I've been debating writing this out for some time now. I've been out of work because I almost had a mental breakdown. Let me explain how I got where I am.
As Quality Assurance, part of my job involved speaking with associates about their problems. This would include product dimensions for slotting in the warehouse. COVID measures (including the wearing of masks & a ban on written notes to reduce transmission) caused chronic stress for me at work; resulting in crippling anxiety. Due to a mismatch of expectations and abilities without adequate support, I felt no other recourse than to leave.
On their website, Corporation states they "will accommodate the disability-related needs of applicants and associates as required by law." This is not true. When they told me to "Write down what we teach you", that's putting the burden of communication on me. As I see it, they hired me to work for them. It should be their responsibility to have the documentation on how they want the job done, not mine. That's what reasonable accommodation means, to me. I asked 3 times over the span of a year and a half before I got someone to work on that documentation. I had access to a rough draft for a week during my shift to learn, but they wrote me up for being "too slow" or whatever reasoning they used. Likewise, I had an anxiety attack after that meeting, and I've left the job, claiming stress leave. It got so bad at times, I wouldn’t leave the house & couldn’t think of having to deal with “hearing people.”
The problem wasn't only at work - the masks were everywhere. It didn't matter if I went to the bank, the grocery store, to pay a bill - every single place was a communication barrier. I called it "The year of hell" for a reason.
When I told people that I had a discrimination problem, the immediate answer I got was to phone this person or that person. It's the first knee-jerk answer anybody ever gets. I’ve spoken with 3 different legal clinics. I filed a claim with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario last May. I'm still waiting to hear from them.
I am burned out with doing “customer service”. I’m a little better now with people, but I’m not 100% yet. I owe my immediate family & wife thanks for the support they’ve given me, especially as I felt like I was falling apart. I certainly hope all of this makes sense - it took me a while to untangle my thoughts, and some of them were very dark. I have some plans now, and I think I know what I need to do to improve my situation.
