I saw the intern's original video on YouTube. (Videos are blocked at my work; is this her original, or is this a followup?) I hope her university and the others involved get, at least, a stern talking to! How pathetic?
Last I heard, it was going to be carried by the local Fox station. Did it make it that far?
I'm not sure if this is the original or follow up. It was posted two days ago if that helps.
Her university seems really out of line for "investigating" her disability in order to retroactively claim her to be inept for the internship in question.
I don't know if the media has picked this up or not but I hope they do.
I agree. This situation really highlights the ignorance about ASD and the refusal of people to realize what it means to include the word spectrum in the name.
It also highlights the fact that revealing an ASD diagnosis makes it easy to abuse us--people can claim that our social perception is inaccurate due to being autistic, and thus that we did not perceive an abusive/bullying/unethical situation correctly. That's one of the reasons why I disclose my AS much less widely than my ADHD.
Oh yes, which is why I have not revealed it to my university and don't plan to do so with future employers. My husband doesn't understand my hesitance to reveal my diagnosis, because he thinks it'll help people understand and accommodate me. I know all too well how ignorant people are when it comes to ASD and disability, in general.
Here's the comment I posted to her on YouTube (it's hard to fit everything into five hundred characters):
"I'm a 63-three-year-old autistic who had a 25-year career in the computer industry. Here's the harsh reality of your situation:
"Abuse pervades special education: almost all the old-timers are abusive. The Disability Services Department will find that you're unfit for an internship because you are. You're unfit in that you don't have the sense to keep the secret; or your priorities are skewed, relative to theirs
"I would have done what you did. Our kind can't do otherwise."
Here in Las Vegas, we have one o' them special education teachers scheduled to go on trial for felony child abuse in January. She's been on the loose far too long: she did the crimes like four years ago.
Great comment. My classmate, who may also be on the spectrum, and I were discussing how we'll probably be asked to be unethical at some point in our careers as chemists. It's unfortunate and we're not sure how we're going to handle it, but it's definitely a problem.
I really hope this situation ends correctly but I have no faith in the system to do the right thing. Maybe the ACLU can get involved and smack some people around.
as a bookkeeper I was once asked to sign off on some petty chiseling. I thought it over and then told them I was quitting. (I'd only been there a bit more than a month.) The office manager was totally dumbfounded. "Do you mean you'd quit your job over every minor disagreement with management?" she demanded.
My next job was with the University of New Mexico, where I stayed for years.
Ye gods, that is just horrifying. This young lady should absolutely go to the media, to disability advocates, to anyone who will listen. It certainly sounds like she has nothing to lose, as it is obvious that her university is doing all it can to marginalize her. If she takes this public, perhaps a school with higher standards will recognize the value of someone who knows the right thing to do, both morally and legally, and offer her a place in their program to complete her education. Or maybe I am just being overly optimistic...
I wish. I just hope this gets attention and she gets help in sorting her life out since the university seems determined to make her miserable for behaving ethically.
Yes, I suspect I am being too optimistic, knowing how common cruel and unethical behavior is. Even so, occasionally the world rewards the good, and I hope this is one of those times.
Students in general, and special needs students specifically, need more people like this young lady going into education.
Seriously. It's horrible to be asked if you're just perceiving things wrong- my husband pulls this shit occasionally. Done in this setting I would definitely agree that it's discriminatory.
Comments 28
Last I heard, it was going to be carried by the local Fox station. Did it make it that far?
Reply
Her university seems really out of line for "investigating" her disability in order to retroactively claim her to be inept for the internship in question.
I don't know if the media has picked this up or not but I hope they do.
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
"I'm a 63-three-year-old autistic who had a 25-year career in the computer industry. Here's the harsh reality of your situation:
"Abuse pervades special education: almost all the old-timers are abusive. The Disability Services Department will find that you're unfit for an internship because you are. You're unfit in that you don't have the sense to keep the secret; or your priorities are skewed, relative to theirs
"I would have done what you did. Our kind can't do otherwise."
Here in Las Vegas, we have one o' them special education teachers scheduled to go on trial for felony child abuse in January. She's been on the loose far too long: she did the crimes like four years ago.
Reply
I really hope this situation ends correctly but I have no faith in the system to do the right thing. Maybe the ACLU can get involved and smack some people around.
Reply
My next job was with the University of New Mexico, where I stayed for years.
Reply
"No, I'll quit my job rather than be an accomplice to a crime."
Reply
Reply
Reply
Students in general, and special needs students specifically, need more people like this young lady going into education.
Reply
(The comment has been removed)
Reply
Leave a comment