The Office is Just Another Box

The Office = Just Another Box

    Earlier this year, I had received my Certificate of Achievement at San Joaquin Delta College in Medical Records Clerk. Coursework called for a lot of attention and study, with ZOOM calls, written assignments, a Field Trip, and one particular course (Office Systems and Procedures) involved a lot of working in a group on major assignments, including a term project paper. There were a lot of high notes, including a couple meetups in the Main Library to help another student conquer the gremlins in her loaned laptop to complete assignments in the filing class, and the groups in the office class all worked together and no dramas, except for the instructor wanting to change the term assignment after it's been started. I called that out, and started what could have been a popular revolt if she didn't relent and return to the status quo on that assignment.

    The original impetus for this venture came from TV News, where it was mentioned that a major reason for doctors to be available for fewer patients is that they end up completing the paperwork, prescriptions, and filing after each patient visit. This takes up a lot of time, which could instead be used to see more patients during the day. Medical Records Clerks can type up the cases (including familiarity with the numerous medical terms found within), call in prescriptions, and manage the filing and records in the office. This would free up the receptionist to answer phones and receive clients into the office.

    Opportunity arose in the office world, while not medical, in the form of the call for volunteers to help in the church office while a new secretary would transition in to replace the retiring secretary. I told of the coursework and prior experience in the offices where I had worked prior to retirement, so reorganizing the filing cabinets and consolidating contractor data on a computer spreadsheet were the progression for the weekly excursion to the office. Along the way, there was also helping to get the programs together for the Sunday Services along with other regular tasks.

    All went well, although the secretary was rather rough with the first replacement who was also autistic. She was in a bad car crash and so a new replacement was hired on. The treatment seemed easier, perhaps since the secretary found it easier to work with a neurotypical individual. As I was finishing up a new Filing Guide (spreadsheet with columns for the main and subdivisions in the alphabetic/subject hybrid filing system), I heard people welcoming one another with hugs and such, and it turned out to be previous secretaries visiting. I came out to introduce myself, and the retiring secretary said "This is David -- he's our tall guy who can reach the boxes in the top shelves". This even after the first week when she told me that I was her "data guy". She also told the other volunteer that she should come in next week on a different day to help "ground" the new secretary.

    I told my mother about this when I returned home, and she said that perhaps they're more comfortable around other women, but also it was a mean thing to say "He's our box guy". That Office Procedures class emphasized working together with others, including diverse cultures, genders, and backgrounds. Apparently, this doesn't include autistic adult males, even those of us who can keep our "indoor voice" and work quietly while only giving encouragement and positive vibes to others.

    Being excluded seems to be the norm in the office environment, as this happened every day at my old job, and now it's happening again in a volunteer gig at my church! I believe that, if I hired out to a medical office, this would happen again, as male clerks are somewhat rare, and the social world seems to brand us as a bunch of brutes whose only real value is to be able to reach boxes on high shelves.