When is the ball finally going to drop? For within a cultural society, the crippling world for autistic people is redundant. You would have thought by now in this day of age that particularly employers would know exactly what Autism is but unfortunately this isn’t the case and this is why autistic people such as myself struggle to even get an interview.
The injustice and lack of support are horrifying to comprehend even in the education system, where none of my high school teachers knew what Autism was! I started high school back in 2006, currently it’s still happening yet it’s not privy in everyone’s mind.
I am not writing about so-called ancient history, I am speaking of today, this present day! How is it that our lives matter less than anyone else here on this earth, I remember a high school teacher saying to me how I should put myself in someone’s else shoes when really she was the one that should have put herself in my shoes where I would be on a path of endless and relentless struggle, all because education fails to provide the resources needed, that foundation to help autistic people gain a footing to prepare us for the job industry those vital tools to help build our self confidence and of course people in general so that our employers can fully understand it?
As there is a lot of misconception, these myths should be expunged since this awareness is lacking where it shouldn’t be, needless to say I am disappointed by this materialistic world that we live in.
It's not fair at my age of twenty-six years old,I shouldn’t be hard wired on this endless merry-go-round applying job after job, exhausting all my efforts for What future is this I am to endure? I feel as though I am forever stuck on a hamster wheel never going anywhere. It worries me also because of the next generation of autistic people who in no doubt will struggle in consequence of the society we are born into.
It’s time someone opened up our eyes to a hidden truth that has been in vain either ignored or entirely dismissed because, in 2016-2017, the National Autistic Society issued a report that only 16% of Autistic adults are in full time paid work.
This has not improved by a decade and guess what! It still hasn’t because someone recently published another report on this since then nothing has been done to change it even during the events of the pandemic and despite these empty promises made by the government it hasn’t been fulfilled.
It has come to my understanding the guaranteed interview scheme does absolutely nothing in our substantial favour, the guidelines on it are not very clear and offers false hope because you are guaranteed an interview only if by meeting the minimum level criteria for the specfic such as passing online tests and providing evidence in the application that you have the right qualifications, skills or experience according to Welsh government policy who state “They are committed to employment and career development for disabled people” unfortunately this isn’t the case as it stands as certain employers don’t necessary have one in place or the application isn’t autism friendly
It should be legalized that every job application has a guaranteed interview scheme that as the industry provides should follow through on and that we automatically do get an interview, no matter.
This downtrodden system in terms of searching for a job and the industries themselves, I find are being unlawful and quite ironically discriminating against us as they are not in a sense not
acting upon in their own discretion treating us with diversity and respect, they outrightly claim in their policies and we have to as well. The question I’m asking here is what makes us different from anyone else?
The application process needs a radical uplift for
Why is there no tick box for autism, other disabilities and those with mental health? I mean there is for gender, race, sex orientation even religion, whereas ours doesn’t fit in that line of category? No, we get a blank square instead that we have to explain our condition when really they should be the ones to disclose it, giving us a box with the various options as they do for the ones I’ve mentioned above.
It’s funny really everybody going on how their lives have been altered due to Covid19 and yet for so many people with autism, it has not (mine included) a future I dare not wish to carry on with especially for those future generations to come and if I were to have children, I can’t stand the idea if they should get diagnosed with autism where they might be forced into a system of not being acknowledged.
How is that right?
