#I know my last remaining coworker is going to apply for a coordinator position which would be great

[llycaons]

ideally! I finish paying off my loan - I find a nice apartment - I get a cat? - I work for another year and get [various certifications] and hopefully survive the night shifts - I find a better job for the next year with my experience so I can relax and save up more - I move back home flush with experience and references so I can work a decent job close to my family - ???????

[page-of-tales]

Story: Life Donors

To the person who said they thought Exchangeable Parts would be about organ donation. Here comes something that will disappoint them. Feedback and comments are always appreciated

Word Count: 3575

---

(Distances, times, and proper nouns translated to their approximate human equivalents)

8 rotations (months) ago the homeworld of the Hilox had quietly entered into crisis mode. A lethal plague was sweeping through the population of it’s colony worlds. It was an old and familiar disease, dating to a pre space travel age, that had mutated into a deadlier form. Traditional treatments were failing to adequately treat the disease and only a heavily strained medical infrastructure kept the death toll from exploding exponentially. The media had labeled the new disease the Jinkor after a shapeshifting monster from old myths. Public disorder had been quelled, sometimes with force, and it was clear to those in power that the situation was teetering on the brink.

It is in this context that a report from a low ranking Xeno-Bio Department Tech was brought to the upper echelons of Hilox leadership and a coded request sent to the human embassy. What could amount to the saving grace for the Hilox constituted a forbidden curse.

---

Dr. Alexa Khatri sat reading an email on her Screen, finger scrolling through a long list of numbers. The results from the last assay had come in and the lab techs were running analysis on the data. It was a little frustrating to have been called away but the official looking people who had knocked at her domicile had stressed the importance of her presence. As it was she was currently seated in the human Embassy’s waiting room orbiting around the homeworld of the alien species, the Hilox.

The artificial gravity was a close match to that of the planet below, approximately a 0.9 standard G. Which was good for Alexa who had lived all her life on low gravity planets. It was part of the reason she had accepted the job offer to work on the planet below with its lighter gravity, that and the opportunity to work with aliens. Now several rotations later she still enjoyed her work and had a number of friends with her Hilox neighbors and coworkers, in addition to the fellow human coworkers at the research institute.

Why the Embassy requested her was still somewhat unclear. Given her expertise in Hilox biology, the obvious answer was they wanted a local scientist familiar with Hilox anatomy. Specifically a medical expert. She wondered how she ended up on that list. Maybe everyone else had said no.

The doors of the waiting room slid open and a well dressed woman of vaguely Asian descent walked through. Alexa turned off her Screen and stood as the stranger extended a hand.

“Doctor Khatri I presume. I am Ambassador Suwong.” Said the woman, a charming smile on her face.

“Yes. Pleasure to make your acquaintance.” The two women shook hands. The Ambassador gestured for Khatri to follow her into the hallway. Khatri tucked her Screen away and hurried to catch up.

“I hope your trip was pleasant.”

“Ah yes, the shuttle ride was very short.”

“Mm, sorry to call you on such short notice but the Hilox called for this meeting just yesterday.”

“So what is my role here?”

Suwong stopped suddenly and Khatri nearly ran into her

“You mean you don’t know? I thought someone would have briefed you already.”

Khatri shook her head. Once she had arrived on the station she had been shunted into the waiting room and left to her own devices with everyone rushing off to other duties. Occasionally someone had popped into the room and asked for someone and when Khatri shrugged they had ran off before she could ask them a question. And somewhat afraid to wander in a government building she had stayed put.

“Well I don’t know quite what exactly either.” Suwong replied bluntly. She continued before Khatri could respond.

“All I know is that the Hilox said they want to discuss a recent plague some of their colonies are suffering some, some sort of request of aid. That’s why I called on you. You are the closest expert on Hilox physiology we could reach. I”m going to be relying on you to give me some context and translation for the science aspects.”

Khatri nodded her head.

“That was what I was told, I just thought there was more to it.”

Suwong shrugged. Khatri was a little alarmed at how cavalier she was being.

“I’m nearly in the dark as you are.”

Suwong pulled up a memo on her wrist screen.

“It’s what they call the Jinkor, they quarantined Joulkoub it’s gotten so bad.”

The two entered into a meeting room. A meeting room in name only as there were only a few chairs and no table with a young man pushing in another chair through a doorway.

“Doctor Khatri this is my aide, Terrance.”

Khatri shook Terrance’s hand. And they exchanged polite greetings.

“We’re expecting a party of 3 soon. Hurry up before they arrive.”

Terrance nodded and dashed out of the room.

“Where is everyone else?” Khatri asked, earlier it had appeared the embassy was a bustling hive but they had not met anyone in the corridors.

“A mercy fleet is on it’s way to help the Hilox and coordinating with the logistics and legal aspects of that alone has been distracting. Plus we have a variety of civilian organizations also looking to contribute. Everyone is working overtime to handle those requests. But don’t worry, we’ll have a team outside to back us up here by the time the Hilox arrive.”

The meeting wasn’t for another 2 hours. In that brief window of time Khatri read all the recent news bulletins and articles on the Jinkor. Historically the illness had been a viral infection which in late stages of illness would cause paralysis of respiratory organs resulting in death. Treatments and vaccines for the disease had been around for centuries limiting its effect to impoverished regions. But this resurgence appeared to be the result of a mutated strain that was resistant to treatments and rapidly advanced to the late lethal stages in a quarter the normal time. Khatri tapped a finger against her temple in thought.

Immunology was not Khatri’s specific field of expertise, but she knew enough of Hilox physiology to know the basic mechanism of the Hilox immunological systems and some of the more general treatments they applied. The Jinkor virus in her mind drew a parallel to the human disease polio, an ancient disease long since eradicated. There was no question that the disease was worrisome, but Khatri figured it was only a matter of time before the Hilox found a working treatment. The Hilox were an advanced race, with significant resources and the means to create a viable treatment. Why the Hilox would call request an emergency meeting with humans was beyond her.

The same question was running unspoken through Suwong’s mind as well. In between answering Khatri’s questions and summarizing the procedure of intergalactic negotiations she was also looking over previous briefings. Trying to gauge what the Hilox attitudes or requests would be. Her report on the Hilox request had been processed by Central and they were in the dark as much as her. They didn’t say that in such terms but the phrased reply, “proceed cautiously and give continual updates”, certainly gave that impression.

The Hilox and Federation could be described as distant in relations. The Hilox existed in a region of space that had a number of other sentients and the Federation became just another in a long list for them to ignore. In the grand scheme of things there were certainly worse ways to be regarded. There existed peace, but it was a dull peace. Besides the usual trade, travel, and border negotiations there was little other official activity between the two interstellar civilizations. Private enterprises like that of Suwong’s company only retained a small fairly nominal presence in Hilox space. The arrival of the mercy fleet would mark one of the largest interactions to date. Central’s summarized position on the Hilox had remained the same since first contact, good neighbors. Suwong hoped that wouldn’t change today.

As the time of the meeting approached Suwong passed Khatri a screen from a briefcase Terrance had brought in when he had returned from another trip.

“I should have done this earlier, but it slipped my mind. This is a locked screen, protocol dictates we use them for any official business. Go ahead and transfer any data you have right now. It has a secure connection to the Internet so you can still look up things. As I’m sure you are aware the Hilox communicate with us via text and you should find the texting app on there already.”

Khatri took the screen. It was slightly heavier than hers and its lock screen emblem was that of the Embassy’s. Connecting the two she transferred the files she had saved and set her own screen away. Suwong set her screen on the table and turned to the two.

“As we discussed earlier. I’ll be taking lead for the discussions. I’ll ask Professor Khatri if I need clarification. Terrance, keep in connection with the others and follow normal protocol.”

Despite herself Khatri felt a slight tingling of excitement. Akin to when she was close to a breakthrough. There was an air of political intrigue beginning to permeate the air. She checked her reflection in the darkened screen and suddenly wished she had asked for a glass of water.

---

Acolyte of Xeno Biology J’Xun sat nervously in the atrium just outside the doorway to the meeting room. Besides him towered the much larger Praetor K’Gholun, who was eyeing the Marine guard at the door with curiosity. J’Xun understood the interest. Humans remained a rare sight in Hilox space and for the Praetor who had an extensive military background, seeing a human soldier in person was bound to be something of interest. The Praetor’s aide, J’Ryn was closer to his own age and was busily compiling some file for the upcoming meeting.J’Xun could feel his body heat rising with the pressure. Lives were at stake and he sincerely wished someone else was in his place. But it was his team that had made the discovery which ostentatiously meant he had earned the honor. The bigger question would be if the humans would be willing to hear them out.

The guard at the door must have received a signal because he held up a display with the words, “They are ready.” written in Hilox in front. The doors slid open and the three entered.

There were three humans sitting at a long table. 2 dressed in similar uniforms, the other dressed in a different manner of uniform. J’Xun hadn’t studied humans enough to determine any more than that. Though he could presume the center human was the equivalent to the Praetor. There were 3 long chairs set up for Hilox physiology. And J’Xun eased into the one facing the mismatched human. The human eyed him levelly, somewhat unnerving the reclusive scientist.

Praetor K’Gholun “spoke” first. The words appearing in between the two species on a glass pane in the middle of the table in language readable to both sides.

“Thank you for agreeing to meet with us on such short notice. I am Praetor K’Gholun representing the Hilox government.”

The middle human entered something into a device and words now in a different color began to scroll across the glass.

“It is not problem, I understand it is a matter of great urgency. I am Ambassador Suwong.”

The other four introduced themselves the different colored text displaying their identity and names.

And so the meeting began. With the Praetor giving context.

“As I’m sure you are aware there is a significant health crisis on several of our worlds. The Jinkor as the media has labeled it. It is ravaging our populations and putting severe strains on our medical institutions. The situation is worse than we have let the public know. If things don’t turn around the collapse of the Hilox civilization will be inevitable. We believe the humans can assist us.”

Ambassador Suwong took a moment to remind the Hilox of their active efforts.

“I assume you are talking about more than physical aid. The mercy fleet we have volunteered is on it’s way, and some civilian organizations are already on the ground.”

“The charity given by humanity is greatly appreciated. But our request today is something more... controversial.”

The fact that the Praetor had typed out what the computer had translated into ellipses was not lost on the Federation Ambassador, her earpiece having gone silent as the other room listened in closely.

“I will let Acolyte J’Xun explain.”

J’Xun almost choked. The Praetor who had faced the Viscek hive legions and the Dark Spheres was balming in the face of the request. But then again, it was no small request, it was akin to asking the humans to sacrifice their lives. J’Xun gathered his thoughts, realizing that he would have to start at the beginning.

“Let me start at the beginning.”

---

Khatri perked up at the word acolyte. It was the Hilox equivalent to scientist. Suwong looked at her and gave a slight nod. It was likely her turn to step up.

The acolyte began to go on. Paragraphs of text began to scroll along the glass. Suwong gave up on trying to decipher the technical jargon and instead turned to Khatri. Khatri felt like a translator, converting the Hilox terms to human ones and then converting those into a simpler versions for the other two to understand.

The acolyte and his team had been running tests with the Jinkor virus with various alien cell cultures. The purpose of this common test to confirm that there was no compatibility that would lead to cross species infection. Since diseases evolved to target specific organisms cross species infections were exceedingly rare, but the mere existence of that chance demanded such tests. In every case mixing infected Hilox cells with alien cells resulted in no sign of cross infection occurring in the alien cells. However there was an unusual outlier with the human sample. In every other test the infected Hilox cells had been destroyed as time progressed, usually as the infection progressed to end stage within the cells. But in the human samples, portions of Hilox cells had survived.

Further examination had led the team to discover that the human cells had forced the virus into a stage of latency, or remission. Leaving the Hilox cells untouched of signs of infection. This was a breakthrough. The mutations of the virus had resulted in difficulties in creating a vaccine. A quick clinical trial confirmed the initial results, human blood injected into a host ceased the progression of infection. A possible treatment in lieu of a vaccine.The team had gone further by attempting to isolate the elements that led to the Jinkor virus remission. Initially they thought it was the human immune system, but though the human immune cells were capable of destroying the virus they did not spare the Hilox cells either.

However after some more trials they isolated hemoglobin as the target molecule. Hemoglobin better known as red blood cells.

At this point Khatri interrupted. Her text providing a sharp break to the long string of the acolyte’s text.

“Wait, wait, wait. How do red blood cells cause a virus to go into remission?”

“Red blood cells?” The acolyte’s text queried back.

“Sorry, hemoglobin. What’s the mechanism behind forcing the virus into remission.”

“We are still trying to figure that out. But so far our tests have shown that an injection of purified hemoglobin sends the virus into remission.”

“But you must have a theory? The iron core or maybe its oxygen affinity?”

“We haven’t yet been able to determine that.”

“Fascinating.” Khatri said aloud. Seeing that Khatri was becoming lost in thought Suwong leaned forward to type out question.

“So what you are asking for is blood.”

At this the alien acolyte froze, looking at it’s compatriots who looked uncomfortable. After a great length the Praetor typed out.

“Yes.”

Suwong leaned back.

“So they want blood.” She muttered under her breath. That would be a fun report to write later. Terrance looked like he was about to have an aneurism. Her own earpiece had gotten unusually silent as well.

The ambassador looked at Khatri speaking directly to her.

“If we gave them permission to produce human blood what would that entail? If I recall my high school biology correctly blood cells are extremely simple.”

“Blood cells come from stem cells. Giving them access would be incredibly controversial, regardless of intent.” Khatri said shutting that option down.  

Terrance spoke up as well.

“We also don’t have any industries that produce blood in the quantities required. It’s never been needed. But there are other options. The mercy fleet is still stockpiling supplies. We could ask them to pick up human blood, even filter out the white blood cells.”

Suwong nodded eyeing the aliens sitting across the table who were visibly becoming distressed with the ongoing discussion. She tapped a message into the Screen.

“We would be willing to assist.”  

Terrance immediately began tapping on his Screen, undoubtedly communicating with the others in the other room to get to work.

The aliens seemed to visibly relax, the aide appearing to quaver with emotion. The Praetor carefully typed a message.

“Your sacrifices will never be forgotten.”  

*Uh, what?* Suwong frowned. Even for a Hilox that phrasing was odd.

“It will not be a big sacrifice, humans give blood all the time.”

This seemed to startle the scientist alien who interjected.

“Is blood not vital for you to live? How can extracting blood not be lethal?”

Suwong realized that the Hilox had a poorer understanding of human biology than her.

“Blood is replaced continuously, and humans give blood all the time.”

After a second she added, “We don’t give all the blood, just about a half liter at a time. It’s a careful procedure which ensures safety of the donor.”

This seemed to shock the aliens, and Khatri suddenly recalled that they had no such medical practice. Humans were surprisingly lacking in diversity compared to other species, at a broad scale anyway. Even dogs had at least 13 major blood groups compared to human’s 4. Even just looking at the three Hilox in front of her she could see a drastic size difference and unique head shape between each of them. If she recalled correctly the acidity of Hilox blood could vary from  6 to 10 which would make the notion of standardizing blood transfusions quite absurd.

The aliens still seemed stunned. “Why would you take blood?” This time it was the aide who was asking.

“In case someone needs it.” Suwong said, somehow inserting a shrug into her line of text.

“Loss of blood as you said previously can be fatal to humans. Which is why having a storage of blood on hand is beneficial to us.”

Khatri interrupted, ignoring the aliens who silently grappled with the implications of what Suwong had just described.

“I was doing some research on that, the nearest sizable blood bank is over 2 months away. Blood can only be kept in cold storage for maybe 50 to 60. There are smaller ones that are closer, but I’m talking really small. We should look into a fresher source.”

“Getting rather vampiric aren’t we.” Suwong joked.

Khatri ignored her, and continued on.

“I would suggest we look into the Trident Warp Hub. Lots of humans funnel through there to get to this region. An impromptu bank could be opened there.”  

“Yeah. That’s a good idea.” Suwong affirmed.

*We could also pull some blood out of whatever troops we have stationed in the sector.* She thought to herself.

The meeting closed with the cementing of details. Despite the Hilox’s somewhat awkward efforts, Suwong declined the their offer of compensation. The task of gathering the blood would be left for the humans to manage. Leaving the Hilox to prepare for the arrival of the mercy fleet. The Hilox delegate left feeling quite relieved, having evaded offending the humans, and buying their people more time.

And thus the crisis was averted. When the call went out people responded. Analysts estimated that combat efficiency in some units dropped 10% with soldiers competing to give more blood against doctor orders. The mercy fleet rapidly distributing the aid across the affected zones. In some cases the humanitarian workers gave blood on the field. Directly infusing with the sickened Hilox when they encountered shortages. The blood shortages didn’t last long. Khatri’s proposition was inspired brilliance. Nearly half a million humans went through the Trident Warp Hub daily. Every human who arrived received a message from the diplomatic office, requesting their aid. Alien travelers were greeted with the unusual sight of hundreds upon thousands of humans giving blood. Laid back on couches and benches with devices pumping them for blood. Like a macabre harvest. Appearances aside the result was fantastic. The tidal wave of deaths was stemmed by human blood. Regular donations of blood continued until the Hilox were able to create a permanent cure. It was an act of charity that the Hilox would long remember, paving a path for the induction of the Hilox into the Federation.

[ranuel]

Interesting Times

I work for the Director of Admissions, Business Development, and Case Management (DA) and also for the Director of Therapy Services (DT) and the 4 supervisors who report to her. After meeting with DA Friday afternoon I have until Monday Morning at 10 to give her my answer about something that’s going to completely upend my work life for the next several months with repercussions for many of my coworkers.

More after the break

Everything I’m hearing about the new location sounds great. Except it’s on the other side of town and would require driving through what is possibly THE highest traffic area in town. I have a couple of doctors who have their offices near there and if I have an afternoon appointment it can take at least half an hour to get from there to the interstate and from there about an hour home.

My current drive is about 50 minutes so I’d be sitting in my car at least 3hrs a day instead of nearly 2. I did the math and I can’t afford to move and I really wouldn’t be able to take that day after day so I’ve been faced with having to find a new job after 20 years. Cue major social anxiety and really, just general anxiety over all, so I’ve procrastinated even though finding a job closer to home would free up time and spoons so I could go back to school. Something I’ve been wanting to do for over a year.

A few weeks ago we got news that our move date and the day that the new company would officially take over fully would be January 8th. I’ve been trying to get things sorted both at home and at work so I can really start job hunting but the last couple of weekends I just didn’t have the spoons to deal with any of it and work has been hectic. I haven’t told the bosses that I wasn’t planing to make the move with the department. No use in stirring things up.

I went to the meeting with DA expecting to update her on some things.  Instead I was officially told that as of January 8th my job would no longer exist.

The new company doesn’t have secretaries or administrative assistants. I honestly thought that was a terrible idea that had died a quick death in the ‘90s when some companies tried it and found how terrible it was. I mean it’s always a wise use of resources to have someone do secretarial level work who’s making a Director’s salary and cramming it in with their actual jobs, right?

The choices that were presented to me were:

1. Accept a position working for AD in Admissions that would involve coordinating all the fiddly bits involved in getting a patient through our doors from referral to admission and then a few things once they get here. It’s the same pay grade as my current job. I would also probably have to continue doing some things that aren’t usually part of that job that I’m already doing for her. I would transfer with her department to the new facility.

2. Start looking for a job with my current employer at their main facility.

3. Start looking for a job somewhere else.

No matter what I chose it’s going to be a Very Bad Thing in the short term for DT’s department as they try cover the work that I currently do for them when I leave. I am slightly less guilty about this since I figured out that she knew my job was going away at least a couple of weeks ago and not only didn’t say anything but tried to discourage the Admissions director from offering me the new job. She’s not the one who’s going to get it in the teeth when they have to reorganize without me though.

The Admissions job is opening up really soon so I need to let DA know Monday if I’m interested because she has to start the process of posting it externally if I’m not. I’ll still need to apply for it and jump through all the hoops but it sounded like I’d get it if I did.

Getting it means working my ass off for the next several weeks learning the new job while getting whoever gets stuck with my current tasks up to speed. It’s not going to be the usual spend a couple of weeks training a replacement then starting the new job and spending a couple of weeks learning it. It’s going to have to be happening at the same time.

And of course there’s still the long commute when we move. Which is also an issue with option 2 with the additional problem that my current employer’s main campus charges several hundred dollars a year to park and some of the lots are far enough away that you have to take a shuttle to get to and from the building which adds even more time to the commute

Managing to successfully accomplish option 3 would be best for me and if they know that I’m not going with them to the new facility I should be able to get time off more easily to go to interviews and I’d be able to train other people to do my tasks at a slower pace.

But there’s a huge element of risk there in that I know I could probably find a job but I might not be able to find a job that pays enough to meet my current bills by January.

The admission job is a lot of work but seems like it would be less than my current crushing workload after the initial transition and I’d be down to 1 boss instead of 2 main bosses and 4 supervisors.  I’d learn some valuable new skills that could help me find a new job closer to home too. I feel really guilty about applying for a job that I don’t plan to keep for more than a few months though and I’ve worked for DA for 20 years and it feels like I’d be betraying her. I did mention that if I took the Admissions job and I ended up hating it then it wasn’t like I was signing in blood. I could still look for another job and she nodded so I feel like that kinda covers my bases. /sigh/ I hate adulting.

[meydi21]

Proceed with Caution: Disclosing Autism On The Job

Proceed with Caution: Disclosing Autism On The Job In the article, Microsoft Wants Autistic Coders. Can It Find Them And Keep Them?” Vauhini Vara reported: “ . . . millions of adults with autism often find themselves in a difficult bind. They struggle to get and keep jobs because of the disability, but if they disclose it so they can seek accommodations while applying or working—just as someone in a wheelchair, for instance, might request a ramp—they risk facing discrimination from managers or colleagues who mistakenly believe autism, because it affects the brain, must make them less able workers.” The Virginia Commonwealth University website states: disclosing “may be a major cause of anxiety or concern for people with disabilities as well as those who assist them when looking for a job.” It’s important to understand the sensitive subject matter of disclosure. In a recent phone conversation I had with Adam Glass, the Career Path Coordinator at The Autism Initiative at Mercyhurst(AIM), Glass noted that some students state something along these lines: I don’t want to be treated differently. I don’t want to be associated with autism . . . I don’t want to be seen for my weakness. Despite the college students’ justifiable trepidation, as part of the AIM program at Mercyhurst University, Glass encourages the students to disclose their disability. He explains they don’t have to necessarily disclose autism upfront but can choose to disclose a symptomology disclosure. In other words, to disclose a coexisting condition such as sensory integration challenges or a subset of a condition such as over sensitivity to specific uniform fabrics. Glass takes time throughout the year to explain what disclosing a diagnosis of autism can and cannot do, and poses all options, including what happens if you do and what happens if you don’t. He asks each pupil to choose what feels right for you and advices to follow your dreams not stay in a bubble. He informs students of their legal rights and advices if you don’t disclose, you won’t know what options and accommodations you might have access to. He helps students to interpret the law and to understand their employment rights. When Glass and his colleagues travel to meet with employers, who have autism hiring initiatives, they bring some of their students along. And quite often, meeting face-to-face, the potential employees ask the autistic students, “What do you need from us?” What Glass is doing is inspiring, and something that ought to be implemented on high school campuses and college campuses nationwide. His primary goal is to empower and encourage. And part of this goal is achieved through teaching the basics of disclosing. He teaches autism is an integrate part of you, but it’s never you. He emphasizes the divide between individuals who push onward and those that don’t. What I would call resilience. And what autistics can offer that others cannot. When an individual is considering whether or not to disclose a diagnosis of autism several factors come into play: ·     How self-confident and knowledgeable about autism is the individual? ·     Does the individual have a mentor or support person? ·     Is the individual aware of disability rights? ·     Is the individual able to ask for reasonable accommodations, if needed? ·     Is the individual resilient and able to face probable stereotyping, assumptions, and misinterpretations? ·     Is the individual self-empowered? Before setting any person, whether young or old, on the path of disclosing in the workplace, we must be realistic. Most autistics, after disclosing on the job, face some form of discrimination, myself included. Take for example what an audiologist from the UK wrote: “If I choose to disclose my AS (Aspergers) at work, management is initially understanding but then put me in difficult environments due to my experience and end up refusing to make any environmental or procedural adaptations for me. This leads to increased absence, anxiety, rigid thinking, inflexibility and ultimately meltdown (which occurs outside of the workplace, negatively affecting friends, family and romantic relationships). I usually resign before I meltdown at work. I am concerned that I will become unemployable, if I develop a reputation for unreliability in such a small industry . . . We don’t ask for ‘special’ treatment. We ask for certain conditions to allow us to function at the same level as the rest of the workforce. Once these conditions are met, you will find you have the hardest working, most loyal employees around.” A day treader with Asperger’s Syndrome had this to say, “I don’t know what’s worse, being judged because no one knows you have autism or knowing that if you tell people you have autism that action alone is going to come off as extremely strange. In theory, I won’t only be judged for my autism, but for the mere action of disclosing.” A 30-year old autistic man, who wished to remain anonymous, wrote: “I deeply regret sharing my diagnosis. My coworker thought Aspergers was an extremely awful disability that makes people uncomfortable. He had no reference point. And nothing was ever the same again. It resulted in the end of our working relationship. If I was ever to go into another job, the last thing I would ever do is tell them I was autistic . . . because they are just going to misinterpret it. I mean it’s a deal breaker for all NTs (neurotypical/non-autistic); they are never going to look at you the same. It’s not that I am afraid of what they think. I just know that once I tell them that it can never be undone. That’s not just in the workplace. It’s with doctors, family members, even my own parents . . .” That’s the thing about an invisible condition: sometimes we have a choice of whether or not we want others to know. And for good reason, some of us choose not to disclose at all. There is still a lot of misinformation out there surrounding the autism spectrum condition, still a high likelihood of facing the wallop of discrimination, once an autism diagnosis is mentioned. Ironically, today’s business and university leaders often denote autism with an aura of less than, using the words ‘they’ and ‘help them,’ and implying, and even stating, workers on the autism spectrum are incapable of leadership and management—even as large numbers of autistics are the very ones entrusted to educate our children as teaching assistances, general education and special education teachers, and college professors. Furthermore, some of us ‘with autism’ are in highly influential positions, serving as civil servants, defense lawyers, oncology doctors, and pediatric nurses. Whether we publicly admit our autism/Aspergers or not, we are out there in much larger numbers than currently reported. And it’s common knowledge that Silicon Valley and Bellevue, WA hubs, and other technology city centers, are overtaken by professionals with autistic attributes and traits—but maybe by another name—gifted, geek, nerd, genius. To this day, five years after my diagnosis of Asperger’s Syndrome, I ponder the pros and cons of being out of the “autistic closet.” In considering whether someone should disclose they are on the autism spectrum, a marching band of pros and cons arise. Anyone who is autistic can easily venture into the feasible benefits and risks of disclosing on the job. We all know, and some have lived at some level, the risk of backlash from supervisors and co-workers. And some of us are fortunate enough to know the benefits of an inclusive and accepting work environment. There isn’t a right or wrong answer to disclosing autism or Aspergers on the job. Still there is a potential threat—it’s always there. And there are ramifications, regardless of any precautionary measures taken. In reality, autism is a baby in the realm of marginalized minorities. Swarming is false, outdated, and unsubstantiated information about autism spectrum disorders. Beginning to fly, queries of whether or not autism is even a disorder. And false information certainly abounds. When paid professionals in the field of psychology are mistaking sustained eye contact, empathy, imagination, and ability to make friends as markers against feasibly having autism, how can we expect that the average non-autistic will get it? When “sensitivity” trainings and conventions about autism are saturated by educators and presenters who are non-autistics, how are we heard? And how many immediately box us into constricting conclusions of less than, needs special treatment, fragile, or a charity case? How many think us to be like the one autistic they already know or have heard about? How many of us lose who we are and become something we are not, in the eyes of another, with the mention of autism? “Disclosure provides opportunities to educate and inform other people about autism, and to advocate on behalf of those within our community who may not be in as good a position to do so for themselves,” stated Maura Campbell, a senior manager in the Northern Ireland Civil Service, and former board member of Specialisterne. “It allows you to challenge head-on the myths and misconceptions that abound about autism, partly due to its stereotypical portrayal in the media and popular culture. When people express surprise that I have Asperger’s (which is generally the case), I have an opening to correct some of the inaccurate impressions they may have about autism . . . ” But she is also a realist. “When I ‘came out’, I was asked a couple of times what treatment I was receiving. No matter how hard I tried to tell people that the diagnosis was a positive event, a confirmation of who I already was, they behaved as though I was conveying bad news. What I learned from this was that people do not always receive information in the same way as you present it to them. They often apply their own filters, overlaying what you have said with their own preconceptions and assumptions.”  It is true disclosure during the hiring process or on the job can unintentionally lead to unfavorable consequences. Particularly, if a place of employment is not neurodiverse friendly or is not well educated in autistic culture, history, traits, and attributes. Whether or not to disclose is very much a personal choice. Alternatives to not disclosing autism at a place of work:      State subtle needs    Work to blend in     Establish a support network outside of work     Find a trusted coworker to help interpret unspoken rules and workplace culture    Reevaluate disclosing at a later point    Establish own accommodations  Practice self-care on the job As a general rule, when weighing the pros and cons of job place disclosing, for either yourself or someone you know, keep in mind that the act of disclosing has the potential to lead to direct opportunities for employment success. When an employee discloses on the job: Employers have opportunity to consider workplace adjustments and supports (reasonable accommodations, peer mentors, the establishment of a disability resource group).Job candidate can ask for reasonable accommodation during the job screening process (list of topics that will be asked during interview, an interview over the phone, an overview of the hiring practice, an alternative to resume, a portfolio or video that showcases skills)Springboard for other possible work opportunities within the company (customized job description, creating a new job role, being a neurodiversity trainer or peer-support person)Opportunity to present past workplace supports and how the employee previously excelledWorking with a vocational counselor or other employment specialist to establish support measuresProtected under ADAPlatform to state needs and educate about disability or conditionTransparencyLead to policy change and open new doors for othersAvoid the possibility of an employer feeling mislead or misinformed Yes, there are multiple ways that the act of disclosing a diagnosis of autism or Asperger’s Syndrome can assist a job seeker or an employee. I would definitely recommend disclosing at work (on my good days). Even so, as previously mentioned, the idea is very subjective and dependent upon multiple variables, including the workplace culture, one’s ability to state workplace needs and to stick up for one’s self, the individual’s own understanding of autism, and whether or not there is a support person available. When in doubt about workplace disclosure, I suggest that those on the autism spectrum ask other autistics that have been in the same situation, research into the pros and cons, and make a personal decision that best fits the individual.

[a-shmeeb-abroad]

On 2017 and the Entirety of Last Year

January arrived in a gust of stinging cold wind and brown vegetation covering the landscape, exactly as it did last year. Inspiration rolled in with it and I decided to revive this old website. So with that:

Good morning my friends and family. How are you doing? It’s been a while since I last checked in; in fact it’s been nearly a year if I remember correctly. I hope you and your families have been well and have spent 2016 in prosperity, comfort, and happiness. If you didn’t, it’s my utmost hope that 2017 brings about better circumstances.

I thought I would give a little bit of an update into what’s been going on in my life during this past year. As mentioned in my first blog post, if you can possibly remember back that far, I try to avoid the day-to-day report kind of blog and rather focus on important situations and details while further elaborating the importance of each. I’m going to do my best to keep up with that practice. Let me know how I do.

When we last left off, spring was just arriving into Kanoya in a rush of warmth. Though it hasn’t exactly begun yet, last weekend promised warm temperatures with clear skies. I’ll be taking advantage of that as soon as I can, as my boyfriend and I make a trip up to a small town called Kihoku to watch some stars. It’s known as one of, if not the best place in Japan to watch the stars, so I’m eager to have this experience. Living in the countryside allows for stargazing, and my current favorite location is at the shrine on the cliff overlooking the ocean, though it’s my understanding that “I haven’t seen nothin yet,” but I digress.

Immediately following my last post, I took on a new responsibility and kind of dove head first into community involvement in Kagoshima. I was elected to and accepted a position of Communications Coordinator in an organization called Kagoshima Association of JETS, or KAJET for short. As a group, it is our responsibility to facilitate and organize near-monthly events for the foreign communities across Kagoshima Prefecture, so that kept me busy for a while since we decided to revamp and redesign a website in the process. I’ll remain in this position officially until about April, when our new wave of KAJET members is sworn in after our election process. For any Kagoshima JETs reading this, apply. It’s a blast.

As 2016 went on, I became much more involved in my school and my students’ lives. I continued to run a weekly English club which has gained a few more part time members, much to my delight. During the staff switch in April – where teachers at the end of their tenure transfer to another school somewhere else in the prefecture – I found myself with a new ALT supervisor, who assisted me in changing my work hours so I could tutor students after school. Many of them took an English proficiency test called Eiken, which implements an interview exam. Thanks to my help (this is according to my vice principals and principal), our school had 37/39 students pass. This was a monumental achievement and I won’t lie, I’m still lowkey proud of myself. AND THEN IN ADDITION to everything, I’ve been given substantially more responsibility in planning lessons and teaching classes. Before, I would teach maybe 7 or 8 classes a month. These days I find myself planning for 3-4 lessons a day, teaching 1st, 2nd, and 3rd years alike, teaching full lessons with just the supervision of the Japanese Teacher of English, and even acting as a substitute teacher in some cases; when a teacher is absent, I will occasionally be asked to teach the entire class on my own.

 Not everything was sunshine and rainbows, however. Early in the year, I found myself gaining a substantial amount of weight from stress, culture shock, and various “cultural activities.” What I didn’t realize upon arriving here was how powerful the drinking culture was and how many people partook. The enkai, or dinner and drinking party, is common in the workplace here, usually used to celebrate the beginning or the end of an important period or event. This leads to things like the end of the year enkai or the new year enkai, or even “the students just finished exercising for 8 hours during their sports festival and we as teachers are going to celebrate the end of that” enkai. And this doesn’t include the ALT hosted ones, or the visits to Kagoshima. So I guess in short, I went to a lot of them. And as much as they say you won’t be forced to drink alcohol, there were some cases where people commented outwardly if I chose not to have any so there were times when it became difficult to refuse. So of course, as we all know from seeing beer bellies and whatnot, alcohol makes you gain weight. I was not the exception.

Unfortunately, this led to some cripplingly awful issues with self-image and insecurity. I admit that I struggled daily, be it with a shirt fitting tighter than normal, or realizing my face was a little rounder than the week before. But it led to me making healthier choices in my life all around. I cut calories and made my own dinners. I began bringing lunch to work whenever possible. I weaned myself off sugar and have a dessert maybe once or twice a week at best. And most importantly, I cut out drinking alcohol to once or twice a month. In addition to everything, I enrolled in a gym (the process of which could take up an entire blog post on its own) and began training to return my stamina to its former glory. I’m thrilled to report that since starting this process, my skin is gorgeous and clear, I’m able to run full a full 10k at a steady pace without stopping, and I’ve lost nearly 10 pounds. My clothes are no longer snug, even with my layers of winter wear underneath them.

But beyond all these changes that have occurred throughout this year, the most important thing that has changed is my mindset and outlook on my life here. As my blog says on the top, I am a future bilingual nurse and to be honest, I planned to already be halfway to that point at this very moment. But things are different now.

I’ve absolutely fallen in love with my job and teaching high school students. At least for now, I think I will be remaining in the field of education and obtaining further certifications to enhance my experience and increase my opportunities in the future. As of this moment, I’m considering 3 years in total on the JET program and relocating elsewhere in Japan to continue my career. Perhaps my next location will be somewhere with trains and public transportation apart from busses and a ferry. But, as I have learned, plans continuously change so we will see if I have the same plan a year from now.

In order for this to happen, I will have to study my Japanese harder and harder every day. From where I stand, I can already see how drastically it has improved in such a short time. But the rate, in this situation, is not what matters; it’s the overall ability. So in preparation, I will be taking the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, or JLPT, for the N2 level in summer. N2 is the equivalent of professional business communication, while N1 is a native level of speaking.

Furthermore, and though I believe I’ve successfully done this up until now, my mindset of Japan must continually be changing and adapting. To successfully coexist in another society and culture means to efficiently discard all stereotypes and preconceived ideas of a place and people, and rely heavily on observation and respect of their customs and behaviors. I never came here with the mindset of “Japan is an anime dream land, and all my wildest weeb dreams will come true,” and to be honest, I believe anyone who does so will find themselves unsuccessful in building a life here. Rather, I’ve looked at it as simply relocating to a place that does things differently that what I am used to, and that I am now faced with the task of re learning how to act and why to do so. This is one of the main reasons I stopped writing my blog last year. I wasn’t looking at Japan as a place where I lived and worked, but as a kind of exciting adventure. I didn’t seriously consider establishing a life here but saw it as a gap year experience to improve my language ability and my knowledge of another culture. But as I spent my days living and working, interacting with my neighbors and coworkers, and doing my best to respect the mannerisms and practices of a rich and historical land, I realized that my outlook on this entire situation was completely wrong. I am not writing a travel blog, and even after my first post, I knew this. I realized that this blog was just an extension of my real life; I was essentially writing as I would have, had I still lived in America, by simply updating my family and friends on what I was doing during the day. The location was just…different.

I guess what I realized was that 2016 was a year of healing and change for me. I took many difficult and previously unsavory situations and mindsets, and I turned them around and made them work in my benefit. I’ve blossomed in my workplace, and I’ve done what I can to get involved in my community. I visited the US twice. I became healthy. I found gentle, kind love. As the first month of 2017 comes to an end, I know in my heart that only I can continue the improvement.

I don’t think I’ll stop writing my blog. There are bound to be more beautiful and eye opening experiences within the next few years, and I am eager to share those moments with you back home. Of course, if you ever have any questions regarding my posts or just my life in general, I welcome them and will be happy to answer to the best of my abilities. I’ll end my post now with a quote from one of my class comedians, as advice for your continued happiness in life: “Don’t think. Feel.”

Christine