Unfortunately, it is becoming all too common in the workplace to deny someone employment due to a disability, and if someone with one does slip through the cracks, they are pushed to the point they quit simply so people don't have to deal with them. This is my tale of disclosure, and its pros and cons.
My current job is as a Kitchen Porter in a restaurant. At interview, I was polite, funny, and had a smile on my face throughout. No mention of any disabilities was made nor asked for, and from the outside it didn't look like there was a problem. Naturally, at the time there was a big problem - I was going through a period of bad depression, where I was feeling useless and everything I was doing was pointless. I had put on an act to get through the interview, as people had 'advised' me to do.
Anyway, I got the job and headed to sign my contract, at the bottom of it was a disclosure for any disabilities. I put down Aspergers and later on the managers took me to one side to get the gist of it. No issues there right? The very next day, the General Manager pulls me over and says that I should have told them at interview that I had AS, with me countering that people in my position get discriminated for doing exactly that, even noting this as the equivalent to the military policy of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'. In response he said that "had I told him at interview, I would not have been hired" with his reasoning being the risk assessments that would be necessary and the changes that would need to be implemented.
I was in shock. Not only had I been proven right about being discriminated against, but this guy had outright told me that he would not have hired me on my disability alone. I was fuming, but I carried on like he hadn't said anything, and gave the head chef the rundown of my specific circumstances (bad at multitasking, gets worked up if too many things go wrong at once, need for organization) He was very accepting of it, as were the majority of the kitchen staff; that and I also told him not to piss me off, especially in a kitchen with lots of sharp objects. (That last part being a warning that if I get worked up enough, I would just let loose on whatever was around me, as some of my school peers found out the hard way.)
Things came to a head about 2 weeks after I started. I had yet to be shown how to use a certain piece of equipment, and was told to use it. Figuring someone would have realized I wasn't yet 'authorised' to use it (safety reasons) I waited outside, kitting myself up in the protective gear. GM comes out and asks what I'm doing, then asks whether I know how to do what I'm supposed to be doing. When he started to make assumptions that I didnt know the safety aspects of the chemicals involved I politely reminded him that I did in fact know about them (being a chemistry graduate and all).
He got mad, yelling at me loud enough that other staff members could hear. He got within inches of my face (a massive no-no) and said among other things that answering back to him was extremely disrespectful.
While I kept a straight face during the tirade, I broke down in tears once he left. Between feeling furious at my treatment and upset at being yelled at, I really didn't want to be around a guy who just wouldn't accept me. The General Manager's wife, also a GM, a duty manager and the Area Manager (GM's boss) were on premises at the time and I informed them of what had transpired. Naturally, they all assumed I was overreacting, the wife even saying that he wouldn't do that and wouldn't discriminate someone with a disability, as he has diabetes. I pointed out that diabetes and AS are not even in the same category of disabilities, and that one is treatable while the other is not. I also made it clear that people in the kitchen had heard some of what had been said, and I ended up making a formal request to the Area Manager to handle it. As it turned out, there was a camera in the back yard that confirmed my version of events; not only confirming that what had happened did happen, but also reaffirming my stance of always being open and honest with people.
Following this, the management team were quick to get a full rundown of any ways to help me do this job without any more incidents. My sister, a graduate with a Masters Degree in Social Work (and who did extensive research on ASDs, with me being the subject of her dissertation) was able to provide plenty of information to them for the purpose of helping them help me deal with the pressure. A lot of the problems quickly vanished now that people knew how to interpret and react, and people saw me in a new light - the same face I had put on at interview to hide my depression was now what i was like normally, because people were accepting it. Sure there were some hiccups along the way, but these were solved relatively quickly and people enjoyed working with me.
9 months later and the number of staff members has dwindled. While many have gone and started new jobs, I remain. While many who started strong got complacent, I kept improving. Even the GM, who once had said 'it would never work' has told me I'm one of his best employees due to the amount of care and work I put in.
In short, people assumed ASDs meant you are incapable of working, and I set out to prove them wrong. I succeeded. Disclosure is a double edged sword - you need to emphasise that despite the disability you have strengths that outweigh it. Make sure that you have information on hand should it come up at interview, and be as honest as you can be with potential employers. Never lie to them, be upfront with them, and they should have a reason to trust in you.
12 Mar 2015, 11:11 am
She said she cannot keep treading on eggshells around me and I was gobsmacked when she said " I bet you go home and tell your partner I've been bullying you" 
Well yes I do because that's how I see it but it's no business of hers what I tell my partner 
