Why is this a hot button topic?
My hot button topic is the lack of gainful employment opportunities
and other resources for autistic adults. It’s a hot button issue
because of the public attitudes towards autistic (and other
neurodiverse) adults as employees and co-workers. According to
Sparrow only 35% of young adults with Asperger’s ever attend a
higher education program. Out of those that complete a bachelors or
higher, only 15% ever obtain gainful employment within their field.
Why does it matter to you?
It matters to me because I have Asperger’s and I would really like to
be able to be a financially stable individual with all of the rights to
buy a house, save for retirement, have a family and so on. I do not
want government assistance or caseworkers.
How does this hot button topic affect individuals?
If you are an Aspie like me, you find most of your employment
experiences to be completely discouraging. For whatever reason, its
completely acceptable for an employer to humiliate, demoralize and
even fire you because of thing like fidgeting, not making eye contact,
or needing instructions repeated. That last one is a doozy. Try
working customer service as an Aspie. People behave as though
proper and acceptable social behaviour is not needed when
addressing you. Therefore, we get a sort of PTSD from job
experiences, causing autistic adults to be extremely reluctant to
make efforts to even try working.
How does this hot button topic affect society?
85% of adults with Asperger’s are unemployed. This means that
these adults are surviving at the expense of family or tax payers’
dollars. Of course, this is ridiculous when you realize what Aspies
bring to the table for any company. What we lack in certain areas we
make up for in intense focus and stamina, amazing analizational skills.
We can be extremely creative and have a unique perspective on
things. Allowing us to earn an honest and decent pay check for our
skills talents and contributions is far better than keeping us on
welfare or putting us in silly “workshops” where it is perfectly legal to
pay us $25-$50 a week.
How would you use some of the psychological concepts from this
course to understand
Empathy and a little social awareness from employers would be
great. It’s not acceptable for employers to treat employees who are
deaf or in a wheelchair like 3rd class citizens. Autism should be no
less. People always tell me employers are in the business of making
money and that if I can’t do it the way everyone else does it, its not
their problem but nobody says that to the guy in the wheelchair.
They make accommodations. People need to be socially aware of
their behaviour towards people with special needs and have empathy
for those that differ.
How does this hot button topic apply to any of the following
programmatic course themes:
Self-care: when society deems you less, you often find ways to
internally validate their judgment. Doing so can be extremely
detrimental to one’s wellbeing and cause a chain reaction of negative
behaviours that lead to reclusiveness, anxiety, depression and
paranoia.
Career connections: By not becoming more inclusive and
accommodating employees with special needs, companies turn what
would be a fantastic employee into just another tax burden. b We end
up with an overabundance of really great workers not making a
contribution to our own society.
