Update in America on Jobs for people with ASD,

So saw this on my Facebook feed, it demonstrates a move in America towards employing people with autism, ok early days but the main points are that we do each have individual abilities and given the right environment can give more than most.

I have read similar stories about people with Dyslexia, The government listening establishment GCHQ seek out those with dyslexia as they have a unique ability to see patterns in many things, often seeing specific patterns in data often missed by others.

It would be nice to see something similar in this country, there doesn’t seem to be much for adults at all, work or after care or councilling and support. 

I get many feeds on face book, They know me well Lol!

so feeds like ,Dyslexia, depression and The National Autistic Society  ( Britain) and The National Autistic Association (American).

The American one has many more stories and help giving guidance and knowledge for all to read, The NAS sadly seems to be endless feeds about donating or volunteering, Having been a member here for many months I was surprised to “ stumble” upon the fact the NAS has schools for autistic children and can help with accommodation for younger adults?

It is probably on the main pages but never any mention on this forum? I for one think there should be a regular update on here telling us what NAS is doing and promoting itself, maybe if we all shout together those upstairs might just hear us, we seem to be left here like squatters who sneak in and out using the basement to meet up.

x()x

SO THIS IS WHAT I READ ON FACEBOOK.

(I struggle to create links so copied and pasted it)

80% of autistics are unemployed or underemployed despite having the potential of being great employees.

As an autistic person myself, I know how hard it can be for those of us on the spectrum to get a job. I've been fortunate to be self-employed most of my life, although I've worked for larger companies such as AOL, ESPN, and PBS.

Companies are finally starting to recognize the benefits of hiring autistic workers and have begun to implement programs to leverage the unique assets that autistic employees provide.

5 Companies with Autism Initiatives.

1) SAP

By 2020, autistics will make up 1% of the company's workforce which sounds small but actually works out to about 700 autistic employees due to the massive size of SAP. As part of its commitment to diversity, SAP also has a great support system for its autistic employees. The company has found that their autism program is not just a way to give back. Autistic employees are much more efficient and cost effective due to their attention to detail.

2) Microsoft

Microsoft is actively recruiting autistic coders, engineers, data scientists, and analysts. Since the program started in 2015, over fifty employees have joined the company through the program.

3) Specialsterne

Specialisterne is a Danish company founded in 2004 with the goal to create a million jobs for those on the spectrum. The company has worked with HP, CAI, Microsoft, and SAP as well as many other tech companies. Additionally, Specialsterne has been responsible for raising awareness of the importance of hiring autistic employees.

4) Robison Service

Robison Service's TCS Auto Program was founded to bring together autistic high school students to build a vintage Bentley to compete in La Carrera Panamericana, a 3000km race through Mexico. Robison Service is a family run business based in Springfield, MA and founded by autistic author John Elder Robison.

5) Aspiritech

Aspiritech harnesses the power of Asperger's / Autism to do software testing. QA has been a field that has benefited from autistic people's attention to detail and Aspiritech is one of many companies benefiting from the laser sharp focus of those on the autism spectrum.

There are some other companies with autism initiatives, but this list gives you a taste of what is being done. Unfortunately, these initiatives are the exception when it comes to the way that autism is being dealt with in corporate America.

Hopefully more employers will follow suit when they realize how big of a benefit autistic workers provide. A company can do good while also increasing profitability.

Alex Plank

Parents
  • I actually got into a conversation about this subject the other day. Most of those schemes are coming from Specialisterne. Thorkil Sonne seems somewhat of an opportunist to me. The center he set up in Scotland was a faliure and he left a lot of ASD people out to dry. He also obtained a lot of charity and public funding which appeared to be spent in questionable ways, some wasn't spent at all. Think of a quasi-employment agency that also gets paid by charities and public money.

    I do feel sceptical about big business and governmental interest suddenly peaking on the subject of Autism employment. The companies and organisations seem to be shoehorning people on the spectrum into some of the more morally questionable projects they have. Microsoft has become a pretty morally questionable company in my opinion recently. The offer of a more comfortable working environment, a routine and purpose is the draw. One of the most nefarious companies in finance is pumping money into Autism at an inexplicable rate, funnily enough the same company was perfectly OK with funding Nazi's who would have "euthanised" several of us around 80 years ago.

    Obviously there will be good companies with a genuine interest helping and getting what they need in return but I'm genuinely concerned by how this is developing. It seems to be a specific vein of business and government that are interested. I don't see fashion houses, kitchens, logistic companies or watchmakers being involved.

    I'm cynical for a reason though. Autistic people can be exploited, this is a fact. They can use the "moral highground" of employing Autistic people, get tax incentives and then when the proverbial "can of worms" is opened, they can hide behind a moral smokescreen. More bad press for HFA but they got what they needed and an excuse of sorts. The world is becoming a technological nightmare in some senses and it all seems to be geared towards this area. Not tech as such but the more shady parts of it.

    Robison however is a pretty interesting guy. A master stage technician, board game designer and Autism rights campaigner. 

    Sorry everyone if I'm being a bit of a killjoy but I've been mulling this over recently. We need to be careful. We need more companies to want us in general, not ones that want us as a weapon and a shield to hide behind. Just my opinion.

Reply
  • I actually got into a conversation about this subject the other day. Most of those schemes are coming from Specialisterne. Thorkil Sonne seems somewhat of an opportunist to me. The center he set up in Scotland was a faliure and he left a lot of ASD people out to dry. He also obtained a lot of charity and public funding which appeared to be spent in questionable ways, some wasn't spent at all. Think of a quasi-employment agency that also gets paid by charities and public money.

    I do feel sceptical about big business and governmental interest suddenly peaking on the subject of Autism employment. The companies and organisations seem to be shoehorning people on the spectrum into some of the more morally questionable projects they have. Microsoft has become a pretty morally questionable company in my opinion recently. The offer of a more comfortable working environment, a routine and purpose is the draw. One of the most nefarious companies in finance is pumping money into Autism at an inexplicable rate, funnily enough the same company was perfectly OK with funding Nazi's who would have "euthanised" several of us around 80 years ago.

    Obviously there will be good companies with a genuine interest helping and getting what they need in return but I'm genuinely concerned by how this is developing. It seems to be a specific vein of business and government that are interested. I don't see fashion houses, kitchens, logistic companies or watchmakers being involved.

    I'm cynical for a reason though. Autistic people can be exploited, this is a fact. They can use the "moral highground" of employing Autistic people, get tax incentives and then when the proverbial "can of worms" is opened, they can hide behind a moral smokescreen. More bad press for HFA but they got what they needed and an excuse of sorts. The world is becoming a technological nightmare in some senses and it all seems to be geared towards this area. Not tech as such but the more shady parts of it.

    Robison however is a pretty interesting guy. A master stage technician, board game designer and Autism rights campaigner. 

    Sorry everyone if I'm being a bit of a killjoy but I've been mulling this over recently. We need to be careful. We need more companies to want us in general, not ones that want us as a weapon and a shield to hide behind. Just my opinion.

Children