.

Nobody ever asked whether my wife could take off work, though. Usually she DID take off work to take care of a child, but when she'd taken too many sick days, it was up to me to make arrangements. So I'd have to explain that my wife had taken too many days herself and I had no way of getting out of it. And I just had to be kind but firm with admins and secretaries. Life happens. There's no way around it. When I worked for the private school, I had a lot more freedom for that kind of thing than I ever did in the public schools. All I had to say was I had the sniffles and get out of work, though I never did. When I was in the public school, it seemed everyone in my immediate family and my wife's died, so I was going away to funerals every other month. Every time I was aware that I had to miss, I was required to write a note and deliver it to the high school office. I never had a problem with that, and when I returned to school I had to fill out a form stating my specific reasons for missing, and all that stayed on record. And I never used even 1/3 of my personal/sick days in any given year.

So in response to accommodation #1: I'd say that should be standard procedure anyway, for ANY teacher and not merely teachers who have special needs themselves. That's just smart, and it covers the rear-ends of both administrators and the teachers who need time off.

Accommodation #2: That's reasonable. Just make sure that if you're recording meetings that the recorder is VISIBLE and you have another teacher or administrator present in order to verify what was said/not said. If a person knows he's being recorded, he'll usually think twice about what he has to say.

As far as any other special treatment goes, I'd suggest this: Most of the problem of being a teacher, whether you are AS or NT, is that YOU are the one in charge--not the principal. So you have to be responsible for your own accommodations. If you are aware of what you need, even take time to explain to your students your issues and employ their own understanding. The purpose of school is to focus on the students' needs, anyway, so the more you can delegate classroom tasks to the students themselves, the easier your professional life is going to get. This is something I struggled with myself as a teacher and part of the reason I gave it up. I just didn't have a sense of delegating tasks, and it was just always easier to do the job right by doing it myself. I didn't know that I COULD involve the kids that way. And something I'm figuring out now that I have children of my own is that I don't have to be the only person in the house to bear the burden of those tasks. I may have to keep my kids "on task" in the house by barking orders, but I otherwise don't have to lift a finger. Teach your students to accommodate YOU while keeping those tasks within a learning context. If I'd figured that out a few years ago, I'd probably still be teaching now.

What I worry about is whether admins are going to interpret your own special needs as you just causing trouble or even your inability to teach at all. That doesn't mean you can't ask, and that doesn't mean you can't get sympathy from admins. The best thing you can at least try is sit down with your principals, talk about what you need man-to-man, and maybe see if they aren't willing to meet you half-way. If they insist on giving you a hard time, it might be wise to think whether your talents might be better appreciated elsewhere.

Thanks. I have sat down with him before; the problem is that he's a narcissist, so if he doesn't follow a mod given verbally, he'll just lie about it when asked. Today, I was out with the same virus. Told his secretary before I left yesterday and left plans for a sub. He just called and said that if I don't notify him directly next time, he'll write me up. And of course, when I try to notify him directly, he'll try to intimidate me.

Today's a good day to send in those modifications!

P.S.- I found this website, it's great!

https://askjan.org/media/asperger.html

Alright, here is the email that I sent in to the Superintendent today. Thanks to those who chimed in, and hopefully this can help someone who searches here in the future:

"To whom it may concern:

I am writing to request reasonable accommodations related to an autism spectrum disorder. While some of my autistic traits, such as higher intelligence and lower absenteeism, have been very beneficial to my teaching career, others have presented quite a challenge. The attached list is based on observations during my last seven years working at [said school], and consists of ideas that I think would be helpful and provide relief.

If you have any questions or concerns about these accommodations, feel free to email me during the next week. I can also have medical documentation sent to the Central Office upon request. For policy questions, you may also be able to find answers on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission website.

Sincerely,

N0tYetDeadFred

[Some text below borrowed from the Job Accommodation Network]

What is Asperger Syndrome?
Asperger Syndrome is one of several categories of autism spectrum conditions (DSM-IV, 1994). These conditions are expected to be combined into one autism spectrum category in the near future. The rationale for this proposed revision is that because autism is defined by a common set of behaviors, it is best represented as a single diagnostic category (DSM 5 Development, 2010). Therefore, discussion of Asperger Syndrome should be understood as relating to the autism spectrum generally.

Characteristics of Asperger Syndrome and other autism spectrum conditions include strong focused interests, social and communication differences, unusual sensory processing, atypical and repetitive physical movements, and motor skills difficulties (dyspraxia). These characteristics have been consistently noted throughout the history of the research literature on autism spectrum conditions (Sanders, 2009).

Requested accommodations:

Speaking/Communicating: Individuals with Asperger Syndrome may have difficulty communicating with co-workers or supervisors.

Provide advance notice of date of meeting when employee is required to speak to reduce or eliminate anxiety
Provide advance notice of topics to be discussed in meetings to help facilitate communication
Allow employee to refer or provide written requests/notifications for leave, in lieu of verbal response
Allow classroom observations to be conducted by the supervisor with whom the employee is most familiar, to reduce or eliminate feelings of intimidation

Time Management/Organization:
Allow use of a handheld organizer, such as a PDA or smartphone
Allow use of computer-based testing methods

Short-Term Memory:
Allow employee to record meetings and verbal instructions for future playback
Email important questions and notifications

Sensory Overload:
Allow employee to conduct brief “moments of silence” at the beginning of each class period as needed, to quiet students' prior conversations
Allow employee to leave or stand away from crowded areas (hallways, buses, lunchroom) as needed
Allow employee to sign in/out during off-peak hours, when teacher workrooms are less crowded
Allow employee to turn off flourescent lights as needed, particularly during planning periods
Allow employee to wear specialized earplugs or headphones as needed

It's very similar to the accommodation letter my psychologist wrote that I can't hand in because my school board wouldn't accept having a teacher on the spectrum (according to my union). Glad to see that your board is a little more open to differences.

I'm not so sure that they are, but I basically left them no choice. After I sent this, my principal took it upon himself to speak for the board and tell me that they wouldn't be making accommodations. I recorded the conversation and sent a copy to the superintendent explaining which parts violate federal law.

(Note: recording your conversations isn't legal in every state, so careful with that kind of thing.)

One tiny observation:

Those of us on the spectrum have a difficult time reading social cues and taking hints, but even worse we have trouble making ourselves understood. This is something that has essentially killed my career in education--though I've moved on and am much happier where I am running my own business as the Hunchback Pianist of the File Room. And, honestly, I like my "Piano Dungeon." I think you mean well, but I worry that you might come across as somewhat menacing and threatening yourself in the ways you've chosen to communicate your wishes. It's not fun being the person who needs accommodations and ending up accommodating NTs, but that's just the reality of where we are. And I'm afraid no federal labor laws can fix that.

I admire you for standing up to them, though. I have a low opinion of educators in general because of what I saw in my brief time as a teacher. I hope all goes well and that you'll continue to keep us informed. It might be a good idea to lawyer-up at this point, and I hope you have carefully documented everything that has happened in your communications with your principal.

After reading through your accommodations, MOST of what I see are some things you don't really need anybody's permission for. Much of that consists of things you can take personal initiative for. For example, use of a PDA and computer-based testing methods shouldn't even really be up for question. Those kinds of things streamline what you do. ALL teachers should be doing this, not just teachers who themselves have special needs.

I'm not sure what's wrong with recording meetings. Think about it... Kids record teachers going nuts after the kids abuse the teachers and post it to youtube all the time. Nothing seems to happen to the kids, but the teachers get fired. So I don't see why recording meetings, whether conferences with parents or weekly teacher's meetings, should ever be a problem.

Emailing important questions and notifications? That ought to be SOP in any school system for all employees.

Now, as to your sensory overload:
I like your "moments of silence" idea. But why not just make it a routine that students pick up a quiz or some kind of "busy work" at the start of class as soon as they walk through the door--some kind of activity that gets them quiet as soon as they sit down? And, I mean, something that shouldn't even take longer than 5 minutes but gives you time reorient yourself between classes. That's a very common practice with a lot of teachers.

I hate flourescent lights also, though I can tolerate the CF bulbs in my Tiffany lamp at home. What I don't understand is who cares what you do during planning periods? If you need the lights off during planning period, nobody is supposed to bother you then, anyway.

Earplugs? As long as you can hear and respond to your students as required in class interactions, what does anyone else care what you have in your ears?

Leaving/standing away from crowded areas--ok, the problem here is that the school has to worry about safety liability if teachers aren't supervising the kids. All of the three schools where I worked handled this in different ways, but basically it broke down into teachers being responsible for the area in front of their doorways between classes and there was a rotating duty roster for things like buses/parking lots and cafeteria. You just had to keep up with what day and times you had duty, and there was nothing to it. Mainly the point is that teachers are VISIBLE, not that the teachers actually had to DO anything. I think I always just got lucky that nothing drastic ever happened on my shift. But we're talking about things that were only once a day, once a week, or only two weeks out of the year. While those things are unpleasant for autistics, they're also unpleasant for EVERYONE, and teachers will do anything they can to get out of their duties if they think there's any way to. The best teachers are typically some of those who silently do their assigned duties not because they enjoy duty, but merely because they take pride in their workplace. It also provides opportunities for "unofficial" or "informal" instructional time. Though I only work with individual students now, I still have to walk them to and from their classrooms, and along the way I'm checking their lesson books to refresh my memory on where they are and quickly plan how the lesson is going to go. It's my chance to not only get some instruction time that's otherwise lost on the way to and from the lesson, but also to connect with the student on a personal level. Like it or not, the concerns and distractions that students have in their daily lives impacts your effectiveness in instructing that student, so being seen by students and interacting with students outside YOUR classroom helps extend the influence you have over that child--not just academic achievement, but behavioral goals as well. And I don't see exactly how various duties that you won't even spend that much time doing are going to affect you so severely even if you are on the spectrum. It will be more uncomfortable for you than NT teachers, sure. But I fail to see how it could be so crippling (and yes, I did my time "doing duty" for 5 years).

That said, I think it's a mistake if there's not a duty rotation that keeps you off-duty most days. The most dreaded duty for me was basketball duty selling tickets to the game and also running concessions. But I only had to do two games. What I'd do was sign up for both duties on the same night or even on the same weekend if that wasn't an option. And I never had to worry about it again. Your school should have a teacher rotation system to keep you from doing overly demanding tasks and/or uncomfortable situations (like busy hallways) so regularly. If you're doing that kind of stuff all the time and you don't have any relief or help, then I'd say you're entitled to accommodation. For a teacher to request/require accommodation when a lot of those accommodations can be met by the teacher himself in his own personal initiative seems silly to me.

And I'm not meaning to be insulting or combative. I'm not in your exact situation, so there's a lot that I don't know. Mainly I just don't see exactly what it is that's holding you back from several of these items.

I've found my own "official" work as of late unsatisfying and I have a lot of time on my hands. So I started writing handbell music and I've virtually taken over my church's praise band. I've operated under the policy of "it's easier to ask forgiveness than permission," and in the past I've not hesitated to take expensive equipment from the church to do what I needed to do. I just made a point to stop by the office on the way out and say, "oh, BTW, I have the bells for the weekend in case anyone is looking for them." If someone doesn't like you using computerized testing methods, just go ahead and use those methods until someone says, "um, no, you can't do that."

Good luck, and keep us posted. I really do hope things go your way.