Lil and Marian
Content Warning: These stories are about violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation and may include references to suicide or self-harming behaviours. They may contain graphic descriptions and strong language and may be distressing. Some narratives may be about First Nations people who have passed away. If you need support, please see Contact & support.
Lil, mid-20s, is autistic and has a genetic syndrome that affects her vision and health.
After finishing university, Lil applied for a job. She was very open about her disability in her written application and in the interview.
Soon after she started, the mandatory training was interrupted because of COVID-19.
Lil was surprised when they started giving her shifts, despite not having finished the training or having a uniform.
When she asked about the training, her supervisor told her it was too late. Lil thought, ‘It’s silly to say it’s too late.’
Lil told the Royal Commission her direct supervisor was very condescending and critical of her work.
‘I just felt like I wasn’t getting the support that I needed and I felt like I was doing everything wrong.’
Most of the time Lil worked on the front desk, greeting customers.
One day, a customer started verbally abusing her.
Lil didn’t know how to deal with the situation – she hadn’t received any training or advice on how to deal with difficult customers.
The customer continued to rant until Lil broke down crying. Her supervisor sent her home.
No-one gave her feedback about the situation or provided guidance about how to deal with challenging customers in the future.
Instead Lil’s supervisor micromanaged her.
‘We would be on the floor and you’d have a visitor come in and I was going to approach the visitor, but then my supervisor just swooped in and took over the job.’
The gallery started giving her fewer and fewer shifts and her uniform never arrived.
‘I asked about the uniform because we were all given a uniform … And they were like, “We’re still waiting.”’
One of the other supervisors contacted Lil and told her to come in for a meeting. She suggested Lil bring someone with her.
Lil asked her mum Marian to come.
‘I thought it would just be me and my supervisor but it actually turned out to be me, my supervisor, the other supervisor who was micromanaging me and being condescending, and then someone from HR.’
The HR person told Lil she was not suitable for a customer-facing role and they were terminating her employment.
Marian was shocked.
‘I listened to it and eventually I said, “Well, I’d really like to make some comments.” And I said, “You’ve got a policy on disability and yet you haven't followed through … and that was one of the reasons [Lil] applied.”’
The HR person said she didn’t know Lil had a disability.
Lil didn’t know how to respond – she had been open about her disability during the hiring process.
The supervisor who’d been involved in the hiring process accused Lil of lying. She said Lil had never mentioned her disability.
‘[Lil] was devastated by that comment,’ Marian said. ‘First of all, she doesn’t lie. She doesn’t know how to lie.’
Lil was very upset.
‘It’s a hard thing to deal with a difficult customer, let alone if you have a disability,’ Marian said. ‘I don’t think she deserved the way she was treated.’
Lil started seeing a psychologist.
She would still like to work in customer service.
‘One bad experience shouldn’t affect how I view customer service.’
Disclaimer: This is the story of a person who shared their personal experience with the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability through a submission or private session. The names in this story are pseudonyms. The person who shared this experience was not a witness and their account is not evidence. They did not take an oath or affirmation before providing the story. Nothing in this story constitutes a finding of the Royal Commission. Any views expressed are those of the person who shared their experience, not of the Royal Commission.