Why I can’t thrive as a young, autistic woman anywhere else

Lots of people worry about their careers. About whether they’ll find a job, if they’ll be able to stay in it or progress. Especially during uncertain economic times, these fears are only amplified. I’ve never been afraid about finding a job, per se. But I am terrified that I’ll never find a job that’s accessible to me as a young autistic (and queer) woman. The truth is that only 22% of all autistic adults in the UK are in any type of paid employment, despite many of us wanting and being able to work. 

The problem is that businesses are still not equipped to support neurodivergent and disabled staff, in spite of the fact we make up a significant amount of the workforce. Most people still hold archaic, ableist beliefs that disabled people are fundamentally less productive and bad for business. This couldn’t be further from the truth. 

Businesses that include disabled people have 2x the net income and 30% higher economic profit margins. Businesses like HP have found that including neurodivergent staff resulted in a 30% increase in productivity. And as a market, disabled people and their families have a spending power of $13 trillion dollars a year - a market way bigger than China.

In other workplaces, I’ve been penalised, bullied and discriminated against just for how I am. Disclosing an autism diagnosis meant being told I was incapable of doing the work I had been successfully completing for 6 months by that point. 

I think lots of businesses find hiring neurodivergent people not only intimidating because they don’t know how to support us, but because our existence in the workplace often exposes how many things aren’t working for lots of different types of people. Home-working and flexible working offers not only benefits to me because I’m autistic, it also benefits parents and carers or people who live outside of good travel networks.

Most neurodivergent people will never receive a diagnosis, let alone disclose that to their employers. I’m always keen to emphasise that we must build access for everyone, not just the people who come forward. And if you’re waiting for neurodivergent staff to announce themselves before you include us, you’ve failed at the first hurdle. We can’t advocate if we aren’t in your businesses and statistically, we can’t even get in the front door. Research shows time and time again that’s not our failing, it’s businesses inability to cater for difference.

So, if you change nothing else this Disability Pride Month, change the way you view Disability, what it means or whose responsibility it is to build inclusion for all. And if you’d like help in doing that, get in touch with a qualified partner that can help.