here you have found your activist voice. I wish I could hit a button and send this to every advocacy group and employer on the planet. bravo - and I rarely say bravo. congratulations and thank you.
This is brilliant - only a wonderful diverse person could articulate this explanation with absolute integrity as you have. You are a gem - thank you. Completing employment application forms are also horrors stories. Just seeing a form, designed by neuro typical for neuro typical, is stressful. Honestly, this explanation is outstanding even here in New Zealand. I will be writing to the NZ government’s Minister of Employment about this issue & will include your link.
Omg why am I crying, thanks for speaking it out like that, there's a piece of each of us inside what you just said, please keep on extending awareness in this way, You're doing great!
Why are you crying, you ask. I'm thinking maybe because it feels so good to be "seen". I was diagnosed at 45. A whole life suffering in silence. My supervisor knew my situation. I too felt like crying one day when she stood up for me. There was a group of women standing around near my cubical "cacking". My super asked if it was bothering me. I said yes and she went over and told them to get back to work. It may seem like a small thing, but to me, it was the very first time I had EVER felt truly, truly seen.
To go off the first person who commented. You have found your voice. I’ve never heard these things from this perspective before. So true. In my years I slowly adapted by staying away from jobs that I figured out I couldn’t force myself to do. And a by product of this is I can be more myself. But there are times in life where I have to take on part time gigs as well. (And will be doing this by years end I think), and misunderstandings still occur. So there are days I leave nervous that I might get a bad talking to by the boss over a misunderstanding. I live with this a lot.
I've had to tailor my job search to employers that I thought would be tolerant of me. While it results in better outcomes, it's tough being underemployed.
Well you actually nailed it when you said "great rant", because that's how the rest of the neurotypical world is going to view it as nothing but a rant from an autistic person unfortunately.
I had a boss who told me he was autistic. So much made sense and I liked him from that day forward. It wasn’t a secret, it just came up in passing conversation. I just wasn’t aware of it previously. It especially explained why he was a COMPLETELY different person in text/email versus in person. In person you wouldn’t know he was autistic but he was very blunt and direct and seemingly rude sometimes. Extremely friendly and personable over email. It must be hard for him dealing with his bosses too.
I agree completely! Thank you for putting this out there. It annoys me to no end when people expect others to “just know how” to do something or act or whatever. Assumptions can greatly hurt a person. We as a society I feel have been trained to assume since everyone assumes certain things, and that gets us into trouble and also is such a barrier to truly getting to know people. We miss out on the experience of authentic connection with people when we just assume, however if we ask sometimes it backfires and we are seen as ridiculous for not just knowing. I feel like authenticity is something we lack, and societal expectations lead us to assume rather than truly caring and getting to know people. Again, if we got back to true authenticity imagine how much better things could be for all involved.
It's great in concept but I don't think people's insecurities would ever allow for it. They don't really want to be known. This is why there's so many social rules.
I’ve been reflecting on your video for a few hours and am trying to better understand the issue(s). One thing that keeps popping into my head is an employee’s “suitability” for a position contrasted with that employee’s “qualifications”. I believe that they are quite different and rarely solved by “reasonable accommodations”. For example, employees that have more “risk taking” behaviors are better suited for sales and product innovation than, for example, airline pilot, surgeon, or safety engineer. Not bad or good, just different. Likewise, an employee with OCD tendencies are better at being actuaries, accountants, or auditors versus “customer facing” positions. Some employees balk at goals, deadlines, and schedules more than others, and might not fit well in organizations with a lot of them. Again, not good or bad, just different. I think organizations can improve by altering communication expectations: avoid the “golden rule” (I’ll communicate with you how I want to be communicated to) and replace it with the “platinum rule” (I’ll communicate with you how you want to be communicated to). Also, not allow “sports analogies”, cultural idioms, “you know?” phrases, and learn real “precise listening skills” that recognize that those with autism communicate differently. Keep up the good work!
Great comment, thank you! I completely agree with your take on job suitability versus qualifications. It's an issue I've been contemplating often during my own job search (my qualifications for a posted job versus whether it's really suitable for me). I think I'll need to do a video on this topic 😁 I also agree with your stance on accommodations. In limited ways, they can be helpful, like flexible schedules and managing sensory sensitivities. But to your point, accommodations won't make you suitable for the job if you're not. The other issue is, as you mentioned, that oftentimes it's not an issue of accommodations, but rather poor management training/communication skills. The word "accommodations" is used way too liberally in our community as the solution for everything. We need cultural change much more than accommodations.
Thank you, after 40 years I just discovered I’m not a defective person, my autism made people told me I was rude and not normal…such a relieve to know this is part of me, its hard to communicate like a neurotypical person, I need people like me to enjoy having a friend!😊
Thank you for this. This hit so hard for me as I am currently dealing with a situation like this right now and am transitioning to a new career as a result of these sorts of repeated misunderstandings. On one hand, I am relieved to leave an enviroment that does not suite me; on the other hand, I am devistated that my inability to make myself understood and to understand others is contantly misjudged.
Im NT, my hubby is ND (late diagnosed). I explain it very similar to how this video explains it, even though my husband and I are from different english speaking countries, we speak completely different languages. I explain it by saying I speak X language (insert non english speaking language here) and my hubby speaks Y language (insert non english speaking language here) , and sometimes its a real struggle to communicate. I moved from an english speaking country to the US and even after living here for over 20+ yrs i still translate some words when i speak to Americans (Im an Aussie), its taxing to continue to do this especially when im tired. So I can only imagine what its like for those on the spectrum.
Great minds think alike! This is the only way that I've successfully explained our experience to neurotypicals. Otherwise, I'm just told to learn how to be more like them.
What an excellent analogy 👏👏👏 That was said with pure felt heart, conviction and honesty. I will be using this concept moving forward to explain this to my family and friends. Thank you 🩷
@@ProudlyAutistic It's a very clever way to explain this particular challenge! I've often said it's like speaking a different language but explaining it so succinctly really helps clarify that thought process in my head so much better! 🙌 ☺️
Hi, Karen! This video really spoke to me on a deep level. I was late diagnosed at 40 and have been attempting to grasp my true meaning and purpose on this earth having gone through language barriers and just flat out ignorance. Thank you for sharing your story and experience. You’re helping more than you realize.
I'm so glad they're helpful 💛 I started a chat community located at autistic.chat that you might enjoy. It's a nice little community, you might be able to connect with like minds there 😊
That's the best way I've ever heard anyone describe it, it's like Neurotypical is my second language. People won't force a japanese person to speak English, they won't say they're weird or anything, they just make accomodations for them
Actually some people get angry if immigrants don't learn English but the difference is that most people don't expect immigrants to speak flawless English.They expect some mistakes and are more forgiving with mistakes.
Hi Karen this is great! It's something I will need to explore how I will adapt to my situation. I'll stop by to talk more when my situation gets a bit better.
I'm autistic, I hear your frustration, have had the same experiences and you made me cry. Wouldn't it be nice if people gave us the benefit of a doubt? Consider that we try to be nice and that we do care instead of attacking us for not getting it 100% right?
This is a PERFECT video as you use a great analogy with the French colleague and you so passionately and clearly reason in relation to allistic employers and colleagues. If they're not prepared to make the effort to learn and accept the autistic language and autistic people then some of us who work with these people might be in a position to hand in their resignation. If not, then planning for self-employment or looking for another job with a non-racist employer would be the best thing to do. (Autistic people are part of a race of people and any employer and/or colleagues that mis-treat and don't accept us are basically racist) In this case, they would lose a good and capable employee/colleague due to their ignorance. However, the health and happiness of autistic employee's is far more important than their continuing ignorant attitude! I've had to do this myself in the past and although it wasn't easy it was liberating. Keep up the great work Karen because you and what you do on here is invaluable!
Thank you for the kind words. Ideally, we can all coexist because quitting on principle doesn't really help us and we'll just be replaced. I am optimistic that change is coming.
@@ProudlyAutistic Thank you for your reply Karen. I agree that it's not easy or ideal to have to quit a job due to continuing unrealistic expectations of an employer but sometimes their unreasonableness just gets too much and it can make us ill. However, I too am optimistic about the future as there's many autistic people like yourself that are working hard to help change things for the better and thankfully some allistic professionals are now getting it and becoming our allies. (For example the Doctor of AutismHangout on here) Also, I'm a certified Life Coach who specialises in educating about autistic and allistic language. I've not been doing it for that long and I am still setting my business up. Also however, people have told me that I'm making a positive difference in their lives just like I know you're doing. I'm also planning on starting a channel on here that's focussed on the autistic and allistic languages so any tips or advice you can give me would be much appreciated. Thank you for reading this comment. 😊
Unfortunately, it was used against me in very dehumanizing ways that I almost got killed multiple times and falsely charged for speaking my truth about the abuse in my very intolerant country. If I'm different then I'm wrong and I should perfectly conform or be obliterated. My story is the reason why some laws and decisions were made in my country it is internationally monitored for violations of human rights and it is at the bottom of the list amongst the Talibani government, ironically this violent culture was brought from the same named government. I wish that these changes were enough to keep me safe and sane in dignity but they were not, unfortunately, people just assume in a lazy way from the smear campaigns that they were run by my relatives and local authorities... At this point, I am just alive in my room, like a Norwegian jail cell that I have had the key to for 32 years.
Thank you for this very important reminder that our experiences are not all the same. We are a community. I'm not sure if I have the ability to help, but if there's something I can do through this forum, please let me know 💛
How are employers and coworkers supposed to know how to communicate with you effectively if you don’t tell them? What’s stopping you from speaking up? Many neurotypicals would probably be happy to understand and try to work with you if you put it concisely and factually with such a beautiful allegory as you present here…
It's not that simple. We routinely get fired when we disclose. I've personally been fired after disclosing. NTs are very rarely are accommodating. Look it up. College educated autistic adults disproportionately struggle with employment. Disability legislation doesn't protect us because employers say the dismissal was on the basis of "personality" (code for autism). That's why I make videos like this. To your point about how they learn to act appropriately, I think they should be trained and not by me. Other minorities are not tasked with training their supervisors as a condition of not being harassed and fired. We deserve the same courtesy.
Hearing a french accent makes you thinkof croissants, perfumes, art,.. an african accent makes you think about jiraffes, elefants, zebars, ...a spanish accent makes you think about dancing, hot sauce and tacos... but "autism" makes people (obviously, ignorant) think of school shooters, like Adam Lanza, serial killers like Jeffrey Dahmer, or just unsensitive, uncaring, unfriendly, lonely psychopaths... We need a new name...😮
This is such an insightful (and sad) comment. I agree for the most part, but I don't think the problem is the name. People would just learn to dislike the alternative too. I do believe things will get better for us, but unfortunately I think it's still 10 years out...
@@ProudlyAutistic What can we do to change this (apart from publishing videos, books and other media which, unfortunately, are mostly likely to be seen and read by those affected or by people who are professionally involved in an environment where psychology is involved)?
Unfortunately employers will never care. You are seen as expendable and disposable just like any NT employee. The employer will never bend. You must conform or be cast out.
To some extent, I agree. I think you're right when it comes to smaller employers. They can be the worst when it comes to employment practices and employee rights. But many large, publicly traded companies can't afford to act like this. They will lead the change (and are already starting to address our challenges, although in a somewhat flawed way).
@@ProudlyAutistic i have worked for several large publically traded companies and it's the worst it's ever been there. They have this schtick now where they try to convince you that it's a "family company" during the onboarding process. It's just virtue signaling.
I agree that it's often insincere. They aren't doing it out of kindness. They're doing it because workforce diversity encourages creativity and better aligns with end users, thus making businesses that prioritize diversity more profitable. Disability:IN exists for this reason. They hold executive training sessions and match diverse suppliers to publicly traded companies. I'm personally not a fan as they use neurodivergent people (almost exclusively those without communication challenges) to speak on behalf of the autistic community. I've personally found larger businesses to be generally "safer" for us. They have well thought out policies and professional HR departments. They don't want to risk the legal/PR exposure of getting it wrong. Meanwhile, I've found HR departments at smaller businesses to be extremely problematic. All that said, I think the biggest indicator of success is your relationship with your manager and company culture.
So well said. The issue I think is - In the hive mind - being combative is normal, and so when they find our weaknesses they are going to cash in on diminishing us. I'm not sure that the typical people particularly have any interest in making our lives easier. They operate on the basis of 'thrive by destroying those around you'. When you enter the workplace arena - you are going into battle and nobody has your back. Another thing I've seen - bosses will think that by picking at you, this will drive you to do better, but instead all they are doing is turning you more against them and driving you not to work harder or better but pushing you to be more inclined to leave the company, because you already are carrying so much pressure and stress - this pushes you over the edge - you are only barely coping - and the additional pressure breaks you. We need encouragement and praise - not put downs.
I agree with much of this. And while not all co-workers desire to destroy others, there's definitely drive NOT to appear weak (which includes not affiliating with those who have been outcast). I also agree that bosses definitely single out as a way to motivate. It never yielded the desired response when used on me.
here you have found your activist voice. I wish I could hit a button and send this to every advocacy group and employer on the planet. bravo - and I rarely say bravo. congratulations and thank you.
Thank you for your kind words, I appreciate it 💛
This is brilliant - only a wonderful diverse person could articulate this explanation with absolute integrity as you have. You are a gem - thank you.
Completing employment application forms are also horrors stories. Just seeing a form, designed by neuro typical for neuro typical, is stressful. Honestly, this explanation is outstanding even here in New Zealand. I will be writing to the NZ government’s Minister of Employment about this issue & will include your link.
Thank you for the kind words. I hope you are able to gain some traction advocating in NZ. It's a challenge 💛
brilliant take and expressed with great clarity and conviction
Omg why am I crying, thanks for speaking it out like that, there's a piece of each of us inside what you just said, please keep on extending awareness in this way, You're doing great!
Thank you! Yup, advocacy is why I created this channel in the first place. We deserve better and as a mother to an autistic child, I demand it 💛
Why are you crying, you ask. I'm thinking maybe because it feels so good to be "seen". I was diagnosed at 45. A whole life suffering in silence. My supervisor knew my situation. I too felt like crying one day when she stood up for me. There was a group of women standing around near my cubical "cacking". My super asked if it was bothering me. I said yes and she went over and told them to get back to work. It may seem like a small thing, but to me, it was the very first time I had EVER felt truly, truly seen.
To go off the first person who commented. You have found your voice. I’ve never heard these things from this perspective before. So true.
In my years I slowly adapted by staying away from jobs that I figured out I couldn’t force myself to do. And a by product of this is I can be more myself.
But there are times in life where I have to take on part time gigs as well. (And will be doing this by years end I think), and misunderstandings still occur.
So there are days I leave nervous that I might get a bad talking to by the boss over a misunderstanding. I live with this a lot.
I've had to tailor my job search to employers that I thought would be tolerant of me. While it results in better outcomes, it's tough being underemployed.
Great rant! Everything you said is true. I wish I could bottle this and make my coworkers drink it every time they look at me weird.
Well you actually nailed it when you said "great rant", because that's how the rest of the neurotypical world is going to view it as nothing but a rant from an autistic person unfortunately.
I had a boss who told me he was autistic. So much made sense and I liked him from that day forward. It wasn’t a secret, it just came up in passing conversation. I just wasn’t aware of it previously. It especially explained why he was a COMPLETELY different person in text/email versus in person. In person you wouldn’t know he was autistic but he was very blunt and direct and seemingly rude sometimes. Extremely friendly and personable over email. It must be hard for him dealing with his bosses too.
I agree completely! Thank you for putting this out there. It annoys me to no end when people expect others to “just know how” to do something or act or whatever. Assumptions can greatly hurt a person. We as a society I feel have been trained to assume since everyone assumes certain things, and that gets us into trouble and also is such a barrier to truly getting to know people. We miss out on the experience of authentic connection with people when we just assume, however if we ask sometimes it backfires and we are seen as ridiculous for not just knowing. I feel like authenticity is something we lack, and societal expectations lead us to assume rather than truly caring and getting to know people. Again, if we got back to true authenticity imagine how much better things could be for all involved.
It's great in concept but I don't think people's insecurities would ever allow for it. They don't really want to be known. This is why there's so many social rules.
I’ve been reflecting on your video for a few hours and am trying to better understand the issue(s). One thing that keeps popping into my head is an employee’s “suitability” for a position contrasted with that employee’s “qualifications”. I believe that they are quite different and rarely solved by “reasonable accommodations”.
For example, employees that have more “risk taking” behaviors are better suited for sales and product innovation than, for example, airline pilot, surgeon, or safety engineer. Not bad or good, just different.
Likewise, an employee with OCD tendencies are better at being actuaries, accountants, or auditors versus “customer facing” positions.
Some employees balk at goals, deadlines, and schedules more than others, and might not fit well in organizations with a lot of them.
Again, not good or bad, just different.
I think organizations can improve by altering communication expectations: avoid the “golden rule” (I’ll communicate with you how I want to be communicated to) and replace it with the “platinum rule” (I’ll communicate with you how you want to be communicated to). Also, not allow “sports analogies”, cultural idioms, “you know?” phrases, and learn real “precise listening skills” that recognize that those with autism communicate differently.
Keep up the good work!
Great comment, thank you!
I completely agree with your take on job suitability versus qualifications. It's an issue I've been contemplating often during my own job search (my qualifications for a posted job versus whether it's really suitable for me). I think I'll need to do a video on this topic 😁
I also agree with your stance on accommodations. In limited ways, they can be helpful, like flexible schedules and managing sensory sensitivities. But to your point, accommodations won't make you suitable for the job if you're not. The other issue is, as you mentioned, that oftentimes it's not an issue of accommodations, but rather poor management training/communication skills. The word "accommodations" is used way too liberally in our community as the solution for everything. We need cultural change much more than accommodations.
Thank you, after 40 years I just discovered I’m not a defective person, my autism made people told me I was rude and not normal…such a relieve to know this is part of me, its hard to communicate like a neurotypical person, I need people like me to enjoy having a friend!😊
Yes!! I feel this video. Thank you for showing some of your anger! ❤
Thank you for this. This hit so hard for me as I am currently dealing with a situation like this right now and am transitioning to a new career as a result of these sorts of repeated misunderstandings. On one hand, I am relieved to leave an enviroment that does not suite me; on the other hand, I am devistated that my inability to make myself understood and to understand others is contantly misjudged.
Late diagnosed autism. Thank you for your videos! 💜
Im NT, my hubby is ND (late diagnosed). I explain it very similar to how this video explains it, even though my husband and I are from different english speaking countries, we speak completely different languages. I explain it by saying I speak X language (insert non english speaking language here) and my hubby speaks Y language (insert non english speaking language here) , and sometimes its a real struggle to communicate. I moved from an english speaking country to the US and even after living here for over 20+ yrs i still translate some words when i speak to Americans (Im an Aussie), its taxing to continue to do this especially when im tired. So I can only imagine what its like for those on the spectrum.
Brilliant! Thank you
This is exactly how I explain it too! 🙏
Great minds think alike! This is the only way that I've successfully explained our experience to neurotypicals. Otherwise, I'm just told to learn how to be more like them.
What an excellent analogy 👏👏👏 That was said with pure felt heart, conviction and honesty. I will be using this concept moving forward to explain this to my family and friends. Thank you 🩷
Thank you, I'm glad you liked it. I hope it helps 💛
@@ProudlyAutistic It's a very clever way to explain this particular challenge! I've often said it's like speaking a different language but explaining it so succinctly really helps clarify that thought process in my head so much better! 🙌 ☺️
My favourite video of yours ! Awesome
Thank you! 💛
Hi, Karen! This video really spoke to me on a deep level. I was late diagnosed at 40 and have been attempting to grasp my true meaning and purpose on this earth having gone through language barriers and just flat out ignorance. Thank you for sharing your story and experience. You’re helping more than you realize.
Thank you, I appreciate it. I was also diagnosed at 40. Late diagnosis is difficult, but I hope you're finding clarity 💛
All the feels for this one!! 👏👏🙌 (ETA I'm right there with you)
A more than noteworthy statement and equally important video, thank you.
Thank you 💛
I feel you, it's exactly how I feel.
So glad I found your channel ❤ , your videos make me feel understood. I can honestly say I haven't felt understood for most, if not all, my life.
I'm so glad they're helpful 💛 I started a chat community located at autistic.chat that you might enjoy. It's a nice little community, you might be able to connect with like minds there 😊
@@ProudlyAutistic Thank you 😊
🏆 Great Video. Thank you. ❤️
That's the best way I've ever heard anyone describe it, it's like Neurotypical is my second language. People won't force a japanese person to speak English, they won't say they're weird or anything, they just make accomodations for them
Exactly! 💛
Actually some people get angry if immigrants don't learn English but the difference is that most people don't expect immigrants to speak flawless English.They expect some mistakes and are more forgiving with mistakes.
Hi Karen this is great! It's something I will need to explore how I will adapt to my situation. I'll stop by to talk more when my situation gets a bit better.
Thank you!
Your shorter take on @OrionKelly's podcast is what brought me to your channel. I'm glad to see this expanded, passionate version.
I told the accommodations center at Georgia State University that I needed an interpreter for one of my classes. Crickets... Sharing! Thank you! ❤️🔥✨
Thank you for this comment! You're not the first person to mention an interpreter. I think it's a subject I need to investigate further.
I'm autistic, I hear your frustration, have had the same experiences and you made me cry. Wouldn't it be nice if people gave us the benefit of a doubt? Consider that we try to be nice and that we do care instead of attacking us for not getting it 100% right?
That would be nice, I agree 💛
This is a very useful way to explain it, and very pithy.
Great video!!!😁😁
Thank you!
This is a PERFECT video as you use a great analogy with the French colleague and you so passionately and clearly reason in relation to allistic employers and colleagues. If they're not prepared to make the effort to learn and accept the autistic language and autistic people then some of us who work with these people might be in a position to hand in their resignation. If not, then planning for self-employment or looking for another job with a non-racist employer would be the best thing to do. (Autistic people are part of a race of people and any employer and/or colleagues that mis-treat and don't accept us are basically racist) In this case, they would lose a good and capable employee/colleague due to their ignorance. However, the health and happiness of autistic employee's is far more important than their continuing ignorant attitude! I've had to do this myself in the past and although it wasn't easy it was liberating. Keep up the great work Karen because you and what you do on here is invaluable!
Thank you for the kind words. Ideally, we can all coexist because quitting on principle doesn't really help us and we'll just be replaced. I am optimistic that change is coming.
@@ProudlyAutistic Thank you for your reply Karen.
I agree that it's not easy or ideal to have to quit a job due to continuing unrealistic expectations of an employer but sometimes their unreasonableness just gets too much and it can make us ill. However, I too am optimistic about the future as there's many autistic people like yourself that are working hard to help change things for the better and thankfully some allistic professionals are now getting it and becoming our allies. (For example the Doctor of AutismHangout on here)
Also, I'm a certified Life Coach who specialises in educating about autistic and allistic language. I've not been doing it for that long and I am still setting my business up. Also however, people have told me that I'm making a positive difference in their lives just like I know you're doing.
I'm also planning on starting a channel on here that's focussed on the autistic and allistic languages so any tips or advice you can give me would be much appreciated.
Thank you for reading this comment.
😊
THIS IS AMAZING!
Thank you 💛
👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Unfortunately, it was used against me in very dehumanizing ways that I almost got killed multiple times and falsely charged for speaking my truth about the abuse in my very intolerant country. If I'm different then I'm wrong and I should perfectly conform or be obliterated. My story is the reason why some laws and decisions were made in my country it is internationally monitored for violations of human rights and it is at the bottom of the list amongst the Talibani government, ironically this violent culture was brought from the same named government.
I wish that these changes were enough to keep me safe and sane in dignity but they were not, unfortunately, people just assume in a lazy way from the smear campaigns that they were run by my relatives and local authorities... At this point, I am just alive in my room, like a Norwegian jail cell that I have had the key to for 32 years.
Thank you for this very important reminder that our experiences are not all the same. We are a community. I'm not sure if I have the ability to help, but if there's something I can do through this forum, please let me know 💛
How are employers and coworkers supposed to know how to communicate with you effectively if you don’t tell them? What’s stopping you from speaking up? Many neurotypicals would probably be happy to understand and try to work with you if you put it concisely and factually with such a beautiful allegory as you present here…
It's not that simple. We routinely get fired when we disclose. I've personally been fired after disclosing. NTs are very rarely are accommodating. Look it up. College educated autistic adults disproportionately struggle with employment. Disability legislation doesn't protect us because employers say the dismissal was on the basis of "personality" (code for autism). That's why I make videos like this.
To your point about how they learn to act appropriately, I think they should be trained and not by me. Other minorities are not tasked with training their supervisors as a condition of not being harassed and fired. We deserve the same courtesy.
YES! ❤💪
Hearing a french accent makes you thinkof croissants, perfumes, art,.. an african accent makes you think about jiraffes, elefants, zebars, ...a spanish accent makes you think about dancing, hot sauce and tacos... but "autism" makes people (obviously, ignorant) think of school shooters, like Adam Lanza, serial killers like Jeffrey Dahmer, or just unsensitive, uncaring, unfriendly, lonely psychopaths... We need a new name...😮
This is such an insightful (and sad) comment. I agree for the most part, but I don't think the problem is the name. People would just learn to dislike the alternative too. I do believe things will get better for us, but unfortunately I think it's still 10 years out...
In my experience most people I know think about Rainman and Elon Musk when thinking about autism.
@@ProudlyAutistic What can we do to change this (apart from publishing videos, books and other media which, unfortunately, are mostly likely to be seen and read by those affected or by people who are professionally involved in an environment where psychology is involved)?
Unfortunately employers will never care. You are seen as expendable and disposable just like any NT employee. The employer will never bend. You must conform or be cast out.
To some extent, I agree. I think you're right when it comes to smaller employers. They can be the worst when it comes to employment practices and employee rights. But many large, publicly traded companies can't afford to act like this. They will lead the change (and are already starting to address our challenges, although in a somewhat flawed way).
@@ProudlyAutistic i have worked for several large publically traded companies and it's the worst it's ever been there. They have this schtick now where they try to convince you that it's a "family company" during the onboarding process. It's just virtue signaling.
I agree that it's often insincere. They aren't doing it out of kindness. They're doing it because workforce diversity encourages creativity and better aligns with end users, thus making businesses that prioritize diversity more profitable. Disability:IN exists for this reason. They hold executive training sessions and match diverse suppliers to publicly traded companies. I'm personally not a fan as they use neurodivergent people (almost exclusively those without communication challenges) to speak on behalf of the autistic community.
I've personally found larger businesses to be generally "safer" for us. They have well thought out policies and professional HR departments. They don't want to risk the legal/PR exposure of getting it wrong. Meanwhile, I've found HR departments at smaller businesses to be extremely problematic.
All that said, I think the biggest indicator of success is your relationship with your manager and company culture.
❤👏👏👏
So well said. The issue I think is - In the hive mind - being combative is normal, and so when they find our weaknesses they are going to cash in on diminishing us. I'm not sure that the typical people particularly have any interest in making our lives easier. They operate on the basis of 'thrive by destroying those around you'. When you enter the workplace arena - you are going into battle and nobody has your back. Another thing I've seen - bosses will think that by picking at you, this will drive you to do better, but instead all they are doing is turning you more against them and driving you not to work harder or better but pushing you to be more inclined to leave the company, because you already are carrying so much pressure and stress - this pushes you over the edge - you are only barely coping - and the additional pressure breaks you. We need encouragement and praise - not put downs.
I agree with much of this. And while not all co-workers desire to destroy others, there's definitely drive NOT to appear weak (which includes not affiliating with those who have been outcast). I also agree that bosses definitely single out as a way to motivate. It never yielded the desired response when used on me.