Autistic Disabled Jury Duty

My experience navigating the accommodations process.

The moment the tiny slip of paper arrived at my doorstep a sense of dread washed over me. It was daunting, terrifying and left me in a state of panic.

Jury duty.

Neurotypical people and those that are not disabled are also frustrated when they receive this little slip of torment. For neurodivergent and disabled people multiply that by one thousand. It’s like playing a video game on max difficulty and you have no choice but to swap out for a lower level.

I am disabled and I am autistic. As soon as I received the summons, I got to work on requesting reasonable accommodations. The process for my county was an online form.

Self-advocacy is a main component in getting the accommodations you need. You tell them what you need, not the other way around.

After the form is submitted, I received an email with the confirmation of my request. Keep in mind that this request could be denied if the accommodation is not possible. Thankfully, I didn’t have that issue. All of my accommodations were deemed reasonable and were approved.

Autism is different for everyone. In my case, I am a nonspeaking/speaking autistic. In highly stressful environments I will have panic attacks that render me unable to speak. In general, speaking takes a lot of effort for me and drains my mind immensely. Auditory communication doesn’t work for me.

I use augmentative and alternative communication or AAC devices. It is text-to-speech software that helps me communicate. However, the best way for me to communicate is American Sign Language (ASL). It is the easiest and best way for me to receive information and give information. Part of my accommodation was having ASL interpreters for the duration of duty.

Never forget that if your primary means of communication is ASL, you can request an interpreter.

The two interpreters that came were great! It was confusing for them at first that I was hearing and needed an interpreter. So I explained how my autism works. I am not ashamed to be autistic, but some aspects of my autism are disabling. Not because I am the problem, but because society isn’t built for disability.

I was so thankful to be able to communicate with the court staff and the judge for the duration of my time in the courthouse.

There were other accommodations that I requested that were approved related to my other disabilities — all and all requesting the accommodation was the easiest it has ever been!

I was non-speaking for the entire seven hours. Without the accommodations, I wouldn’t have been able to get through it.

Communication is a part of life. When you are autistic or otherwise neurodivergent, communication with the neurotypical world is not always accessible.

This was my first time dealing with the jury duty process and it was exhausting from start to finish. However, not having to fight to get what I needed was a relief.

Some takeaways if you ever get a jury summons

• Request accommodations as soon as possible. It makes it easier for you to advocate for your needs and easier for them to approve your requests.
• Remember that your needs are valid. It is okay to need support in order to have equal access in your community.
• Ask for help from the courthouse. They won’t know how to support you if you don’t speak up about what you need. If this isn’t possible for you, have a trusted person in your life that can help.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with the level of access I received from the courthouse. I am so glad that this place in my community is accessible.

(processes will vary from state to state, so please look up your state’s specific information.)