This is part 2 of my Finding a job with autism series. For part 1, click here.
This post is difficult to write but I feel it has to be
done. For too long, the voices of those with autism have been silent or
ignored. This has had an impact on how people with autism exist in this world.
Using something that was recently done in gymnastics, I will explain how people
with autism have to do a bigger effort than neurotypical people in order to
make their way in this world.
Recently, Simone Biles was the first person in the world to
do a double twisting double tuck (double double) off the balance beam, which is
an amazing achievement. This could be
used as a metaphor for the amount of difficulty people with autism have to do
in order to function in this world. On the other hand, neurotypical people can
do similar things in a social setting with the amount of difficulty that is
needed to jump off or just do a back tucked somersault (back tuck) off the
beam. However, the double double looks like a back tuck until the person with
autism makes a mistake or a person knows them for an extended period of time
and picks up on the differences. But the differences can look a lot worse than
a back tuck off the beam.
The first thing that feels like a double double off the beam
to me are questionnaires that are used in order to screen candidates for a job.
While most people may fake the answers to a certain degree, I have to guess
what the potential employer wants as an answer. If I answer the way I want to,
employers may not see me as a “team player” and choose to not give me an
interview. Even though it can be stated to answer the questions naturally, if I
do that, it might allow the employer to reject me. One screening technique that
is worse than the questionnaires is a facial emotion recognition test. Unless it is related to the requirements of
the job, it is a tool of discrimination against people with autism. While I can
read basic emotions, I find it hard to pick up on the more subtle signs of
human emotion due to having autism.
Job interviews are another thing that requires more effort
on my part to be successful in. So far I have not been able to get a job when I
have had to do an interview. I believe this is because I have to adopt
neurotypical ways of speaking and use mannerisms that are not natural to me. On
top of that, I still have to sell myself, which is already difficult. If
employers are serious about employing people with autism, they need to remove
interviews and allow the candidate to sell themselves through their work rather
than having to behave like a walking advertisement or a snake oil salesman.
Other social situations are demanding and the anxiety of not
knowing how to react in these situations is demanding and can be exhausting.
This leads to me having to “mask” no matter how unsuccessful it can be at
times. It is easier to pretend to be normal as a child due to social situations
being easier or that children are more accepting. However, high school is a
tougher environment to be in. I was constantly bullied in high school. This has
lead to me hiding my autism and feeling hurt when people pick up on me being
different. It is not their fault that I
can feel offended but from my experiences in high school, it does hurt me
because I fear being bullied or discriminated against again.
It may be easy to say “It’s ok to have autism” or “be proud
of having autism” but in this world, it is a lot harder to think that way. For the neurotypicals reading this post, if
any of you know or think you know someone with autism, be more understanding
and consider that what is jumping off or doing a back tuck off the beam may be
a double double off the beam to them. Also, pointing out the social
difficulties may be hurtful to them, no matter how sensitive you think you are
in doing it.
Note: This blog post
may not be reproduced partially or in full without my written consent. If you
wish to use this blog post in any form, you must write to me first.
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