The Difficulty of Working in Places That Don’t Consider Autistic Employees’ Needs

One of the many aspects of me being on the autism spectrum is often a difficulty in holding down long-term employment. Some employers are biased in favor of those who are not on the spectrum and have a general lack of understanding of autistic individuals in the workplace.

Some employers like people who fit within the corporate box, often just like themselves. Have you ever tried to squeeze yourself into someone else’s box? They are restrictive, uncomfortable and generally fit someone else better than you. This is what it feels like working in a place that does not take into account an autistic person’s needs.

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Maybe they think they do and then treat you like the rest of the staff, forgetting; not caring the badge on their corporate material and the shop door claims their positive attitude to disabled people. It would be nice to see compulsory training on how to treat and speak to autistic employees; maybe employ a few autistics and let them do the job. That would probably work far better.

It would be nice to have a complete CV/resume done some time. I did put one together once for the Disability Employment Advisor at the local job center. I had so many past employers that it surprised the person at the job center.

I do not claim to be an expert on employment law. It would probably be safer to say I do not know very much at all. However, I can claim to be something of an expert on employment, especially from the perspective of an Aspergian. (I like that word.) It would be nice to point out now that finally after many years of not knowing, I finally received my official diagnosis of Asperger’s and possible ADHD. Having official recognition of this does not mean I now have a job, but I have had a couple of employers offer me a job dependent on background checks. Waiting is tiresome, but at least things are going somewhere now.

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