Fired From Phd After Disclosing Autism Diagnosis

Throwaway account, as this information is likely identifiable.

Location: Montana, USA

I started a PhD program 4 years ago, and I disclosed my autism diagnosis to my (then) advisor about 1 year in. We’d worked well together up to that point, and I thought a brief disclosure could help him as my career mentor (e.g., if I was unknowingly committing a social faux pas I’d like to be told).

Unfortunately, he seemed to believe being autistic means I’m intellectually disabled (I’m provably not, per the diagnostic testing process). He wouldn’t let me work for a year, belittled me in private and in public (e.g., by telling everyone I wasn’t capable of doing PhD-level work; by telling me the positive feedback I got from collaborators was probably pity and lies, and that I just couldn’t tell). He also withheld ~$4000 of my stipend to fund his own research. Eventually, my committee advised that I just do my research without his permission. I did, and he responded by firing me without an option to even complete a master’s degree.

I essentially had to beg my committee to allow me to stay without his supervision for another semester to complete a master’s. I’m now at the point where I should defend the master’s, and in addition to that thesis I have about 50% of a full doctoral dissertation complete. I proposed that I could finish the PhD dissertation and defend within one more semester — a year ahead of the 5-year schedule I was originally contracted for (where 6-7 years is common in the department). Yet, the department is very reluctant to allow it. The reasoning I hear during private conversations with faculty has consistently been: 1) your research is high quality, there’s nothing lacking in your work; 2) your old advisor is tenured and we’ll be working with him for decades, making him angry so you can complete a degree and leave isn’t to our benefit; 3) we’d rather use the semester of funding to hire new students to our own labs. The one member of my committee who isn’t faculty at my school (thus: no connection to my old advisor, no financial incentive) is enthusiastic about the work I’ve done and thinks my plan is achievable. In fact, if I can finish the PhD by the summer, I could take a postdoc position with him and another collaborator of ours.

I’ve done my best to handle this politely and just prove through the quality of my work that I deserve to complete the PhD. To that point: my progress is ahead of many students who have been in the program for longer, and I’ve had some strong career successes while in the program (i.e., winning grants and fellowships, presenting at high-profile conferences). Unfortunately, it seems that just proving myself with hard work isn’t a motivating argument to faculty. As for why I don’t cut my losses and pursue the PhD elsewhere: I can’t afford 5 more years of living on a stipend. I also don’t know what I’d do with a four-year masters in this job market. Four years to complete a two year degree would be a red flag on a resume, and the jobs I’ve been aiming for since undergrad all require a PhD.

Thus, I’m now considering my legal options. Some additional context: the university doesn’t have an ombudsman. They do have a Title IX office, but the university is pretty famous for mishandling Title IX allegations a decade or so ago, and I wouldn’t say they’ve improved much since. We have a grad student union, but it’s very new and they’re still getting their footing. Also worth noting: my dad is a lawyer (estate planning, doesn’t practice in this state). He’s furious with the school, but still advises against taking a legal route because doing so might make me some professional enemies. However, while I highly respect his opinion and his legal expertise, he’s generally averse to conflict in his personal life, so I wanted to get some second opinions here.

Any thoughts on my legal options in this situation would be much appreciated. I’m honestly not looking for vengeance, I just want the damn degree I’ve been working hard for so my career plans won’t go up in flames. Thanks for reading.

TL;DR: PhD advisor fired me after I disclosed autism diagnosis, department is unwilling to intervene due to faculty politics. Advice on legal options would be appreciated.