I was recently asked by a mother whether her daughter, who was starting to look for employment, should declare her autism on her job application form.
I can see this situation from many angles.
Firstly, I am autistic who is currently employed but has also experienced long-term unemployment too. I've done my fair share of job interviews; some have resulted in jobs, others not.
Secondly, I am my trade union's equality rep at my place of work. I am familiar with British law in regard to the Equality Act 2010 and reasonable adjustments in terms of the employer enabling an autistic person to fit into a workplace.
I wanted to be able to get all excited about the Equality Act and tell this mother that if her daughter is able to do the job, she could be a great candidate. Her autism would be no different to someone with a heart condition (for an office role) in terms of it not holding her back.
But you see, I emmmed and ahhhhed. I wanted to be realistic and not suggest that the Equality Act has somehow removed that barrier to employment. We probably know autism and our potential but can we say the same about the HR department and managers we might encounter on an interview panel?
Let's give an example. I was working in a school a decade ago and busy getting my head around my diagnosis. I was talking to a teacher and she asked if I had light therapy. Well, I was nearly foaming at the mouth!! I was thinking bloody hell: I have a degree (completing my dissertation for my MSc at the time), drove, lived independently and all sorts. Light therapy indeed!!! But this is the thing, if a teacher who may well come into contact with intellectually high functioning autistic students thinks that, what could an HR person think?!
To be fair to the teacher, she wouldn't have necessarily had any autistic training. I never had any when I did my further education teacher training either. It's all on the job 'work it out for yourself with Mr Google' and a brief chat with Student Support.
If we can't trust the recruiters to understand the basics of autism, what should I suggest to this mother?
I felt that it depended on many factors:
The first is the size of the organisation. A large organisation may be accustomed to reasonable adjustments much more readily than a small business. A large supermarket chain looking for cashiers has a large HR department and will be dealing with things across their stores. (Probably a bad example as supermarkets are laden with nightmarish sensory overload 'opportunities')!
Bob's Plumbing services looking for an admin may not have those resources and knowledge to support an application from an autistic person.
But there's no hard and fast rules.
The supermarket may have disability recruitment targets and may be keen to hire. But Bob himself may be a family man who has personal experience of autism with a relative. He may appreciate the sorts of skills an enthusiastic autistic person may give to his business.
So I said all this to the mother and she nodded. And I felt like I didn't answer the question with a definite answer.
And then the situation became murkier.
It's a very neuro typical thing to meet with a bunch of people and be asked theoretical questions on one's ability to do a job.
"Look. I'm not wanting to make friends. I am not interested in work to primarily expand my social circle. I want to earn money in a manner that keeps me engaged. Getting on with people just facilitates that end goal. And yet, the interview panel asks a wide range of stupid questions..."
Tell me three positive characteristics your friends would say about you...
"Whooooa! Hang on... Why ask me?! Isn't that what the personal reference is about?! How the heck do I know what my friends think about me?! Ask them! Oh, and it's a very neuro typical assumption to assume I have friends. Maybe I don't and I thought the job interview was to find out if I fit the organisation, not a test of if I have mates. Notice the statement assumes multiple chums... "
And so the stupid questions go on and some moron might think it's trendy to ask a lateral question too.
It wasn't so long ago I was asked about whether a Jaffa cake was a biscuit or a cake. It's actually got a technical answer to do with tax. Let's not bring my knowledge of VAT case law into a job interview for an IT job...
Then for the higher level jobs, one might have to deliver a presentation on a laptop one has never seen before. Oh, anxiety is seriously spiking now...
So what I said in the end to the mother is thus:
Understand the organisation in which you want to apply to. Figure out if they may be are autistic friendly in their recruitment process. It might just be a wild guess.
If you need reasonable adjustments for the interview, request it. See what happens. It might be an act that puts one's name in the rejection bin (it's wrong but let's not be naive) but don't forget an interview is two-sided. We as job seekers often forget that we are interviewing the employer too. Will we fit in? Will we find the lack of interest in fulfilling reasonable adjustments a nightmare? Do we want to work there?
And of course, if you do not feel like you need reasonable adjustments in the interview process but will do later, you can declare the autism after the contract is signed.
Alas, I am a cynical person and one still must get through probation. It's dead easy to get shot of someone during that time. My view and it's just that, is that a declaration at least offers some explanation if one fails to meet probation targets. The employer is in a position of strength with getting rid of new employees but at least the diagnosis is documented. And it's discrimination to sack someone on disability grounds regardless of their length of service in the job.
But try proving it... And employment tribunals are not a cheap or a pain free way to go.
Ultimately, finding a job can be hard for anyone. Just be prepared for lots of rejections (often the case for anyone!) and don't give up. There's a good reason why there's a low percentage of autistic people in employment.
BUT: There will be a great employer out there. It may take time but don't give up...!
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