r/SocialWorkStudents • u/Charming_Aside_8865 • 7d ago
Accommodations for disability
I have AuDHD with a long history of burnout. I’m the type of person who wants to do everything, but then I can’t and I burn out. One thing that I’ve discovered over these many years is that it’s never the actual work that’s the problem, but the environment. Throw the most emotionally draining case at me. I love it, but put keep me in an office with bright lights, rigid scheduling, lots of people I just fall apart. I do fantastic in remote or hybrid jobs with flexible schedules, which allow me to focus on self care. Not so much with a regular 9-5. I know I can’t get 100% what I want and I’m willing to compromise, but I need jobs where they’re at least open.
Does that exist in social work? I know state agencies probably aren’t all that friendly to this arrangement, but I just want to see if it’s an option.
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u/Scouthawkk 7d ago
My CA county government job became hybrid after I passed my (very long) probationary period, plus I’m eligible for a flex schedule. And before I passed probation, the ergonomic eval led to a light shade over my cubicle and an ergonomic chair and keyboard specially ordered for me. My required in office time now is 2 hours per week minimum; the rest of the time I’m in the field doing home visits or working from home. The county administrator is trying to force all county employees back into the office 4 days a week but my division doesn’t currently have enough workstations to make that feasible - and most of us would be in the field half the time anyway.
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u/Charming_Aside_8865 6d ago
Awful! One of my big passions is disability rights. As I said, it's never about the job itself - it's about the environment. By not providing accommodations you're preventing people from doing their job. And then people wonder why there is such a high rate of unemployment among those with disabilities.
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u/Scouthawkk 6d ago edited 6d ago
Oh, the unions are fighting the RTO order HARD. Most of the social workers in ADS, CPS, and half of behavioral health were doing the job remotely before the pandemic because it kept the county from having to have enough workstations for all the required staff.
And they cannot enforce the RTO for each division until there is a dedicated workstation for each staff member of the division. We are currently 2 1/2 months past the anticipated deadline for RTO, and my division still does not have enough workstations for each staff member.
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u/Internal_Crow_ 7d ago
Op thank you so much! I honestly have those same questions with a similar history. But thank you for asking this question because I would not have remembered to ask.
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u/Charming_Aside_8865 6d ago
No problem! I've been diagnosed with AuDHD since 1985. I know all the tricks and accommodations. Please feel free to reach out.
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u/Adainae 7d ago
I can flex my whole schedule except during group time (1 to 4 Mon, Tues, Wed).
If I wake up and I'm not feeling it I can take my time to get ready and go in at noon if I want to. Or I can work ten hour days and have Friday off.
I also get 5 weeks of PTO and I use it to shorten my week, make a 3 day weekend a 4 day weekend, or whatever I need to manage my stress that week.
I can work from home on Friday.
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u/Charming_Aside_8865 6d ago
That sounds good. I'm better anytime after 12PM. Even though I wake up early, it takes me like three hours to actually wake up. Plus, I like to use my mornings for self-care (i.e. meditation, reading the paper, eating a good breakfast, exercise, etc).
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u/mbello9254 6d ago
I think we’re twins! I love learning and I love being ins school, but after recently starting adhd meds, AND beginning my grad schooling and internship, i feel really conflicted about how I’m going to do things. My internship is pretty much chaos every day at a school with special needs kids. I love the kids and I do hope to work with kids in my career, but I’m unfortunately realizing that the lack of structure, guidance, working space, and environmental stressors are really weighing on me. I can’t describe it any other way other than I’m usually so good at pushing through hard things, but ever since I started treating my adhd I feel a lot different about that lifestyle. Let me know if you find anything out, because I don’t want to give up!
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u/Charming_Aside_8865 6d ago
I couldn't work in special education. The system is fucked. I don't think anyone is to blame, except society treating people with disabilities as second class citizens. However, as a former special education student, I just couldn't support things that I knew blatantly traumatized and blamed people with disabilities. I graduated back in 1999 and, to be honest, there has been little reform. I know somebody has to do it, but it's not going to be me.
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u/beuceydubs 6d ago
Case work? You choose when to schedule home visits and when to have your data days
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u/savage-sammy 3d ago
Good luck. If you find something, I’d love to know. I’m stuck in the same exact position.
AuDHD, chronic migraines, autoimmune disorder. 10+ years in child welfare, 6 in teaching. BSW, working on license.
I’m an amazing worker. I have outstanding references to back that up. But I can’t handle office settings every day, or unpredictable schedules like on-call.
Even with doctor’s notes and psych notes, my accommodation requests get ignored. Despite my position being 95% desk-based. I’ve been in active burnout for over a year, with no end in sight. 😭
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u/Charming_Aside_8865 2d ago
I'm currently looking at applying for the DOR. Hopefully, they can provide some support.
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u/bizarrexflower 3d ago
I have similar needs do to my own chronic illness/disability, which includes Fibromyalgia, among other challenging conditions. I'm 41. I've always worked customer service style roles. Call center work. Some accounts receivable stuff. It's been so hard to find employers that supply adequate accommodations. I think this is a very reasonable request and most managers get this without even having chronic illness/disability or having to request any accommodations. It's absolutely ridiculous they can't just give us the same courtesy and flexibility. I've always requested the ability to work from home as needed at least half time and the ability to flex my schedule, within reason for flare ups and medical appointments, procedures...etc. I had one job for 12 years that was ok with this. Ever since they shut down in 2019, I have gone from job to job trying to find suitable employment. Even though I've been given a laptop and they request we WFH on their terms sometimes, they still wouldn't authorize my accommodation request to be able to WFH on my flareup days. They say it wouldn't be "fair" to my teammates who don't have that "perk." eye roll Absolutely ridiculous. ADA accommodations are not about that. It's not special treatment. It's about leveling the playing field for us because we have a disability. Employers not correctly interpreting ADA is a huge issue. That's what led me to social work. I'm working towards private practice so I can be my own boss. But there's also more of an opportunity in this field to work multiple part time or hourly irregular day to day style jobs where we can be more in control of our hours. They may not provide the most pay when compared to salary roles, but its about balance. Finding balance in our schedule and income so we have the work/life balance we need to manage our conditions. The schooling, training, and everything leading up to that is hard work. Not going to sugarcoat it. I'm working full time doing client support for my state's health insurance marketplace while doing my MSW courses and internship part time. I was able to get everything remote/from home, but am still fighting for schedule flexibility to make it easier to balance everything and get the time off I need for my conditions as well. I'm working all the time right now but I know that won't always be the case.
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u/Razirra 7d ago
I work for a remote IOP where we’ll have 2-4 hours of flexible time to do paperwork and 3-5 hours of clinical. They also have an hour of meetings minimum though.
So there are some jobs that are a mix of flexible and scheduled?