As Long As There Is Ignorance, Stigmas, etc Autistic Adults Will Remain Unemployed

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It’s no lie that 85% of autistic adults are unemployed. Everyone thinks the solution is more programs for us. This is true. We need more programs that help autistic people. You can have all the programs in the world, all of the job training in the world. If you don’t break the stigma and ignorance, autistic adults will remain unemployed. That is what keeps us unemployed.

We can be qualified to the tee, but our autism behaviors being mistaken as not being interested in the job, training won’t fix that. If the program has no sort of contract with the employers, there is nothing stopping them from discriminating against us. For example, if the program is contracted with employers, they are prohibited from discriminating against you.  Let’s say that is what the agreement was. You can report back to your program if you believe the employer is breaching the contract. Or if the company has a relationship with the employer to make sure you get the help you need. And you must apply to jobs within the network of your program.

Like when I went through that program that I thought would help me. They can talk about job interviews until the cows come home. If employers turn me away because of my autism or don’t want to make small adjustments so I can do the job better, that program is useless. What I am saying is, that we need programs to break the stigma and ignorance. We need programs that teach bosses about autism. Plenty of autistic adults are well qualified for the jobs they want, they may need a small adjustment to help them not get overwhelmed and stressed.

Maybe create a program and require employers to do it to keep their jobs. The ableism and stigma. Misinformation, lack of education, and understanding is what keep us from gaining employment. Not because we lack training. Not because we have a poor work ethic.

My mom got a job back in April of last year. It lasted 3 weeks and she was fired for moving too slow. That’s ableist to people who can’t move fast. If the program does nothing to prevent a situation like my mom’s it’s a waste of time. My mom has applied to several places when she was not making a lot of money from her current job before.

The program I went through expected you to stay there until you got a job but did nothing to help you fight the discrimination.

My mom had one interview, but still no job.  Employers are agest and don’t wanna hire people over a certain age.

I follow someone on Deviantart and she posted how she has applied to place after place and they all turned her down due to her experience. She’s had interviews and they will tell her she doesn’t have much experience.  Will the program stop employers from turning us away due to our experience? Will the program stop employers from turning us away because of our age?

Employers need training on how to handle an autistic employee. Make it mandatory. This will allow them to learn about our sensory needs and how our brains operate.

This way they can learn more about autism and the proper adjustment they can make. Have the employer pass an exam to keep their job. Like you need a license to drive a car, you have to take an exam (written and road) to get your license, right?

Having programs like this makes it seem like it’s the autistic person why they can’t land or keep a job but it’s the stigma and ignorance of employers. The same goes for other disorders.

Stop turning people away because they don’t have experience. That’s why you TRAIN. Why have training if you’re going to just write people off because of their experience? They can get experience during the training.

Point is. We can have all of the job training in the world. If employers won’t give us a chance then there is no point. I am trying to say unless the program has a connection with companies that helps you out. The program I went through did nothing. And the coach wondered why I wasn’t applying. By being contracted with companies maybe you, the company, and the boss can work together.

When I started talking about autism and employment, I had the idea of getting a programmer on board with hiring us.  I will talk about that more.

You will see it off and on.

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