So I'm disabled and have ADHD and upon hiring I told my ex-manager (who recently quit) that I would need my earbuds or headphones on at all times or else I won't be able to focus as an accommodation. My headphones have two modes, ambient sound, and noise-canceling, and at work, I always have ambient noise on so I can hear everyone around me while also getting the calming benefits of wearing headphones or having quiet music playing while doing my tasks. Previous manager who was amazing about it had no issues with that, but since she quit recently, things have gone to hell.
Come three days ago, we have “visitors” including a training manager and another woman in the store being trained. The day was going great and I had excellent performance while having my headphones on despite it being a HEAVY rush day and we were doing good. Training manager lady pulls me aside to the manager's office and says “You need to take those off, they're making us look bad as you are the face of the store.” and I tell her “They are an accommodation.” and she says “Well unless it was approved by (Other manager's name) then you need to take them off as you're ruining the face of the store.”
She forced me to take them off and put them aside and from there, my performance went incredibly downhill. I was stressed out, got into a slight conflict with a coworker because I was near-having a meltdown because of constant cars, no breaks and having to fetch everything in the store alone, and I tried to convey that without my headphones I can't focus or concentrate and it paralyzes me mentally. I went to see my schedule for a second and got yelled at for not being in position (I work in fast food and they had me on drive-thru, I went to see my schedule which was 3 feet away while waiting for the next car to pull up) which was also ridiculous lol
Communication has seemed to be a big problem between managers with the other management assistant and other higher positions not even knowing that my headphones are an actual disability accommodation when I spoke to him about it. He also said that it wasn't documented that they were an accommodation despite me having made my previous manager extensively aware of the fact they are an accommodation and that I need them before hiring me, as you do when you're disabled and people love to take things from you as much as they can lol
I'm not sure what to do about this, should I go to HR or something? I'm in NY if that helps. Because I'm verrrrry ticked off at how she forced me to take off my headphones even after I told her that they are a rightful accommodation lol. This employer has also started me off in my 1st week without any breaks doing 8 hour shifts and even told me to clock out 5 hours before I'm supposed to leave just so they dont get in trouble but it's really all I have lol. Sorry if I seem petty, but when you take away something I have expressed my very need to have or else my performance will be shit then how happy can I be lmao