My first job was at a supermarket.
They were rude to me for being on the spectrum. Therefore I dont easily talk about being on the spectrum easily.
It was when I was 13 years old, and with a boss who didnt follow the laws. I had to work everyday from 6 pm till 10 pm. Making me unable to do my homework at the time and to properly take care of myself at that age. They told me pretty much never that I did a good job, wich wasnt motivating me to do a good job after a while. Then later I started to work less there, wich benefited me in a postivie way. But here is where it was wrong:
-They underpaid me, actually didnt give salary for the first 3 months and never paid me on time.
-They mentioned autism as something bad, claiming I wasnt a hard worker when in fact I worked there everyday.
-They didnt follow the laws as they should have done, meaning that I worked too much and carried too much weight on my shoulders. Again, not paying on time and not paying enough.
Besides that I actually once was angry with another comment when I had an intership I had at a salon when I was in college. This person was not aware of my autism, but was aware of my brothers autism. Besides my autism I also have colorblindes a bit. So I took this pretty personal as well.
A color actually didnt went as well planned on a girl with a handicap and a service dog. I actually had her before in my chair as a costumer where I talked about her handicap, knowing that she isnt diagnosed with autism and did take the test. she actually had mental breakdowns and therefore had a service dog. But that day my co-worker who is a profesional hairdresser for more then 10 years did her hair. As I said the color was a bit off. She didnt tell the costumer, and knowing that it wasnt my place to tell the client that because of my intership. Later that day I asked my co-worker why she didnt told the client that the color wasnt completly the color that she wanted. She bassicly told me: "Oh she is autistic, she doesnt see that anyway". I was extremly offended that day. So protecting myself from doing more harm then good I only said "oh". I didnt know how to respond. But it did still offended me very much that she thinks, as a colorblind person wich has nothing to do with autism itself and having autism that people with autism cant tell the diffrence between two diffrent shades of colors. Even with my colorblindness I can still tell the diffrence. Later that week, I called my boss.
The feeling of a client being not treated in the way they should be with the combination of me being personal offended because of my autism and colorblindness was not bareable. My boss told me that my co-worker wasnt feeling good during that period of time. I didnt respond really except the usual okay, but I did feel an upcomming anger. Two weeks later, I worked with my co-worker again. We were talking about familly. And it happends that I have an autistic brother who is more bother by his autism then I. I told her everything about my brother, especially how he can see in detail, how he can tell how every product of dye for wood is maked and what makes the color that color. She looked at me shoked. And that was my point that I wanted to make. then later I actually told her that her commont about the client wasnt nice, and that she has to have a better understanding of people when she have a job that requires to work with people. then the last moment that I walked out the door, I told her about my colorblindness and how that actually works. that I actually can see diffrent shades of colors by seeing them darker and lighter. She was again, shoked.
Ofcourse after that my boss called me up, saying that I could not say that because I was an intership worker. I told her that day, that I had autism, that she can see every test I ever took and every education records of me. I told her that I dont wanted to work in a place that dont respect their costumers, handicapt, autistic or not. I bassicly asked her if she would let someone fall out of their weelchair and didnt help her, ofcourse she said no. then I maked the comment, about autism being an invisual weelchair and bassicly asked, "then why do you let those people fall?" I hanged up. two weeks later I was gone at that place. I didnt feel welcome, and I didnt feel good about the place anymore. I just left, called my college and went straight home. I never heard of them again, and that is only for the better. Maybe I was quite rude, but it was worth it. If I could travel back, then I would even do it worse.
There fore I dont recommend telling "smaller" jobs that you have autism.
When it comes to profesional jobs where you seem yourself having a future in, I would tell about what can bothers you. Bassicly giving them small hints of autism without bassicly saying it. That way they can get used to the fact that you as a person with autism isnt the same as another person with autism. Because let's be realistic, every person with autism is diffrent. Just like neurotypicals can be completly diffrent people. Some autistic people can be bothered by things that another person with autism isnt bothered with. After a while ofcourse you can always say that you have autism. If they seem understanding of your autism like if they actually seem to be kind about it and willing to help , I would.
Dont make yourself a black sheep, get them to know you as a person, not only your autism. That is my way of looking at it.
(note: I actually told my boss that I was on the spectrum where I work now, and she was really respectfull about it. She actually knows that autism doesnt nessarly mean that I am the classical way of autism what is potrayed when people think about autism. The convo actually came up because I was holding my anger inside because a person (without knowing I have autism) talked about how horrible people with autism are, wich I cant take not personal. Even when i have in my mind the thought that she doesnt know it from me).
