Aspies For Freedom

The UK's leading autism charity is today celebrating the successful launch of a campaign to raise awareness among employers and the Government of the skills people with the condition can bring to the workplace, it emerged today.

Launched in London glast night at the National Autism Society's (NAS) annual Leadership Dinner attended by HRH the Countess of Wessex, organisers hope the "Undiscovered Workforce scheme will also highlight the support people with the condition need while at work.

An estimated 535,000 people in the UK have autism. However, an NAS report in 2001 revealed only 6% of adults with the condition are in full-time employment.

And only 12% of people with high functioning autism or Asperger syndrome are in full-time work.

Alison Tarrant, head of policy and campaigns for the NAS said: "The number of adults with autism in full-time employment is appallingly low, given the skills they can bring to the workplace.

"It is crucial that we educate employers on the benefits of employing a person with autism, and demonstrate how reasonable adjustments can be implemented in a simple and straightforward way to ensure people with autism are able to take advantage of work opportunities."

The NAS Undiscovered Workforce campaign aims to increase the number of people with autism in full-time work by raising awareness of the potential benefits of people with autism to employers.

The NAS will distribute Undiscovered Workforce information packs nationwide.

One information pack is tailored specifically for employers, and offers advice on what employees with autism can bring to the workplace, and practical guidance on how to implement reasonable adjustments for them.

And a second is available for people with autism looking for work. The pack contains a supported employment video featuring case studies, best practice, and real life examples of people with autism in the workplace.

The NAS will host a series of meetings in the New Year with both employers and employment professionals to raise awareness of the benefits of employing people with autism.

NAS president Jane Asher said: "I have seen at first hand over many years the great skills and attributes that people with autism can bring to the workplace.

"It's tragic that, through discrimination caused by ignorance and misunderstanding on the part of employers, such a small number of potential employees with autism are in full time work.

"The Undiscovered Workforce is an exciting and extremely important campaign which will make a real difference, not only to the lives of those with autism, but to the employers themselves, who will discover just what a vibrant workforce they are currently ignoring.

On behalf of the NAS, I call on all involved in employment, and on the Government, to use this campaign to take action and change the current unjustifiable and wasteful prejudice against utilising those with autism in the workplace."

To receive an information pack contact the NAS on 020 7903 3558.

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The very low employment figures give a very clear message of our current status and opportunities.

That sounds great, I hope that it will make a big difference. I wished they would do something similar over here.

Ursula

It should, but will it? Now so many programing jobs, for example, are being teleworked in India, where apparently they are paid 50K per annum, instead of the 150k a UK equivalent gets (really?) why aren't these jobs already being done by Aspie nerds, most of whom would be glad of any job that paid 15k and upwards?

Are you working that out in euros Gwyn, sounds very high for British pounds?

The numbers came from an American publication, so probably in dollars (I can't remember for sure) but are still suspiciouls high? Somebody trying to get support for outsourcing by alienating the public from those greedy, overpaid, British programmers maybe (not mentioning that the most lowly of the low among managers do eventually get that sort of money, once bonuses are factored in)?

Its so high maybe its in lira!  :lol:

We've started to see jobs in Australia "exported" to India. A lot are crappy call centre jobs but there are others which involve computers and the computing area is often a good one for autistic people to be employed in.

The entire system is rotten to the core - like much of human society.

A lot of jobs in the UK have gone to Indian workers, mainly call centres.
On one hand, it is good for workers in India to have good employment opportunities, and I hope that they do get fair wages.
On the other hand, people in the UK have lost their jobs, and there are inevitable communication problems if you try to talk to someone at long distance who has a different native language.
(Especially if you don't like using the phone in the first place) :roll:

"Do you do UNIX shell accounts?"
"i'm sorry sir, we only provide linux hosting"

"plusnet"
"blusnet?"
"no, plusnet - p l u s n e t"
"b l u s n e t?"
<i hang up>

"aspiesforfreedom - a s p i e s f o r f r e e d o m"
"asspeas4freedom?"
"a s p i e s forfreedom"

there are many more

It's the same here in the US, a lot of those same jobs such as tech support and other call centers have gone to India.