#workplace ableism

I have recently been employed BUT ☝️ I am now facing a battle to get workplace accommodations / reasonable adjustments for my disabilities and my new employer hit me with the "let me see if that's fair to everyone". Like. I cannot stress enough I am asking for 5 minute sit-down breaks used sparingly as and when I need them (due to a leg disability) and access to a loo (I have GI issues). This in no way needs to factor in whether it's "fair" to the other employees. It does not affect them in any way.

I'm hoping for the best and maybe they will be sensible about this after all. But the whole question of "fair" is like if someone broke their leg and got painkillers for it and uninjured people saying that's unfair because why don't they get painkillers? I don't think me sitting down for 5 mins to rest my legs due to my disability is unfair on other colleagues.

It's so nerve-wracking disclosing disability to a new employer especially since I was discriminated against at my last job because of it. I need a job to be able to save money at all in this economy (I'm on benefits in order to survive).

I hope that I'm being overly harsh here - that they will come back and conclude me getting reasonable adjustments affects no-one else and is a net positive for me being productive at my job. That I revise my position and realise - hey maybe this time I can actually have proper workplace supports. Please make me be wrong, I don't want my anxieties to be correct here.

About a year ago, I was denied a job as a domacillary carer because the owner of the company said that my tics would make the clients "uncomfortable". He made me feel like a monster. Like no one would ever see me for anything but my tics. Like no one could ever trust me or rely on me or be anything but scared of me.

I've been at my current domacillary care company for 5 months now. Every client is happy to see me and I've even been told I'm one client's favourite carer. I finally have job security and feel I'm doing good in the world.

Anyways don't tell disabled people shit like "ph well nobody else gets [insert accommodation here] so why should you?" Or "Well don't sit there complaining about the constant Neverending pain your in" or "if anyone should sit it should be me since I've been here all day".

All I asked for was a chair not a lecture

I am thankful that I am able to work at all, given my disabilities; however, my workplace is horrible about not clearly explaining expectations and how-to’s; therefore, it can be very anxiety-inducing, might lead to a shutdown after work, and frankly-put makes me consider quitting even though I have nowhere else to go and I need this money.

Like fuck, I've been dealing with his bullshit for so long and now HR is finally getting on his ass about it like he fucking deserves after trying to act like he's the boss of me despite us having the same position and me having had my accommodations since I started this whole job.

Like he forgets that I fainted on my first day at that store and the management knows that sometimes I need to sit for my own safety.

In fact, this store being so accommodating is why it's so god damn hard to find a different job because every other job wants to make you stand all the time.

The funny thing is, is that he literally was there when my legs gave out from under me, he helped me into my mom's car, and he told me he'd cover my shift if I needed an extra day off and then literally a day later he is back on his ableist bullshit.

I've talked to leadership before and they reprimanded him twice for it and he'd stop until we get a new manager where he'll start again, get reprimanded, stop, and then now that we have NO manager for our department, he tries to exert all control over the department and it's just fucking weird like dude I have ten times the experience then you do as I've been in this department since it began existing in the first fucking place???

Before I tell this story, I do have permission from the person it's concerning to do so. He's a friend who asked me to help shed light/get input from the wider online community on the issue he's currently dealing with. That being said, onward with the actual story.

My friend, who's asked I not reveal his name, is a wheelchair user like myself. He's finding his current work environment extremely hard to deal with, toxic even. He was hired with the belief that his being a wheelchair user would not impede his work. But that has not been the case. Nothing has been done to accommodate my friend in his workplace, even after he's made suggestions himself. Frankly he's had to put himself at risk of physical injury just to access the areas behind counters and do his job.

He's had no better luck with co workers and management who have in no uncertain terms told him nothing else can be done (after minimal attempts at accommodation had been made) and that his needs are no more, if not less, important than his coworkers.

At present he's been told he's not allowed to leave his wheelchair to get behind counters as it's a company liability. The previous accommodation, a computer stool, was found to be ineffective. All of this leaves him isolated on one side of the store alone.

This gives him no opportunity to interact with customers and thus no way to do his job. There's no help from his fellow co workers either and he feels he has no consistent allies in this struggle; not to mention the total indifference from upper management. He is currently left with no recourse. Per company policy, he cannot be fired at present and were he to quit he would need to find another job to support himself. Regardless of if that happens he is considering a law suit, though he is not set on doing that.

He's asked me to share this story in hopes that someone may be able to offer a different perspective or advice. He's worked so hard and had to put in so much more effort than his coworkers. For this to be the response is insulting.