Kasha

I'm incapable of regulating my sleeping pattern, currently either I don't sleep or I'm sleeping 11am-5pm. My body doesn't follow the 24 hour clock and doesn't tell me when I'm tired, also I get so caught-up in what I'm doing I lose track of time and when I do notice the time my executive functioning issues kick-in so I can't decide if I should go to bed or stay-up to tire myself out to try to sleep at a normal time tomorrow (doesn't work). Furthermore sleep is completely unappealing to me; I like being busy but sleep is just laying in a room in the dark doing nothing for 7-8 hours...I REALLY don't like going to bed at all. Obviously it's not an issue of stress or sleep hygiene...people keep saying things like to do something to relax, try herbal teas, switch off electronics an hour before bedtime, etc...these suggestions are not at all helpful, not least of all as the whole problem is not being able to do things like switching off electronics to get ready for bed! Over the-counter sleeping pills or melatonin don't work at all as the problem isn't that I'm not tired per say but that I can't stop doing what I'm doing to go to bed. The only thing that works is travelling half way round the world (-8 hours) to be with my boyfriend (who sleeps 9pm-5am), his sleeping pattern helps regulate mine but only for a short time. I can also often sleep on the sofa in the sitting room - I think because I can have the TV on so I'm still busy up until I sleep rather than purposefully stopping doing something to go do nothing (sleep). Not sleeping means I'm tired and the usual health problems that come with it, neurologically it makes my autism and restless legs syndrome worse too so it becomes a viscous circle with both conditions keeping me awake, plus as I'm sleeping most of the day I barely see sunlight and there's lots of things I can't do...which then makes my executive functioning worse too. I think it's standard in the UK not to give sleeping tablets at all, and not sure what else could be used to help. Is it even worth going to a doctor about this?

There's nothing insulting about retail work - it is insulting that people think just because you're disabled that this is all you're capable of doing. Why have I been unemployed for 3 years? Because I have Asperger's, and struggle to use a phone - read my initial post, and if you cannot help don't reply. I don't qualify for ESA - surely there should be support available for all job seekers, but more so for those who are disabled. I don't know what work I'm looking for - although they have been told retail work is not what I'm interested in. Given as they've deemed me as being incapable of work full-stop, they know what my work history is and it's not retail (IT, teaching, training), I have no doubt they have placed me into retail work for this reason - even if not, surely if a person is not interested in a certain type of role and has neither experience or qualifications, putting them into that type of role and not even acknowledging the idea of a person going into another line of work - whether it's prejudice or not, it's not acceptable.

What support is available for people with AS/ASD on JSA? I'm long-term unemployed (3+ years), I have Asperger's Syndrome and I can't use a phone - this is the main barrier I face as most employers will only contact you via telephone, but there are other problems because although I'm high functioning being out of work for so long means I've regressed and my confidence has taken a huge bump. I've held down [good] jobs long-term in the past, only lost my last job as the company I worked for went under. First 2 years the job centre forced me to apply for call centre work (despite knowing I can't use a phone), they then deemed me 'mentally incapable of working' for having Asperger's and forced me onto ESA (despite being capable of work) - I went back on JSA in December, yet my benefits are still not being paid correctly, but the job centre won't do anything but give me a telephone number to call (obviously I can't call, and they won't talk to my boyfriend, so I'm stuck). Now I'm back on JSA I finally have a disability adviser, but he's no help what-so-ever, the only benefit to having him is that he's not as ignorant as other advisers, however other advisers are still ignorant/prejudice when I sign on so I still have to constantly explain my disability to them, which they seem to belittle and seem to see as my being lazy/unwilling to find work rather than a genuine disability. I asked my disability adviser for some sort of support to help me back into work and was sent to Remploy - all they do is sit me at a PC to job search two hours a week, which I could do at home, and they put me in the 'retail' group - any job is great but it's insulting that they think retail work is all I'm capable of due to disability, besides I have no retail experience and retail isn't exactly the best job for people with AS/ASD so applying for retail roles really isn't helping me at all. Of course, I don't know what work I can go for or what sort of support I could expect to get, but certainly I need something other than bullying from the job centre staff to help me back into work. Is there any other support available to disabled people who are unemployed?