Discriminated for having a disability

karaokeman

I have Aspergers Syndrome. To clarify myself, I have a social disability NOT an intillectual disability.
I really don't like debating with people who try to make me feel weak. Recently some people have stated I cannot see their point of view just because I have a disability. That is not true as I have stated because I have no intillectual disorder, I'm actually really bright and do very well in school.
I was wondering if anyone here has been through the same situation and to know if anyone else thinks I have a point.

Taltos

I might be wrong but I thought that folk with your condition generally have an higher IQ.

To my understanding Aspergers does not impair cognitive thinking, it just can be displayed through either ticks, jerky movements and in extreme cases uncontrollable verbal displays.

I know of one person (son of a friend) who has aspergers, intellectually he is way above me and many of my peers and in terms of his specialized field - computers could be classed as a near genius.

Don't let others ignorance get you down. Do your best to ignore them and if forced just explain calmly that while you may display some physical symptoms, that mentally you are sharper than most.

Darthhoob

you do have a point, a VERY strong one. my son is 8 and has AS. yes he has difficulties, that's why it is a disability BUT he is very intelligent. he loves to read and do maths (though he hates writting down his working out lol). he goes to a mainstream school with an autism unit attached, with 1-1 help all day in his unit and when he goes to the main class...gradually integrating him at his own pace. he is doing very well.
in his last school he was doing badly. when he did work it was great and they could see his potential, but his behavious got in the way cos the class and way of learning was not for him. sensory overload, too many people, not good enough training...oh the list is endless tbh. he also has ADHD which didn't help.

i think, now that he has the right support in place and understanding, he will go far. his intelligence is allowed to shine...and his quirks are understood. the way it should be!

i have to say though that people who say you cannot see their point of view probably dont mean to be ignorant or rude. often in descriptions of AS it is said that people with AS dont see the world through NT's eyes, and people with AS have difficulty with theory of mind....so in some ways these people saying this to you are right. but perhaps say that the wrong way. i know my son has difficulty with this...but then he is also only 8 years old

i have been given a verbal diagnosis of AS too, and i know i can see things from other's point of view....probably too much! my brother died very recently (was found yesterday ) and i've been concerned about my dad and other brother more than myself (they hate eachother)...i can see both of their view points and dont know what my own is!!!

Nolanger

karaokeman wrote: »

I was wondering if anyone here has been through the same situation and to know if anyone else thinks I have a point.

I know a guy who doesn't have AS but everyone says he does.

Moomoo1

it's generally best if people don't know about your disabilities, just in case.

spinandscribble

As far as i'm aware individuals with aspergers can have problems with empathy. actually that can be extended to autism in general from what i've seen in my old work place where i worked with youths from the autism spectrum.
I've known one person on a personal level with aspergers in particular and they really had a self centered point of view (through no fault of their own, mind). They worked towards seeing things from other peoples point of view because they often hurt others without realising. sometimes they were completely unaware and would ask "why are you upset/angry?".

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Aspergers-Syndrome/Are-Asperger-children-not-able-to-show-empathy/show/925655

In one way you could argue your work colleague cannot get anger at you if you show a lack of empathy but on the other hand you can see how it could be frustrating for them. Particularly if they're not used to dealing with someone with aspergers. I think both you and your colleagues should both try and improve yourselves, they should cut you some slack but you should also work towards improving this aspect. It can be done, it just takes awareness and consistency in putting it into practice.

I do not see how by telling you they feel you do not see things from their pov you think they are questioning your intelligence. More then likely they're aware of aspergers and the problem many who have the condition have with empathy and feel they can talk to you about this and make you aware that they feel it is becoming a problem. Try not to feel attacked until you've fully listened to them and heard their side, hopefully you'll all come to understand each other more.

Chuchoter

Explain further, were you arguing over a topic (for example politics/religion) or some kind of relationship/emotional thing? They could be saying that you can't see their side of the story to an argument between people. If it was a political/religious type thing they just couldn't back up their point and attacked you instead

Esoteric_

Hiya OP. I don't personally know what you're going through, although I do know a little about Asperger's. I have a friend, however, who has Asperger's himself and he does work helping others with it. If you wanna PM me, I can put you in touch with him.

tenchi-fan

karaokeman wrote: »

I have Aspergers Syndrome. To clarify myself, I have a social disability NOT an intillectual disability.
I really don't like debating with people who try to make me feel weak. Recently some people have stated I cannot see their point of view just because I have a disability. That is not true as I have stated because I have no intillectual disorder, I'm actually really bright and do very well in school.
I was wondering if anyone here has been through the same situation and to know if anyone else thinks I have a point.

I don't know if I ever met someone with it, although from what I've seen in documentaries on tv they can come across as very rude.
Plus you're coming on here looking for people to back up your point of view because you feel others don't agree with you. Maybe the way you debate things makes them think you aren't considering their point of view. People can come across as brash at times and I can't imagine it being easy for people with AS.

darad

Have you ever contacted www.aspireireland.ie

pwd

You're right not to like debating with people who say this to you. You're probably better off not to talk to them at all, if you can avoid it, since they're probably not very nice people.

If you work with them or something, then tell them clearly and politely that you don't appreciate personal remarks. Keep a record of what they say. If they persist, tell them you won't stand for it, that you have been keeping a record and will report them if they don't stop. If they still persist, report them.

I fully agree with the person who suggests you just don't tell people in general that you've AS. It's nothing to be ashamed of. However, you can see that some people will use things like that against you.

Some people are suggesting that yeah maybe they're right and you don't get something that is being said because you have AS. That's a non-sequitor tbh. You don't have an intellectual disability. If they're unable to explain their point of view to someone who might think slightly differently to them, then it's at best because they can't articulate themselves very well, and more likely because their POV is not justifiable in the first place.

Saying stuff like this to people is just plain bullying tbh.

Distorted

karaokeman wrote: »

I have Aspergers Syndrome. To clarify myself, I have a social disability NOT an intillectual disability.
I really don't like debating with people who try to make me feel weak. Recently some people have stated I cannot see their point of view just because I have a disability. That is not true as I have stated because I have no intillectual disorder, I'm actually really bright and do very well in school.
I was wondering if anyone here has been through the same situation and to know if anyone else thinks I have a point.

It is perfectly likely that you do have difficulty in seeing other people's point of views if you have Aspgerger's Syndrome. However you don't give enough information on the situation to say whether they are at fault or if this is just a characteristic of the Aspergers. It is in fact a normal charactristic of Aspergers anyway so although what they say may not be true in the sense they mean it in, it may be true in a more general sense.

Have you had cognitive behavioural therapy, which might assist you in seeing the validity of other people's views and how they come to them? This assists people with and without Aspergers.

It has nothing to do with being intelligent or not, and saying that Aspergers are more intelligent than the norm is misleading in this context and also borders into labelling people.