#acommodations

It’s dependent on the employers in question, to be honest. There’s not a one-size-fits-all approach. In the United States, disabled workers are protected under the ADA, but it can be hard to get accommodations and enforce rights.

Here are some perspective articles:

An article on the benefits and risks of disclosure in the workplace, by autistic writer and disability consultant Sara Luterman.

This is an article about being an autistic, employed woman and some tips for employers by Jennifer Malia, an English professor.

Ashlea McKay wrote a piece here on Medium about seven things an autistic person needs from employers.

While those articles can definitely inform your approach, I also recommend if you are in the U.S.:

The Job Accommodation Network (JAN), from the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP). JAN offers free guidance on workplace accommodations/rights and disability employment.

(and i acknowledge that a lot of these things require a few materials but mostly they are things can be things picked up from the dollar/thrift store or walmart/amazon for cheap. Also if you’re struggling to keep yourself alive/fed/happy etc. it’s not for you to worry about sustainability etc.) 

For example:

Keep a tray/bin at your desk/couch/bed for all the dishes/garbage you make in a day. then all clutter is localized to that bin and it’s easier to take it all to the kitchen when you go 

Have a tooth brush at every sink, in the shower, at your desk, whatever. 

Sensory shit make it hard to wear “normal clothes”? athleisure wear is great, or just live in pajamas. just get a bunch of pajamas and wear them all the time. switch into clean ones in the morning so you don’t feel gross

Baby wipes and washcloths - have them around. use them to get clean when showering is too much work. use them to do a quick wipe of a surface etc.

Keep one of those soap dispensing dish brushes in your shower so when you’re bored in there you can just clean for a second and make it nicer for yourself 

Outsource things to apps or technology, write things down, set up automation on your phone/computer if it helps 

Carry a bag around in your own house  - like put your phone & your notebook, baby wipes, a deodorant, some water, easy snacks, whatever in there and just carry it around your house with you 

underwear feel kind of sweaty/damp in the middle of the day? Put on a new pair. literally it doesn’t matter. change them 3 times a day if you want. 

keep things where you use them, even if that’s not where they “go” 

bins & trays for everything - if you put clutter all on a little tray it suddenly looks like it has a home and it isn’t as visually distracting. If you put everything in a bin, same thing. I generally prefer open top bins so i can see things

Take labels off things to reduce visual clutter

Set alarms to eat/drink water etc. 

Eat off paper plates if you can’t do dishes

Prepack bags if possible and keep them in a closet to grab & go with less stress  - gym bag? always packed up in an old backpack with your shoes, a water bottle the lock etc. Dog travel bag? right there in a reusable tote from some random brand. Purse? packed and ready to go with a mask in it and everything.

when i see anything to do with devos, i can’t help but think of the bio professor i had in my freshman year of college. she taught bio 101, and absolutely LOATHED us. if we couldn’t understand something it was our fault for not bringing it to her attention more clearly, and she would often embarrass students (myself included) in front of the class.

since im disabled, and required accommodations for testing, before exams i needed to be sure  i  gave all of my professors these neon green forms for them to sign, letting them know which accommodations id be using. for me, they were 1) to be able to take tests in our disabilities services center--for the quiet and individual space--and 2) to use a computer to type my answers and to have extended time to help my processing issues. all the professors needed to do was sign them, and send the test to the office. when i went to this professor before the final, she poured over that paper, eyes narrowed, lips pursed. i was sure i waited several minutes before she signed her name.

the day of my final comes along and i stop by her class to remind her where id be. she offhandedly went, “No you won’t be going there, you’ll be taking your test right here.” she pointed to a small, rickety desk in the corner. other students were in the room laughing and talking with each other. i tried to keep from panicking. i weakly told her that id be using a computer in the disabilities service office, to which she said “you’ll have plenty of paper here, you can take it here with no problem.” before she could tell me to sit down, i  said i left my things in the disabilities office, and ran as quickly as i could to the office and promptly burst into tears in front of the secretary and disability support assistant. 

these women were completely unfazed, and helped  me calm down enough to tell them what happened. the secretary, taking a deep breath, called the professor and asked her where my test was. she then looked at me told me that my professor claimed i never gave her a form for it. “she’s lying!” i sobbed, and the secretary barked out a laugh after hanging up the phone. the disabilities support assistant immediately searched through several boxes with manila envelopes stuffed with forms. she found mine within minutes. the secretary called my professor down, and i sat watching as the professor lied again. “I never got a form, she should be in my classroom,” she said. the support assistant, eyebrows raised, pulled out my form. “this one?” she asked coolly. “you never got this one? Isn’t that your signature?” the professor mumbled something about forgetting that she signed it, and quickly left. the secretary and assistant chuckled a little, amazed at her callousness. i couldn’t understand at the time, feeling so panicked, and paranoid, how they could be so calm. this professor was ready to take the rights i had as a student away with a lie just because she could. but the secretary and support assistant had stepped in without a moment’s thought. i finally figured out why self advocacy matters and, more importantly, why our system needs serious improvement. 

Caravan at Gwynedd, Wales

I don’t have a caravan or intention of having one in the future. But staying in a caravan for a couple of nights, in a farm in Gwynedd, was a memorable experience to say the least.

We have chosen this isolated spot because if you are going to spend some days in an accommodation like this, it’s better to be surrounded by plenty of outdoor space. And no people. Sorry, I still don’t do caravan…