Adult employment in Sheffield, England

Hi.

I've been trying for the last 20 odd years to get a part time job in retail or admin, but been having problems, every time I declare that I'm disabled and have Asperger's, I get told no, despite the illegality of outright discrimination.

Anyway I applied for 2 jobs in the Meadowhall Centre this week, but haven't heard from either, and I recently signed up to a local disability employment Charity called Aspire Sheffield which has an eBay shop and does placements for people with disabilities

The other problem is that II#m 43 this year so my age is against me.

Does anyone else have these problems?

  • The major problem is that as soon as I declare my Asperger's, my application goes into a black hole and is not acknowledged, it's supposed to be illegal in the UK to discriminate, but under the 2010 Equality Act, if I feel I've been discriminated against, the onus is on ME to prove it in Court, against big companies, I have neither the money or  patience to do it.

  • Hello,

    Im in the process of starting a recruitment agency primarily for autistic individuals and I'm currently doing research to understand the struggles people face when trying to get into employment. Id really love to hear more about your experience gaining employment if you would be able to share this. Send me a message and we can talk further.

  • Former Member
    Former Member

    Having lived in Sheffield for a number of years I suspect it isn't specifically that you are autistic that means your not hearing anything back rather than the sheer volume of applications these places receive. I used to work at one of the uni's and many of my students didn't hear back from those kind of applications - there's two uni's, a large college etc and all of these places contain 1000's of individuals looking for retail work and a lot of them already have previous experience. Plus, people in the surrounding areas including Rotherham and Chesterfield have to travel to places like Meadowhall for work due to the lack of opportunities where they live. 

    The placement in the eBay shop sounds like an ideal opportunity for you and could be a great stepping stone into getting the job you want if your lacking recent retail experience. I've previously volunteered to help me back in to work during periods of unemployment due to MH issues.

    I'm conscious that I don't know you but I'm newly diagnosed and have I found I've only been able to stay in previous posts due to the workplace not being suitable for my autistic needs. I always found Meadowhall challenging due to the sensory overload caused by indoor lighting, the noise form the shops, as well as the sheer volume of people. I'd only ever go when it was opening so I could get in and out as fast as I could. Have you considered this kind of thing and whether Meadowhall or a smaller environment would be more suited?

  • I'm 60 in May and have been offered three jobs in the last year alone.  I don't have any special set of skills, though I've worked in the care sector for many years.

    Don't let your age be a barrier. 

    As others have suggested, could you start off by doing voluntary work, maybe?  A charity shop, a library, a hospice?  I have a friend who hasn't worked for a number of years (ill-health), but she's done voluntary reception work for a hospice and a homeless charity.  It's all stuff that can go onto a CV.

    I did some voluntary  work in my local library once,  when I was on long-term sick leave.  I  was a 'computer buddy', showing  people the  basics of using a computer.  Most people were retired and wanted to 'catch up'.  A lot of them just wanted to find out about the internet or set up an email account so that they could keep in touch that way with their families.

  • Hi there,

    I can relate in regards to the age thing, it's so annoying when I see an amazing opportunity or programme, only to read or discover that you've to be 18 -24 year's old, it's so annoying because when you reach 25 your disability doesn't suddenly disappear, however I suspect it has something to do with their funding as sometimes, funding is targeted at particular demographics.

    In regards to being told no, I know how fustrating this can be, could I ask whether you're told no at the application stage or whether you're invited to interviews? If you're not invited to interviews, I would double check that you met the person specification, if you don't, then unfortunately it's not covered by the Equality act.

    One thing that could help is asking for a work trial instead of an interview, I've also read that you could ask for the interview questions on paper and to respond on paper or using a computer (like an exam), I haven't tried this though, but I've read that it would be regarded as a reasonable adjustment.

    Some good advice I was given by the National careers advice service was to check out www.base-uk.org

    I'd also say from personal experience that anything can happen, I applied to volenteer for a project which a national charity for people with learning disabilities was setting up in the area where I live, unfortunately the project didn't go ahead, but the volenteer coordinator was that impressed by my CV, she remembered me and when they partnered with an organisation, she contacted me to see if I'd be interested in an apprenticeship.

    I'd suggest volenteering, admin and retail are very competitive sector's, I'd also suggest looking at volenteering, apprenticeships and the NHS, there's almost always admin vacancies in the NHS.