u/Advanced_Disk4034

(Picked the worklife flair because there's no school option, apologies to the mods if that was incorrect)

I'm going back to TAFE for the first time since getting diagnosed and medicated. I was on a psychiatrist waitlist for ages, started medication in December last year, and am now pretty stable. I have ADHD, Autism, depression and anxiety.

When I applied for the TAFE course I ticked the box to tell them I have the aforementioned conditions, and now they're emailing me to organise a meeting with the accessibility team to discuss supports, make a plan, etc. But I'm not actually sure what I can reasonably ask for or what might actually be helpful for me.

It's been about 8 years since I've been in an in-person classroom, but I've done some online courses (to varying results lmao, having to drop out of a diploma was one of the big catalysts for finally getting myself diagnosed).

The only things I remember helping in high school (I wasn't formally diagnosed but had some very kind support staff who put things in place anyway) were printed versions of digital documents and the ability to take a quick break outside the classroom if I was feeling overwhelmed or was having trouble sitting still. I know that just up and leaving isn't always appropriate in tertiary ed but I would still like to have the option if I can.

Does anyone have suggestions about specific supports, tips on how to approach the meeting with the accessibility person, or anything else that might be good for me to know?

I'm in my mid 20's. I've been on JobSeeker self managed online since December, was previously on AuStudy. Got told I have to do a course, fine, picked one I can do online because with the price of petrol it'd cost me half my payment just to drive in to the nearest course provider, and at least if it's online I can get some housework done while I'm listening to the trainer/on breaks.

A lot of the content of this course could actually be useful to me. Resume and Cover Letter assistance, interview skills and practice, information about industries I hadn't previously considered. I have worked the same retail job for 5 years, worked single-day contracts for the AEC, and done temp gigs behind the bar at the local footy club, but I don't have a lot of experience with interviews and it's great to get a second opinion on my resumes etc.

But half the course is spent with the trainer having to re-explain basic concepts like how to open the online learning modules or just how to actually answer the questions in sentences. Half the answers people give in the Teams chat aren't even legible sentences, let alone actually answering the trainer's questions. And this isn't a matter of English language skills, these shoddy answers are coming from people who have spoken on camera in the Teams chat and they obviously are able to speak and understand an English conversation.

I feel like I'm wasting my time waiting for people to figure out the basic stuff, just like back in primary school when I was borrowing novels from the upper years library while the class was stuck waiting for little Timmy on the next table to learn to spell "cat".

I know one of the listed courses on WorkForce is English skills for people who have English as a second/additional language, but are there supports for people whose first language is English but they also need to improve their writing or comprehension skills? If they do exist, do they advertise these well enough to get people who need them actually using them?

If anything, I need assistance with social skills and interview skills. I have Autism and these are both difficult for me. Are there courses/supports available for me to work on those specific skills?

Sorry for the half rant half question, I'm very frustrated that I feel like I'm actually trying to make use of the system and the system is failing us.