‘It’s easy to get ADHD coaching said the helpful professional’.
‘Just go into the Access to work portal and complete the application or I can signpost you to an agency who can help you do the application and you’ll need proof of diagnosis and speak to your employer and ….’
‘I’d glazed over’, said Steve. ‘I already knew I wasn’t going to do it. I knew it would be too much, and I’d just get frustrated and hacked off. I’ve forgotten what she said. Too many steps, do this and do that… Does my head in. Why start?’
The mail arrived in Steve’s inbox. Rate your experience with our service. Steve found the highest score, pressed the button and that concluded his engagement. That will shut them up and send them away, he thought.
‘We can help you said the kind volunteer.’
‘Here are a list of helpful numbers you can call to try to get support. You’ll need to use your Smart phone to download some of these apps but if you struggle with any of these things there are courses you can attend to help you get digitally competent and I’ll give you those too or you could book an appointment with one of my colleagues and we’ll help you get going’.
Maria smiled politely and thanked the kind lady and prepared to leave as she saw the next customer agitating in the queue. In her head she had already decided that all this was far too complicated and overwhelming, and she would not be phoning anyone. She couldn’t even remember why she had gone and believed it would be better this time.
The phone that her daughter had gifted her, rang loudly. The agency was calling to see how she had felt about her service experience and what rating she would give it. Maria enjoyed discussing the weather with the caller and then when prompted agreed that the service warranted a five- star rating. She was slightly disappointed that the lady was not going to be calling back again for a chat. She couldn’t remember what the original lady had said and had no idea where the papers were that she had given her.
‘Follow me’, said the man with the lanyard
Damian had finally done as his mum had been nagging him to do and gone to the agency door. The worker was efficient and quizzed him on his income which Damian found confusing. He did not remember his work start date and had not seen the email about the papers he was meant to bring. He was not tuned into the conversation and found himself getting frustrated. He wasn’t sure what this had to do with his question or where the conversation was going.
‘Right, that’s it for today’, said the man.
‘What happens next?’ said Damian.
‘Nothing said the man. ’I pass on the information to my department, and they get in contact’.
‘To tell me what and when? ’asked Damian
‘If I knew that I would be doing their job’, replied the man.
Damian grinned. It hid his anger. As he swirled through the gate, he punched the gate and promised himself never to return.
The text arrived nosily seeking his rating for the service.
Damian railed. He tried to see beyond the numbers for the comment section, but he could not click through fast enough. He closed the text only to see two more appearing asking him to complete the last one. He turned the phone off and headed to his mate’s swearing under his breath.
Whether you are neurodivergent or whether you are struggling to engage with help, it’s not your fault if the service is not accessible for your needs. If you are too anxious to access a service it’s not your fault if they discharge you or give you ‘two more chances to get in’. If you can’t engage or the service is not working for you it’s either the wrong service for your needs at that time, the wrong design or poor practice in adapting a service to meet your needs.
Services should take the time to understand your needs and goals. We need more of that and less tick-boxes on service satisfaction. Of course there are many experts by lived experience, now offering to support service design and pathways through the maze. Their empathy and understanding can be life changing but one person’s experience may not always connect with yours and access to this valuable community resource remains limited.
