Feeling micromanaged at work

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For the past 4 years, I have been working for a big university thought it was great at first, most of the people who were supportive are gone. For the moment one of supervisors, who does a lot of autism research doesn't really know what to do with me or really understand me. Whenever I try to talk to him, he brushes off in a cold tone. "Ok, I am busy right now, we will talk during your weekly meeting
Moreover, I feel like everytime I want to make a descision like

1. Stay in my job and look for an internship it was "I think you need an internship right now, I think you need to get really good at your skills here and build them up first.
2. I tried to suggest my career option where I want to volunteer in an area related to my field and it's
"Maybe, that sounds like an idea that needs to be talked about."
3. Last year, I accidentally got an invitation to a baby shower in another subdepartment and I went thinking that other colleagues would be there. I even met some of my supervisor's collabs which I was hoping to surprise him with.
It was "Did you go to this professor's baby shower? I got a contact from one of the associates because everyone was puzzled why you were there. However, the next time you get an invite, ask me or one of the other co-workers and see what you think.

However, there are a few people with different disabilities and they are being treated better right now which didn't used to happen. I used to sit on one of the planning committees for a conference and I got eliminated from that. Now I am sitting in an office by myself doing data entry. I told them that I wanted to be a part and it was
"Sometimes it's nice not to have so much responsibility on your plate."

I am not going to quit my job but after that last phone call, I feel very tempted to contact human resources. What's the best way to handle this.

I haven't worked in a long ass time, so I won't try giving you advice b/c it probably wouldn't help you much. It does, however, sound a bit like he (the ASD researcher) is almost treating you like a research subject and almost putting you in the "low-functioning" classification of people w/ASD since he's both micro-managing you and cutting back your responsibilities. I assume you're an Aspie and (at least if it were me) I would hope that working for a specialist in the field would be a positive thing. You might intuitvely think at least that the person would be MORE understanding, supportive and accommodating than another hypothetical boss. But apparently, he's the opposite and it sounds frustrating, possibly condescending, boring (in terms of the work you're doing now) and constricting.

I should add two other things about academic environments and bosses in general. First off (taking the latter first), remember many bosses are just as*holes, it just comes w/the territory. In my limited experience, I've had at least one or two myself and after a few months I couldn't stand it any longer. Secondly, you're in an academic environment at a big school. And unfortunately, like the rest of the economy, universities have become subject to the same neoliberal forces that are shaping workplaces and the labor market like the rest of the economy (especially in the US). You probably have some idea what it's like for faculty, where all but a handful of hires now are adjuncts w/no real job stability or security and most living paycheck to paycheck if not in poverty. What's grown at universities is the f*****g bureaucracies, not teaching positions despite the growth in enrollment at universities around the US. In their desire to grow the bureaucracy and treat universities increasingly like private corporations, you're gonna get more a-holes working there and in many cases less accommodations for people w/"special needs". And this is what appears to be being done to you, aka ABLEISM or one form of it. And I've already said how outrageous it is that a specialist in the field is doing this to you.

Hopefully others will have constructive advice for you. Good luck!

The other thing that makes me upset is because he seems to treat a colleague of mine, with low vision a lot better and she is given all kinds of opportunities in helping with research. She doesn't even have a degree, just a high school diploma and great training from a center that works with blind people. We used to share the same office but they separated us because (However it helps a lot)


1. We kept talking a lot
2. I would get distracted by watching her get to helop out on all the cool projects related to research and my degree and cry all the time.