Sheffield adult Autistics demanding equality group.

[onewheeldave]

Originally Posted by Cyclone View Post

..........

I think it's unlikely that waiting times can be altered simply because people with autism find them intolerable. ......

 

This is actually one example of reasonable adjustment that is referred to in the NHS guidelines of expectations.

Probably worth pursuing.

 

Yes- that is an example of reasonable adjustment, and, for any autistic people who do find themselves missing out on medical treatment due to the fact that they find hospital/NHS waiting/booking procedures intolerable, clearly, it is necessary that waiting times and/or booking procudures be adjusted.

 

And they can be, as I know from personal experience. The procedures necessary to achieve such adjustments, are, unfortunately, not automatically made clear to autistic people, but, they do exist.

 

The 2009 Autism Act is there to establish equality for autistic people (in access to health, employment, education etc).

 

The current situation is not equal. A large percentage of autistic people do not access medical services as a direct result of inability to cope with the things necessary to do so- things which most neurotypicals find merely annoying/inconvenient/frustrating, such as waiting, waiting rooms, automated phone appointment lines, call-backs, endless form filling etc, are, for some autistics, intolerable.

 

To the extent that they will not engage with the medical service. (and, many of the neurotypicals around them will merely tut, "ah....it's his/her choice isn't it?", or "why should they be allowed to queue jump?").

 

That is not acceptable. Hence the 2009 Autism Act. It's currently estimated that 1 in 100 are autistic. That's only going to increase (IMO) so we're talking large numbers of people, now, and in the future, having serious issues with accessing basic services which all humans need.

[Cyclone]

This is actually one example of reasonable adjustment that is referred to in the NHS guidelines of expectations.

Probably worth pursuing.

 

What exactly does it suggest?

 

Obviously the only way waiting times can be adjusted for a minority, is to give them priority over everyone else who (I shouldn't need to point out) is already waiting for just the same length of time.

 

I think I'd struggle to call it equality if someone was able to queue jump due to a greater than normal dislike of waiting.

Edited October 6, 2015 by Cyclone

[hyper]

I think I'd struggle to call it equality if someone was able to queue jump due to a greater than normal dislike of waiting.

I see that logic, but I would replace "dislike" with "intolerance". for me, it depends whether there is a condition or not - if it's diagnosed, then a condition exists.

 

Following your logic, then we should stop building disabled access ramps and lifts because those needing them have a normal dislike of walking. The reality is they can't walk and certain mental conditions mean others can't wait.

[onewheeldave]

What exactly does it suggest?

 

Obviously the only way waiting times can be adjusted for a minority, is to give them priority over everyone else who (I shouldn't need to point out) is already waiting for just the same length of time.

 

 

Currently Cyclone, as the law now recognises (2009 Autism Act & 2005 Disability Act), equality does not exist. If person NT can currently access medical care with 'some degree of frustration and inconvenience', and, person not-NT, can only access the same medical care via several public breakdowns, or, as often happens, be unable to access the service; then, clearly, NT has far greater access than not-NT.

 

Let's not fixate on waiting times either- there are as many reasons an autistic person can't access treatment, as there are autistic people.

 

---------- Post added 06-10-2015 at 10:23 ----------

 

 

I think I'd struggle to call it equality if someone was able to queue jump due to a greater than normal dislike of waiting.

 

Then, let the struggle begin Cyclone, because the law demands it

 

And, using the term 'queue jumping' is both innacurate (for reasons previously given) and inflammatory, as it appeals to the mail reader/right winger types (sorry for the generalisation, but you know what I mean) who will jump all over this and spin it to whip up yet another witch hunt.

[Cyclone]

I see that logic, but I would replace "dislike" with "intolerance". for me, it depends whether there is a condition or not - if it's diagnosed, then a condition exists.

 

Following your logic, then we should stop building disabled access ramps and lifts because those needing them have a normal dislike of walking. The reality is they can't walk and certain mental conditions mean others can't wait.

 

Fair enough, good explanation, I like the analogy.

 

In practical terms a ramp is easy to build and works well, how, in practical terms, can waiting be avoided for people who cannot wait (if waiting is equivalent to walking using your analogy then 'cannot' is a fair description).

 

Google turns up a fair bit about how waiting in line is difficult for people with autism, but nothing about waiting generally, and the majority of the links seem to be about teaching coping strategies to children with autism.

[onewheeldave]

I see that logic, but I would replace "dislike" with "intolerance". for me, it depends whether there is a condition or not - if it's diagnosed, then a condition exists.

 

Following your logic, then we should stop building disabled access ramps and lifts because those needing them have a normal dislike of walking. The reality is they can't walk and certain mental conditions mean others can't wait.

 

Excellent points

[Cyclone]

Currently Cyclone, as the law now recognises (2009 Autism Act & 2005 Disability Act), equality does not exist. If person NT can currently access medical care with 'some degree of frustration and inconvenience', and, person not-NT, can only access the same medical care via several public breakdowns, or, as often happens, be unable to access the service; then, clearly, NT has far greater access than not-NT.

 

Let's not fixate on waiting times either- there are as many reasons an autistic person can't access treatment, as there are autistic people.

It was an example you gave, I wasn't fixated on it.

Then, let the struggle begin Cyclone, because the law demands it

Oh, so equality isn't your interest then, because you said it was.

 

And, using the term 'queue jumping' is both innacurate (for reasons previously given) and inflammatory, as it appeals to the mail reader/right winger types (sorry for the generalisation, but you know what I mean) who will jump all over this and spin it to whip up yet another witch hunt.

 

It's what would visibly happen, so it's likely to be a term used.

 

If you want to avoid it you need to communicate well about why it's necessary and not adopt an adversarial approach, IMO.

[hyper]

In practical terms a ramp is easy to build and works well, how, in practical terms, can waiting be avoided for people who cannot wait (if waiting is equivalent to walking using your analogy then 'cannot' is a fair description).

 

Easier than you might imagine.

To state my interest, son is diagnosed aspergers.

 

When we went to Alton towers, he was told that providing he brings his letter from Ryegate with the diagnosis, he gets a special wrist band allowing him to jump queues. The irony was that he felt embarrassed by it all and didn't want to be an exception.

 

A similar process can apply at public waiting places etc, hospitals, housing offices etc

[Cyclone]

How will that practically work in an NHS setting? If the GPs are currently in with patients then whilst a wait can be reduced, it certainly can't be eliminated.

 

And it's interesting to note, that even as a party with an interest, you called it queue jumping.

 

(NB - I have no vested interest and am thinking about how the general public might perceive this, and about how OOD wrote his first post in an adversarial way which is unlikely to be an effective tactic for engendering change).

[Annie Bynnol]

A with most interventions that would enable access to a GP the solutions can be very simple and do not require "Queue Jumping".

 

The GP in a practice should be "named" for that ASD patient.

Appointments can be made for the start of a session.

A trained/dedicated member of the reception team is "aware" that the ASD patient might present themselves differently/awkwardly and not understand or not have the communication skills that they might expect.

 

Escorting the ASD patient to the correct room may be required as is taking them back and through the treatment/prescription/costs etc.

 

Many ASD patients can easily cope with the individual "steps" of visiting the doctor- what they many find difficult is coping all the different things going on at the same time.

 

ASD people may never have visited a surgery as local GPs have had nothing to do with their assessment or diagnosis.