ADA Accommodations at new job?

[cloudless]

Hello everyone, I'm looking for advice on when to drop on my employer that I recently received a PTSD diagnosis and would like some accommodations made to my work space.

My only reservation is that I just started working this job in Februrary and it has a strict 120 day probation period. I do not want to rock the boat and give them any reason to think I'm being a pain in the ass.

However...I was doing fine in the office they had me in, then suddenly they did a last minute switcheroo and moved me to a cubicle with 0 privacy, tons of overwhelming visual/audio stimulation (lots of people walking by in front of me, lots of phone calls going on, lots of yelling across the cubes, etc). There are also bright overhead lights, people coming up behind me, and the front desk lady suddenly thinking I should be answering all her calls when she's not here, as well as the same lady randomly talking out of nowhere and getting an attitude that I'm not listening out for her 24/7. I'm keeping earplugs in to try to tame the stimulation problem and she gets VERY offended when you don't hear and answer her right away.

I cannot work like this. What do I do? Stick it out until July when my probation is up, then mention accommodations? I also want to put contact paper up on the cubicle "windows" so people stop staring at me and interrupting my work. Am I allowed to do this, without notifying someone? I've always had my own office at other jobs and this is a huge, stressful adjustment.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Sideways]

Can you have a chat with HR about the things that are making your current workspace problematic?

I get some ‘accommodations’ at work, but not because I have ptsd. I simply talked to my team about being sensitive to the amount of stimulus in the workspace.

Working together to help you be more productive may leave you with a team that supports the changes.

 

[cloudless]

Can you have a chat with HR about the things that are making your current workspace problematic?

I get some ‘accommodations’ at work, but not because I have ptsd. I simply talked to my team about being sensitive to the amount of stimulus in the workspace.

Working together to help you be more productive may leave you with a team that supports the changes.

I've tried this approach before at work twice and ended up being looked at as "not a team player" when I asked to sit somewhere quiet and not have so much stimuli. The 2nd time, at a different job, I submitted a regular request in writing, then suddenly didn't have a job anymore 3 months later. I was told my "position was eliminated" when our 5 year contract got renewed (I had been there 3.5 years at this point). So, to say I'm nervous is an understatement.

 

[Weemie]

My only reservation is that I just started working this job in Februrary and it has a strict 120 day probation period. I do not want to rock the boat and give them any reason to think I'm being a pain in the ass.

Disclosing you are disabled and requesting accommodation like this is a double-edged sword, unfortunately. Some places are like yup, we got it and will immediately sort out a rational plan to assist you. (Some may just do it for you without even the necessity for documented disability, even!)

While others (and this is most others) will force you to get a doctor's note and jump through all kinds of hoops. Others, at the slightest thing they'll terminate you for "failure to adjust to the culture of our workplace" or some bullshit like that. Super illegal, but the majority of front-line/entry level/customer service workplaces operate like this. Jobs are the backbone of capitalism, which is inherently ableist by design.

If you can't produce at the same rate as your peers, they will be looking for ways to get rid of you. Based on your prior experiences at this job, make sure you have official documentation from a medical doctor or psychologist of your diagnosis, and have them draft a request on your behalf explaining why this accommodation is necessary. Submit all of this directly to HR, not your boss. You will need this shit to be airtight.

Keep it in the back of your mind to inevitably retain a lawyer educated in disability and employment law when/if they do fire you, so you can sue their ass for wrongful termination and get that sweet $$$.

 

[Midnightmoon]

Is approaching a union rep an option? I had some good success historically via informal support from union reps with disability stuff. I agree with @Weemie that's it's very much a double edged sword to navigate

 

[cloudless]

Thanks for the advice everyone. No union rep at our job. This all does seem very much like a double-edged sword. Which is unfortunate because it's exactly why ADA was created, I thought. We should be able to freely ask for these accommodations without guilt or fear of retaliation, fear of job loss, or isolation, or being treated differently by people at work, etc. The ADA is there to help people with disabilities continue to work and be productive members of society. I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir. This is just pretty disheartening So I spent all night looking up ways to make my cubicle super private and less stressful and have a running list of items to order from Amazon. I suppose I'm just going to make my "own" accommodations, so I don't rock the boat. We shouldn't have to feel this way!