Autistic workers

[Ylva]

Autistic workers: loyal, talented … ignored | Money | The Guardian

My thoughts: If employers just want to hire someone they can socialise with, they shouldn't get money to start businesses in the first place. If they don't feel like giving autistics "special treatment" (such as "measures to not get tortured by sensory impressions and stress"), they should grow up emotionally before trying to be responsible for employees. And if they still believe in stereotypes they have some growing up to do on a level that I won't even get into.

 

[The Penguin]

Good article. I not impress someone I once worked for knows I have lots of talent and I developed good and reliable software but they didn't want me anymore as they don't want to provide accommodations even though they said they would. Since I am self employed now, I hope the outcome will be better than doing traditional employment.

 

[Kari Suttle]

I've read that article in particular, and i've read lots of other articles while trying to google up some advice on being an aspie in the workplace. They're all right - either you don't get hired to begin with cause you don't present or interview well, or you do but they can't or won't give you accomodations. In my case its 'can't' cause i'm not even diagnosed. It took me years of searching every summer for a job before i finally found one. I like the people there and the job is both challenging (in both a good and bad way) and i enjoy it (when in a good mood, ie for the first half of my shift).

But i won't lie, they hire pretty much anyone and its a minimum wage job. I'm not diagnosed so i'm obviously not 'out' in the workplace as an aspie, but i think any supervisor would have to be blind not to notice the similarities between me and the (i think) diagnosed aspie that they hired a few months back. I heard supervisors talking and it sounded like based on what they said he had it, plus papers on how to precisely communicate with customers showed up by the clock in station around the time he was hired.

In the unlikely event i got diagnosed and told them, i don't think they could be of much help to me. I wouldn't know what to ask for beyond either another break or more consideration when being given register assignments...which they don't have much control over to begin with. Sorry for the rant, i just have a lot to say when it comes to work and AS!

 

[The Penguin]

But i won't lie, they hire pretty much anyone and its a minimum wage job.

Very true. Then people in this state needs to either do two jobs or work overtime as minimum is not enough to cover many people living expenses.

In the unlikely event i got diagnosed and told them, i don't think they could be of much help to me. I

Very true as well. It rare to find business that will provide accommodations at less if you work with the government. But even working with the government, there always someone will encounter conflict.

You figure there countries around the world have a disability act, but it seems not everyone is protected as people rights gets violated so many times and when you report the issue, it hard to prove it as these business have their lawyers and know what to say to get away of their wrong doing.

 

[clg114]

That is a good article. For me, the secret to my success was the fact that I almost always worked alone. I've done the same job all of my working life, field service tech. I've always had minimal contact with my employer and my customers. This way my Aspieness did not hold me back. It would have been a lot harder to work in a setting with a lot of people. As I've grown older, it's become easier interact with people. That's good because now I'm self-employed. The funny thing is, none of this was planed. It just worked out that way.

 

[Ste11aeres]

An okay article, but some of the stereotypes in it were questionable. For example, the article said autistics can't lie. Most of us might be more honest than most others, but to say that we're incapable of lying is an exaggeration. Also, that sentence that said they (we) won't make our own decisions. Really? Really?
The article was saying that us "not making our own decisions" was a good thing, but I don't think most people would see it that way.

 

[Ste11aeres]

Basically, the article seemed to be saying that we are good for menial (low-paying) jobs where our every step is directed by someone else, but it strongly implied that we are useless for other kinds of jobs. Not that there's actually anything wrong with menial work in itself, and there's not necessarily anything wrong with taking orders (obedience is neutral, neither good nor bad: good if the orders being followed are good ones-bad if the orders are bad. Also, I believe in the legitimacy of certain forms of authority).
However, we shouldn't be limited to such types of work.

Personally, I don't care about the higher status of those jobs that entail giving, rather than receiving orders, and I'm okay with not having a job that allows collaboration and personal creativity. But I dislike the idea of not even being seen as capable of such a job. Not to mention that most "menial" jobs don't even really pay the bills.

 

[Ylva]

The article was saying that us "not making our own decisions" was a good thing, but I don't think most people would see it that way.

Agreed. The journalist is prejudiced. It should have been something more like, "can follow instructions and think for themselves". Why wouldn't we be able to make decisions?

 

[DogwoodTree]

The journalist also doesn't get much editing help for her articles, wow.

The stereotyping--for both sides--was pretty bad. But it's a newspaper article, not a scientific journal or ground-breaking research.

That said, the concept of capitalizing on the strengths aspies can offer rather than being prejudiced against the differences is a good point. It takes a special person--on either side--to be able to think outside their own box, though, and bridge that gap.

My mom just sent me a text saying she thinks she figured out what my problem has been with her (she doesn't know about my self-dx). She said she figured out that I've been resentful towards her because I didn't feel like I was getting paid my fair share of the company income.

No, Mom, this isn't about money. Wow.

[Begin Vent] I want to be myself...contribute what I am designed to contribute, not become a carbon copy of her. I want to learn from her, yes, but I can only be me. That's what she doesn't understand and can't seem to really, truly accept. She's too threatened by our differences. And this is the same issue the article is addressing. [End Vent]

[Begin Soapbox] Instead of being threatened by differences, BOTH sides would do well to VALUE the differences and LEARN from each other. We can offer our strengths AND shore up our areas of weakness by contributing to each other instead of trying to replicate ourselves in everyone around us. [End Soapbox]

Okay, cleared my head a little bit, thx.

 

[AsheSkyler]

"And autistics can't lie". Heeheehee. Whatever you say!

One of my friends (who as far as I know is normal) complains about that overly social aspect quite regularly. All people seem to care about is how chummy you are at work, not how well you do your work. He has a coworker that is horrible at his job, but the office loves him. My friend, however, does his work well but he's very introverted, so they gripe at him a lot.

I nearly had a good thing worked out with the other waitresses when I worked at a buffet. They meet and greet the customers, I maintain drinks and cleaning the tables. Minor issue with cleaning the tables, many waitresses are highly territorial of tips, so I had to tell them to come get their tips right quick. They didn't like it when I'd give them their tips. I can understand why, it's a very cutthroat job and often there is stealing between waitresses by the more dishonest ones. So I was patient with them and tried to get them used to the fact I don't steal.

Job-wise, my issue was always cleaning. You hire me to run the register or straighten the products or handle the phone or any range of organizational skills, but then you want to fire me because I'm not a cleaner? Vacuum cleaners hurt my ears, chemicals make me sick, and on top of that I have trouble seeing dirt especially on a multi-colored carpet. If scrubbing the toilet was so damn important, you should have put that on the "help wanted" ad.
My other issue was touching. Do not touch me. I don't like being touched. If you touch me and don't stop when I ask, I will start touching you back with force and probably snarl and snap at you every time I see you. As verified by the Pepsi delivery guy who wouldn't stop shoving me into my register or the shelves when I was working. I finally took a hard swing behind me when he shoved me one day and yelled at him to stop shoving me all the time. Thankfully, he stopped. Also verified by my last employer who's idiot drug-addict son in his 30's wouldn't stop trying to pull my hair (and wouldn't stop trying to give me creepy sex tips). And then I got fired when I snapped after a month of politely telling him to stop. Then I got to hear a pathetic lecture on how "we all respect women here and don't want your body" when just a few days before he jumped all over one of my coworkers for some harmless comment made while we were chatting. That coworker may have had a raunchy side, but at least he was respectful about it, the druggie never was!

 

[ezcare]

Basically, the article seemed to be saying that we are good for menial (low-paying) jobs where our every step is directed by someone else, but it strongly implied that we are useless for other kinds of jobs. Not that there's actually anything wrong with menial work in itself, and there's not necessarily anything wrong with taking orders (obedience is neutral, neither good nor bad: good if the orders being followed are good ones-bad if the orders are bad. Also, I believe in the legitimacy of certain forms of authority).
However, we shouldn't be limited to such types of work.

Personally, I don't care about the higher status of those jobs that entail giving, rather than receiving orders, and I'm okay with not having a job that allows collaboration and personal creativity. But I dislike the idea of not even being seen as capable of such a job. Not to mention that most "menial" jobs don't even really pay the bills.

Redefining Asperger's as "High Functioning Autism" may have helped professionals obtain more Government funding, but it did US no favors. The examples you give attest to this. When we disclose our dysfunction, most employers react one of two ways: they either see us a cheap (govt subsidized) competent labor or as a Public Relations token (we are doing our part to help these poor disabled persons). What young Aspies really need is exposure to challenging jobs that fit hand in glove with their unique mental abilities. Because I was never diagnosed or was even aware of my "weirdness" in the eyes of NT persons, I accidentally obtained my dream job by being in the right place (software application development for government programs) at the right time. The technology and engineering processes were so new that people doing this work had to learn on the job. If your were a a detail oriented, fast learner, you were literally drafted to do any skilled job for which you had the aptitude and desire. Best of all, most of the people you worked with had the same preferences. "Give me the information I need to complete this project and go away" We worked hard and put in long hours and loved every minute of it. Our reward was more work on interesting projects were we could make a difference. It did not take the Employer long to realize that we were his cash cow and that put us in the Driver's seat. Our minimum wage was whatever amount it took to keep other companies from trying to recruit us.
I know not very Aspie has the same level of aptitude or ability that I and my associates had, but my point is that we were exposed to that opportunity. We would never have dreamed of doing this kind of work on our own. Colleges had no programs that could teach these skills because these jobs did not exist when we were in high school.

 

[Judge]

Redefining Asperger's as "High Functioning Autism" may have helped professionals obtain more Government funding, but it did US no favors.

I honestly feel (as do a few others here) that it was never intended to help anyone but politicians who can claim credit for the Affordable Care Act as well as insurers who can carefully deny medical coverage in accordance with such a diagnostics process.

Perpetuating the illusion of affordable care with actually providing affordability, let alone nominal care. Especially when the act itself appears to have promoted the collusion of government with the private healthcare industry. Where premium increases seem to go up and up, all with the consent of state and federal government.

 

[clg114]

I honestly feel (as do a few others here) that it was never intended to help anyone but politicians who can claim credit for the Affordable Care Act as well as insurers who can carefully deny medical coverage in accordance with such a diagnostics process.

Perpetuating the illusion of affordable care with actually providing affordability, let alone nominal care. Especially when the act itself appears to have promoted the collusion of government with the private healthcare industry. Where premium increases seem to go up and up, all with the consent of state and federal government.

Make that a double agree!

 

[The Penguin]

Good article. I not impress someone I once worked for knows I have lots of talent and I developed good and reliable software but they didn't want me anymore as they don't want to provide accommodations even though they said they would. Since I am self employed now, I hope the outcome will be better than doing traditional employment.

For an update on me, sales have been very slow for my business that I needed to go back to employment. The good news is, I found the first employer see the potential in me. I like it how it just me and my boss so I don't need to care about socializing with many co workers.

This is the first job my voice gets heard and my input is valued most of the time. I wish everyone look to find an understanding employer as it very rare to find them.