How many with autism really want to work or are able to?

Hi,

I just received an email from the national autistic society as many of you probably have also. It is asking us to sign a petition to put pressure on the government for us to get 'jobs we deserve'.

It claims:

But 77% of unemployed autistic adults, or people responding on their behalf, told us they want to work.


This got me thinking. How many of those responding were only doing so on behalf of those with autism, without stating how the autistic person really felt. For example if you ask my mother, she would say I do want to work. Stating I can & should want to work. She will then quote her Christian beliefs to say it's an order. But personally I don't wish to work because I know it leaves me suicidal etc, no matter how much support I were to have.

Obviously I'm not signing the petition. But it could still be signed by those such as my mother, on behalf of those with autism. Making it of benefit to the economy, but of little benefit to many with autism.

The state already tries to force us to work & refuses to acknowledge that many of us can't. It stops our benefit, leaving us with nothing to live on, pay bills with nor council tax (which many are now forced to pay). I view my council tax, as a tax on me having autism! All this seems against human rights & even migrants here don't have to tolerate this. This petition could give a very dangerous get out of jail free card to government, to do even worse.

  • Thank you Wesley Faulkner & Jam 1.

    I'm glad it isn't just me who feels this is wrong.

  • Starstruck said:

    Hello Clairehig,

    We are all different.  I signed the petition.  

    As before I had my Son.  I loved to work it was the one thing that kept my depression under control.

     Since I had him I was never able to manage the two for various reasons.

    I feel that we all have different strengths & weaknesses.  You may not be able to work it doesn't make you less human.

    If I had the choice I would be working.  I crave my own independence but relying on benefits is limiting.  

    For me right now I want to move & can't because I have to think about how much housing benefit will be paid.  So I have to find a swap !

    I can't get legal help after being stalked & raped.  I can't get legal help after getting a dishonest diagnosis. Based on someone's disability discrimination.

    Benefit benefits severely asd people.  But I'm able to manage in life when getting support 

    I feel because of the cuts & other financial reasons.

    Plus societies stereotypes of asd these are barriers to some of us being more independent.

    At least I managed maintaining our homes since 16-39.  We moved 3 times because of others abuse. 

    Now because of our neighbours.  I have had to stay at my Mums. Which feels like losing my independence.  

    If I had my own financial independence I would have brought support to get justice & move.

    So yes work is important because you have to rely less on others.  

    No I don't feel it's more important then life.  So we shouldn't be defined by if you work or don't work.

    Hi

    Thank you for your reply.

    A few years ago I had legal aid. Which was not as helpful as it seems. I was given bad advice to appease the Local Authority, who were clearly lying & abusing my family. The aid wouldn't cover anything to help me prove this or give me good advice. Legal aid was literally only provided so it appeared that I had a defence. As my mother was trying to steal custody of my child via the LA/court. 

    I had previously lived with my mother until I moved out 7 years prior, aged 25. I was taught that not wanting to work was lazy & not allowed. I had been forced to go to college & then work from 18-21. Despite spending every second there wanting to die. Having my child & getting benefit as a single mother temporarily saved me. In truth I had only survived working by telling myself I was going to have the child I'd longer for all my life. And that this could happen any moment & I wouldn't have to be there. It took me a long time to find an internet sperm donor company (sadly the company was later shut down by the state). The 'donation' worked first try. And being pregnant got me away from my mother, who made me feel worse. It saved me until my daughter was 6 & the law changed. But then a support worker referred me for my Asperger's assessment. I had no idea my intense feelings that led to agoraphobia & repulsion of social situations was due to Asperger's.

    I'm sorry to hear you were also raped. I was raped throughout my childhood years by my older brother. In court my disclosure of the rape to a support worker was abused. Having legal aid didn't help. The LA & my mother called me a liar, just because I was only able to disclose this in 2008 & there was obviously no evidence now. My brother was living with my mother at the time, so it was even more distressing that not only were they abusing autism to try to remove my child, but they wanted to put her in a home with that rapist! And children's services were more than happy to do that.

    I can see that you see benefit in working from the point of view that you feel it opens doors if you have money. And that may be true. I think professionals would be unlikely to abuse those who could truly defend themselves. But the problem is that if a policy to 'help' those with autism becomes law, it IS going to ruin the lives of many who can't work. For the fact that there are so many professionals who refuse to acknowledge autism as a debilitating life long problem. They will be given an even stronger directive to force us into work.

    At present the governments line is that many of us want to & can work. They feel only some need support. Autism itself doesn't qualify a person into the benefit support group. And many are wrongly forced to have nothing or apply for job seekers. Of those who are lucky enough to get into the support group, they may not think so, but they are lucky because they actually have a choice to work or not. Although many may feel better off working, the fact is they have a choice to work. That's how it should be.

    Petitions declaring that we want to work, just put even those in the 'support group' at risk. Because it wrongly portrays them as mostly wanting to work, but needing more work support. Which often isn't the case. And that is dangerous because it could result in them being forced to go through even more face to face & complex assessments. It can be used to force almost all with autism into some form of work placement. Even forcing them to basically become slaves to employees. Where plans are made to basically sell us out to the cheapest bidder or for free, to make the unemployed statistics seem less. Forced to work or lose all life saving benefit. You may slowly progress up the slave ladder, but you may still be unemployable by society. And worse, you won't be able to leave. That would be seen as deliberate unemployment & result in removal of all benefit/support.

  • Hello Clairehig,

    We are all different.  I signed the petition.  

    As before I had my Son.  I loved to work it was the one thing that kept my depression under control.

     Since I had him I was never able to manage the two for various reasons.

    I feel that we all have different strengths & weaknesses.  You may not be able to work it doesn't make you less human.

    If I had the choice I would be working.  I crave my own independence but relying on benefits is limiting.  

    For me right now I want to move & can't because I have to think about how much housing benefit will be paid.  So I have to find a swap !

    I can't get legal help after being stalked & raped.  I can't get legal help after getting a dishonest diagnosis. Based on someone's disability discrimination.

    Benefit benefits severely asd people.  But I'm able to manage in life when getting support 

    I feel because of the cuts & other financial reasons.

    Plus societies stereotypes of asd these are barriers to some of us being more independent.

    At least I managed maintaining our homes since 16-39.  We moved 3 times because of others abuse. 

    Now because of our neighbours.  I have had to stay at my Mums. Which feels like losing my independence.  

    If I had my own financial independence I would have brought support to get justice & move.

    So yes work is important because you have to rely less on others.  

    No I don't feel it's more important then life.  So we shouldn't be defined by if you work or don't work.

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