I do not have the same preconditions as a ‘normal’ person to carry out tasks. I am autistic—correct diagnosis Asperger’s syndrome—and all autistic people have a need for support, regardless of where they are on the spectrum. I also struggle with complex PTSD and depression. I have an official decision regarding ‘partial work ability’.

Despite this, I am expected to perform tasks just as well and as quickly as a ‘normal’ person. (To clarify, when I talk about ‘normal’ people, I mean people who do not have any such conditions or behaviours that would require diagnosis and treatment. ‘Normal’ people vary, too.) At work, I am expected to be just as productive. I am supposed to behave in the same way, laugh at the same jokes, and be just as extroverted and team-building as ‘normal’ employees.

In my private life, I am expected to perform just as well as ‘normal’ people; I am expected to manage on my own, go on holiday to popular resorts, pay my taxes, and fill in and submit applications within the same set deadlines. I am expected to have a family and responsibilities, and if there is something I do not understand, I should be able to figure it out.

When I ask for help in the workplace, I am told ‘no’ because it is unfair to the others if I receive advantages. If I ask for help finding a good electrician, I am given Google links when someone ought to find an electrician and negotiate the job on my behalf. I am not given extra time to fill in forms and submit relevant information. The local jobcentre boasted about me because I have started a business, as self-employment is often the only way in working life for people with my type of neurodivergence.

Why is it so difficult to understand this concept of ‘support’? I find it hard to get things done, yet I am still required to function at a ‘normal’ level, which means that I end up worn out prematurely. Medical professionals know this. They see the consequences when people with disabilities and other struggles do not receive help.

A small investment of time or money to help a person with reduced capacity pays for itself.