Amazon's War on Workers: New Disability Policy and Union-Busting Tactics Spark Outrage

Amazon is making it harder for disabled employees to get permission to work from home. 

The company recently told employees with disabilities that it was implementing a more rigorous vetting process. Affected workers must submit to a “multilevel leader review” and could be required to return to the office for monthlong trials to determine if accommodations meet their needs. The revised disability policy—which hasn’t previously been reported—is roiling a workforce already alienated by a five-day return-to-office mandate. Meanwhile, the National Labor Relations Board ruled (in a case involving Amazon) that mandatory “captive audience” meetings are illegal. These are the gatherings where companies tell employees the alleged evils of unionization, and are one of their most potent weapons against labor organizing. 

Please if you feel like I feel voice your concern, and depending on your level of outrage any of the following will do!

1. Contact Amazon Directly:

Customer Service: While this might not be the most direct route, you can reach out to Amazon's customer service by phone at 1-888-280-4331 and share your concerns.

• Social Media: Use platforms like Twitter or Facebook to directly message Amazon or tag them in posts using relevant hashtags.

2. Reach Out to Regulatory Agencies:

• Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC): The EEOC enforces laws prohibiting job discrimination. You can file a complaint with them if you believe Amazon's policy violates these laws.
• National Labor Relations Board (NLRB): While this might not be directly related to the disability policy, the NLRB oversees labor relations and can investigate potential unfair labor practices.

3. Contact Advocacy Organizations:

• Disability Rights Organizations: These organizations often advocate for the rights of people with disabilities. Contact them to learn about potential legal actions or public campaigns you can support.

4. Public Pressure:

• Sign Petitions: Look for online petitions against Amazon's policy and sign them to show your support.
• Write Letters to the Editor: Share your concerns with local newspapers and online publications.
• Boycott Amazon: Consider reducing your purchases from Amazon as a form of protest.

Remember, your voice matters. By taking action, you can help ensure that disabled workers are treated fairly and have the opportunity to work remotely if needed.

How Hollywood Got Autism Awareness Month All Wrong…

I am so grateful for every person who used their platform to bring awareness to autism. Awareness was the first step to improving the lives of individuals and families impacted by autism. I fought for awareness and now it's time for a new verb.

This is not a dis on anyone or anything, it’s just I've been living with this same message for 17 years. And, as I was thinking what to say for Autism Awareness month?  What needs to be said? What would make a difference? I just kept coming up blank, then it hit me “It’s not about awareness anymore”.  We are aware now!  We have made progress and it’s time to get a new slogan and new mission that changes the lives of all the people our society is now “Aware” of.   And I hope Hollywood will get on board and embrace a new campaign.Let's face it, now we need to be about action, next steps. Maybe we begin with a new slogan; Autism Inclusion Month,  or Autism Action Month, or Autism Support Month.

I’ve been on this journey for 17 years now, much of which is documented in this blog.  If you are one of the people who have read this blog through the years you know it begins with my testimony to the California Senate Blue Ribbon Commission when I shared how having a young child with autism was a nightmare families could not wake from.  Getting an early diagnosis was almost impossible as most pediatricians did not know the signs, and if you could not afford the $3,500 private developmental pediatricians wanted for assessments you were probably flat out of luck.  Then if you were fortunate enough to be told your child does have autism “A permanent lifelong disability for which there is no known cause of cure” they just sent you home to sort things out.  Unlike any other major illness or disability where families are embraced by the system and provided with protocols of care and resource’s families living with autism were abandoned by the system.  With no skills or tools families were just sent home to care their child – who typically required 24/7 support, cope with their grief and do the full-time job of trying to navigate complicated systems of care to find hope!    A devastating reality resulting in a 86% divorce rate for families, isolation, depression and financial ruin because the needs of an autistic child were so intensive parents could not work and care for their child.

This was the unimaginable fate of so many families due to lack of awareness.  But as awareness improved and 1 in every 64 children had a diagnosis of autism, things changed and today most people know about autism.  The result physicians have been trained, therapies are available, states have funds for early diagnosis and intervention.  A great accomplishment!  And now it’s time to move on.

Today most funds for autism are earmarked for early intervention, doing little for those individuals with autism who are now in middle school, high school, and aging out of the system.  We have done little to improve our social settings to include families and individuals with autism. Today as I think about Nick’s upcoming birthday, yep he’s an April kiddo born in Autism Awareness Month!  I am not optimistic about his future, in fact, I’m the opposite.  I am scared for my son and his sister who will inherit the burden of care.  And this is how I feel as the parent of a kiddo who has made incredible strides in his independence as a result of early intervention.

17 years into this diagnosis we live in the social isolation today, as we did when he was diagnosed. This year like all the other years, he has not be invited to any typical child’s birthday party and his birthday party will be attended by adults and perhaps a few others on the spectrum.   We still go into the community and people pretend not to see us, or they look at Nick in fear when he makes noises and jumps suddenly.  But today my most crushing reality is once Nick ages out of the school system – unlike his typical school peers who will go on to jobs, vocational programs, colleges or universities – there are few viable options.  The image of “Wall walkers” comes to mind. Special needs individuals being driven around town in white vans making mindless trips to the mall, the 99 cent store, maybe Target.  Or for a treat a trip to McDonald's where they are all seated away from the other customers who are uncomfortable or a theme park where they connected by matching shirts or string that attach them like cut out dolls, dressed in clothes that make them look unloved and allowed to wear toddler hats.  That’s what families have to look forward to after years of “Awareness” 

So, yes awareness have improved. Early intervention is funded. Kids are being diagnosed and families are being lead to believe the future will be better.  I’m here to say, that is perhaps the cruelest part of this whole journey; to work so hard for years expecting “better” to find that while your child was growing up, and you were doing all you knew to do, the system was not keeping up with you and one day you would end up right back where you started, alone with a young adult who still needs 24/7 care and nowhere to go.  

That’s reality, and in some ways, it’s a more crushing blow than the first, because back then in the there was still hope.  And as a society, we were still more forgiving of an adorable autistic toddler, no matter how inappropriate his behavior, than of an autistic adult.  

That’s why it’s time to move on and work on directly impacting the lives of families living with autism, beyond ages 1-5.  It’s time for “Autism Inclusion Month” and just like awareness it begins in our communities, it begins with us, simple kindness something like this.

Let’s start an inclusion revolution. 

Here are a few ideas.

When you see an individual with autism – Say hi, even if they don’t say hi back.

Invite families you know who are living with autism to your parties, to your homes for dinner.

Help parents who are caring for an individual with autism; drop off a meal, a Starbucks, a bottle of wine.

Invite a mom who is caring for her child with autism over for a cup of tea,  volunteer to run an errand or any gesture of kindness you would give to any neighbor or friend in need.

Then for those of us who are the ones living with autism, we need Autism Action Month. A month where as a community we come together to push the bar forward.  A month where we unite in large numbers, make our voices heard, and advocate now for system change including programs and funding that will support our children after Highschool and insure there are supports in place for the inevitable when we are no longer here to care for them.

La Vie En BLUE Fashion Gala - Autism Speaks Southern California

For anyone who loves fashion, or if you're just looking to have an amazing time this week and at the same time raise money for a great cause, check this out....

And here is a link to the information;  La Vie En BLUE Fashion Gala - Autism Speaks Southern California

Cheers,

Donna 

Teens With Autism Exit High School As Social/Functional Illiterates

Nick Working in HS Cafeteria

"The first battle was getting the school to buy into the reality that no matter how much time Nick spent in a Special Day Class, no matter well he was doing and no matter what he learned, if he could not translate that knowledge directly into a vocation or show how it improved his independence, it was USELESS"   

I don't know about any of you, but Nick was on track to age out of school no closer to being able to live independently than he was when he began!  I'm not saying he didn't learn anything, Nick is a smart kid; he can read, he can write, he can speak better, he can add and these are all essential tools and yes, much he learned in school.  At the same time, he can't access his community to use these skills, when he can't walk across the street on his own, work with money, use public transportation and he doesn't know what a stranger is, has no sense of danger, and can't monitor time for himself for any other purpose than to keep track of what he is going to get and when.  So, in reality as far as being independent Nick is my version  of a social/functional illiterate. It's sad but true, because for all the great things he has learned if he isn't able to or taught to apply them to a job, or success in the community, what has he really accomplished?.  This isn't just Nick I'm hearing this from parents everyday, so it's not just a Nick issue.   Despite my tremendous disappointment the truth is the system is what it is, IMPERFECT and overwhelmed, and unprepared to individually educate our children.  So we are in a place where we get out of it what we put into it.  When Nick was first diagnosed people told me Autism was a survival of the fittest disease, and that is still true today, so I blame no one.  I take that back, if blame were to be passed out, I would pass it me, Nick's mom because I know better.  

When I started this journey I thought the challenge was early intervention, because no one knew about autism.  I was wrong, now everyone has heard about it and it's still every man for themselves, one kid, one program, one outcome at a time all measured by how much we each can put into the process.  Sad but true, the buck always come back to parents and caregivers. 

Here's what we are doing to improve Nick's outcome after HS. 
I'm sure many of you can give me more input on how you're making progress.

We have been working on vocational skills in various forms for Nick since he was 10, in hopes of improving his level of independence.  Like I said, I thought the system would move with us and support Nick, especially once he entered high school and I was wrong.  Sadly, when our kids get to high school we are tired, and most of us get little exposure to the classroom, we get daily reports that all is well, and relieved to get a break from fighting,  we embrace good news and trust that the system is giving our young adults what they need.  I've learned that is not the case for us.  So many years into this journey I've learned Nick memorized more than he actually learned in class, then over time he would forget what he memorized because the information did not have any real meaning for him.  Nick did not retain a great deal of the useful information exposed to in the classroom because he did not have the opportunity to  "generalize" the information or skills in the real world, so it's more "Drill and Kill" than real learning for Nick.  This wasn't a big worry when he was in elementary school, but it's critical now and there are few options for him to generalize what he has learned in work place settings, given he's not 18 yet.  And when he turns 18 the pickings are still slim in our area.  In LAUSD the ASD classes do not even offer - what is available to other developmentally disabled special education classrooms - Community Based Programs (CBI)!  Sounds crazy, but true.  That said,  there was no way I wanted to see my son age out of school, having sat in a classroom for years, filled with information yet exiting no closer to being able to live independently than when he began!  I promise this would have been the case if I left him in the hands of the well intended, who measured his success based upon his ability to perform the work in the classroom.  

Nick loves Books....him just hanging our reading.

I'm happy to report that we've made progress and I wanted to share the process.   The first battle was getting the school to buy into the reality that no matter how long Nick spent in the SDC, no matter what he learned in the classroom setting, if he could not translate it directly into a vocation or show how it improved his independence, it was USELESS. A big ouch for educators who are well intended.  For example,  if Nick can do math in the workbooks in class, but he can't translate basic addition and subtraction to money, he can't independently  buy things from a bus pass, to groceries or clothing and he can't order and pay in a restaurant, so have to cross out one of the most basic skills required for independence.  
The second battle, was mediation because even once the school bought into the idea, they had no programs and the district rules said they could not create one. Nick was required under the rules of "Common Core" to remain in the classroom, take all the coursework so he could test and pass the standards.  What's funny about this in Nick's case is HE IS NOT ON THE DIPLOMA TRACK AND WON'T BE GETTING A DIPLOMA - BUT THEY STILL SAID HE HAD TO CONTINUE WITH THE COURSEWORK!!!  Fortunately  Federal law provided support, because the point of an IEP is to create the best educational program for each child. That said, the district finally agreed, and the school was given permission to create a real Individualized Education Program for Nick!   

Third, now that he could come out of the classroom, where to put him?  I had been building a relationship with school leadership for years, and had a team open to do the work needed to build a unique program inclusive of gen ed teachers willing to accept and support  Nick.  I know you're all really surprised to learn that all general education teachers are not open to having our kids in their classroom! LOL.   Then we had to build a program where he could spend  his day learning to use  what he's learned in class for the past 14 years in various settings, with a focus on vocational skills.  Here's his schedule now:

Nick Dressed Up To Sing in School
Choir Holiday Program! 

• Homeroom (SDC)

• PE (APE)

• Language Arts (SDC)

• General Ed Ceramics (where he does ceramics which he loves and helps the teacher with jobs)

• Teachers Aid (TA) - For PE Coach 

• General Ed Choir - Where he sings which is building new brain connections and he works on his social skills and functioning in a group.

• Cafeteria Worker - Does various jobs as asked by supervisor 

• Afterschool -  Farm Program 

The Forth Challenge is keeping it going and pushing vocation and independence at home. Our program started with one thing at a time and now when he comes home where he has chores, broken down into Daily (AM, Afterschool, Night time), Weekly and sometimes. 

• Feed the dogs

• Give the dogs water

• Clean up after the dogs in the yard

• Put clean silverware away

• Take the trashcans out on trash pick up day

• Organize cloths for the week

• Empty Dishwasher

• Gather his dirty laundry

• Sort mom's filing alphabetically (new I'm tapping into this love for letters)

• Shed papers 
• Take out trash and recycle

He is learning how to follow instructions to cook. We use mix's so he can read the box (i.e. cookies, mac and cheese). We are starting with his favorites! Even a simple direction followed precisely with measuring is a big deal for us!  This is a place where he gets immediate reinforcement for using math! 


So that's what I have share your ideas.
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Families Fight the Greif that Keeps on Giving; Emotionally and Financially.

I know I look and sound like Chicken Little, running in circles screaming "The Rates Are Falling. The Rates Are Falling!!!!!" and "The system is collasping and a catastrophy looms ahead!!!!!".  Nonetheless, I keep screaming because I am scared for my son. I am angry when I think about what will happen because we as a nation are making careless, short term decisions.  

But thank goodness I am not alone. If you have not heard me, maybe you can hear the three voices below.  As always thanks for the comments. 

1. Prudence August 31, 2015 at 7:14 PM  
2. Poverty wages for those who change lives, meanwhile Jeb Bush was paid $1.3 million to funnel federal (FEDERAL) funds to the Lehman Brothers investment company in Florida. Footnote, the Lehman Bros. failed, taking all those federal funds that could have helped thousands of individuals with autism down the drain.
3. AnonymousSeptember 1, 2015 at 9:41 AM
4. Hope you get a big support group, This group is majority with growing cases yearly. Wonder if it affects any politician personally. Election Day should align with your causes and belief. People need to be proactive.

   ReplyDelete
5. 
   MattSeptember 3, 2015 at 12:50 AM

   Even after 6 years of supporting individuals with developmental disabilities, there was no way for me to support myself, let alone support a family. To me it seemed like every year I would just see less and less. It came to a point where I had to decide on caring for my own family or to give support to these individuals.