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The obsession with getting us back into work

stranger

I'm not sure if this is just me. Although, a few people at the local Autism group have said the same.

I am currently on ESA due to a mixture of disabilities, including Autism and hearing and sight impairments. Because I'm in the support group, the job centre have left me alone. (as per the letter they sent me in November)

My "support worker" (who agreed with some silly woman that I'm not Autistic and thinks it's ok to take me somewhere noisy) keeps telling I need to find work. But why? It's not as if I spent my time doing nothing. I run, I'm currently self-teaching (with some help soon, hopefully) Spanish and am hoping that soon a friend can help me with my GCSE English.

At a local Autism group I attend, we were talking about this Autism strategy and it seems to mention work a lot. The current stats are, that only 15% of people on the spectrum are employed. But that stat (well, the 85% who aren't employed) includes people right across the spectrum and those like me with physical disabilities on top of having Autism.

It seems that these so-called professionals want people with Autism back to work. Yet, they won't give us support for our issues which means we could possibly work.

Attitudes from other people doesn't help this at all.

  • Would love to work full time, and currently do permitted/supported work, but I am  not able to work in a mainstream environment. I hope to achieve this soon, it is a goal of mine, but I can only progress at my own pace, and could not do the work program at all. I dread the next ATOS tests, now that we have PIP.

  • Stranger, your "support worker" doesn't sound very supportive, I would give him/her the push, or tell whoever gave him/her this role that it is not working for you.  Unless you are contacted by DWP I would ignore what these other people are saying.  DWP have not said anything to me. I was really relieved to not have to keep trying at something that was destroying me. I try and spend my time as constructively as I am able and life has become better.  The support I would need to go back to work would cost them more than they pay me in benefits, so I am hoping they will continue to leave me alone.

  • Not heard about being "too high functioning to be Autistic".

    There's no help at all for people on the spectrum to work where I am. In fact, there's very little support for disabled people in general.

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous

    It's not just you. I am quite recently on esa for autism, deafness, mental stuff and recovery from serious illness. Also my son is autistic and has its' related mental health issues which means I am classed as a carer too. I do `permitted' work - that helps to keep my self-employed business alive and helps me also.I've been waiting 8 months now for my ATOS medical so am yet to find out where I am placed. Like you I've recieved loads of advice - lots of it conflicting - and I now describe my  autism outreach worker as `out of reach, out of touch'.

    Attitudes from others are detrimental to say the least. And apparently myself and my son are too high functioning to be "autistic". 

    Many brick walls, many rivers, etc. We'll get there someday yet. x

  • With Aspergers they say,(I also agree) that work is the embodiment of aspergers function,, it is true when I was working I coped better with life, it gave a focus, an environment and a role for confidence. I would also say I emotional collasped at work and had a breakdown by overworking, I was never taught a life work balance, my work was my life, my ego was my work,, it was vocational, I was not even working for the concept of money. So work for a person with autism aspergers has to be treated as part of a balance of work,, working for working sake will kill you, as it nearly did me.

    It is a good post,, give me constructive employment not work.

    quote "Yet, they won't give us support for our issues which means we could possibly work.".. I have whole heartly engaged with job centre and employment specialist services about working, but have found they are 90% lip service and 10% actual support resources. It seems to be a work business about a work business only, no real work resources,, pity the brought out self sticking stamps,,we could have been employed to lick them.

    PS maybe an idea to change your support worker, direct and indirect cognitive manipulation is not a good thing to be getting