I remember, when I was in Year Eleven, our Human Relationships Education teacher used to let us have a "whinge session" and one week, some students brought up the case of a teacher who wouldn't let a girl go to the toilet. I was to discover, however, that this teacher had a particularly challenging class with some horrible students. When I had him for a while, a boy asked if he could go to the toilet and he said, "Hurry up." One day, some students asked if we could go and get a drink, and this teacher said (as we had two hour classes in the morning) that it wasn't him wanting to be horrible, but the fact that Years Eleven and Twelve started at 8:30am and the lower years started at 9:10am, so the lower years would be twenty minutes into a class and senior students, wanting to go to the toilet or get a drink of water were talking noisily and disrupting other classes and the principal said, "Sorry, you're not allowed to do it."

I remember with the same Human Relationships Education teacher, when I was in Year Eight, a few hearing impaired students from another class came into our class for Social Science, English and a few other subjects, and a boy in my class asked why, and was tersely told by the teacher, "None of your business." I don't believe that children should be seen and not heard, but I don't really think the boy needed to know. I admit, if I had been the teacher, I would have responded with, "See me after class." Then I would have said to him, "Why do you want to know that?" And if he'd said, "Well, they're usually in another class," I would have said, "Look, unless it affects you, then you don't need to know. Okay."

The same as if you had a student in your class with ulcerative colitis or Crohn's Disease, who needed to go to the toilet, and you let them go, and another student asks and you say no, and then someone else asks, "Why are you letting that student go to the toilet and not that one?" I would reply, "Look, it's not special treatment, but it's not something you need to know about." But, on the other hand, it can set the student up for bullying.

Okay, I can understand it with a teacher when they're trying to teach and one student needs to go to the toilet and then another and then another. But with the student with CD or UC, you just keep teaching and then get them to come back and see you in the break to catch up on what they missed.

I think, though, the only time a person in the company should be complaining is if they also need a similar accommodation but haven't got it.

I also give the example of a girl I went to school with whose father wanted a midnight blue Ford Falcon and they didn't have one and he settled for a white one with a blue stripe on it. My father worked for a company and Ford were so eager to have their business that rival company Holden virtually offered them two Commodores for the price of one and the company said no, they wanted Falcons. Now, if I had been in a company and I had the choice of a Commodore or Falcon and I wanted a particular colour, the script, in that year would have probably been like this:

Boss: Well, this person wouldn't have a Commodore even if you threw in a free one for their wife. Adamant they want a Falcon.

Boss: Take a seat. Okay, the good news is, even though 90% of the staff have opted for Commodores, head office has reluctantly agreed to allow the other 10% to have Falcons. We take into account the fact that you find the Falcon easier to drive because of your ankylosing spondylitis.

Then, someone who has reluctantly gone for a Commodore says, "Why is that person getting a Falcon?" All the manager has to say is, "Look, people in the company kept agitating for Commodores, so we've decided to offer the choice of a Commodore or a Falcon, and some people still want a Falcon, so we'll allow them." The company doesn't need to do any more.

My father was told, when he became sales manager, not to employ people with bad backs, as they could be a liability, so, when you stand up, you say, "Oh, gee, my old back gives me a bit of a problem after sitting for too long." And if the person says, "Yeah, mine does, too, " thank them, but then politely say, a few days later, "Sorry, you didn't get the job."

I guess, though, also, it depends upon how the company wants to be perceived. If they want to employ an autistic person because they have a good skill, yes, but the company also needs to be flexible and have a good environment for all employees.