Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi, everyone!
I am new to the community and was wondering if anyone else has had this same issue:
I am currently 27 and was recently diagnosed with autism last September.
I have been in the Graphic Design industry for 5 years now and I have been looking for a new job since the new year due to losing my previous one.
I currently have a little part time job but with the circumstances around Covid-19 there are little to no new jobs available.
When I was looking / applying / getting interviews etc, I didn't always put autism in the "disability" section unless that company is a well known / big brand because I was too scared I would put employers off as being "defective".
However, if I was to get another interview in the future, is it worth mentioning?
What do people think of this? Does it just come down to the employer themselves?
Thank you in advance! ^^
It really depnds on what your job is and who you are working for. So, saying that.
Does the job require you to gain a security clearance? If yes, disclose it, they will find out anyway.Is the job going to require a DBS check? If yes, disclose it.If you are going to work for the gov, emergency services, schools, youth clubs, etc, then disclose it.
If you are applying for a job as a delivery driver, or a refuse collector, i wouldnt bother.
For a design artist job, maybe, depends on your portfolio. Are you gifted in design? Do you have a portfolio that reflects it, with lots of designs you created and illustrated? If yes, and the company isnt less than 10 employees, then sell your creativity. if its a small company and/or you dont have a stellar portfolio to sell yourself with id consider it carefully. While their is a discimination act, smaller companies may treat you as a freak that might rock the boat and cause friction in their team(s). They will probably say no just because of the disability and for no real reason. They will never overtly express the real reason, but instead will go with a genertic "we dont think you would be a good fit for our team". It will be nigh on impossible to prove discrimination. I would get the job first, then drop the autism on them. That way under the law you covered your ass by telling them, and if they then get rid of you or make your life difficult, you can tribunal them for discrimination.
Without sounding biased, I know I am gifted in all the areas of design so I can't imagine it's my work. It usually just comes down to experience and I've had good interview feedback for the previous ones before I even mentioned the autism.
With the small company, yes I have been treated like an outsider to the point I was being spoken to like rubbish and that was even before I was diagnosed and even after it didn't make a difference and I am glad to be out of there now!
My most recent design job, which I lost at the start of the new year, it was a bigger company and I waited until I had to go through all the professional processes (signing forms, meeting HR etc) and mentioned it then to have a meeting so we could talk about it in more depth. They were lovely and understanding about it so yeah it is a hit and miss.
I never actually got round to having the meeting re my autism so it was just a bad coincidence. The reason I lost that job was purely down to a misunderstanding of my skill set.
Personally, I think they just made a mistake in hiring me in the first place because they got somebody else to do the job that I did not have the skills to do.
I was contemplating a career in Graphic Design and sought to teach myself Adobe Creative Cloud - until I was no longer able to afford it.
I would be more logo-themed than artistic.