Asperger Syndrome and Disability Discrimination Act

Hermia wrote: »

I think your statement is clear and beautifully written, but I think it may come across as being quite "bossy". Employers do worry that they will get into trouble if they get it wrong regarding Equal Opportunities and the DDA. I think an employer might feel a little intimidated by your statement. Maybe you could write it in a gentler way. So, don't write "Ask closed questions and avoid open questions" and "Avoid hypothetical or abstract questions". Instead you could write something like, "People with Aspergers find closed questions easier to deal with than open questions. Hypothetical questions can also be hard to understand. Rewording a question, using concrete examples and prompting the candidate can greatly assist them during the interview."

I wish you luck. I have worked with many colleagues with disabilities so there are people out there who are willing to give you a chance.

I think this is a fair point. Phrase things with the idea that you are "educating and helping" people rather than "telling" them and it may go down better. As it is, the current wording is direct almost to the point of being confrontational.

Quick aside on computer programming and aspergers...

I am a programmer (which is why I mentioned the freelance version when casting about for jobs the OP could do that meant not being in an office/team) and I have a colleague who is far, far better at programming than I, and I suspect he might have Aspergers. When we work together I have to help him out a lot with communication both verbal and written and he doesn't "get" social nuance at all and has a few...habits. I wouldn't put him (or most of the rest of our team in fact) in front of a customer if it were up to me. But I enjoy working with him, though he drives me mad at times (he'll spend too long trying to get the perfect solution), I have learnt a lot from him and improved my programming no end, and he says he has got a lot out of working with me.

Programming, depending on where you work can involve having a lot of skills: good analytical skills, time management, "fitting in" and being able to talk to managers and users alike, good oral and written skills, as well as being able to write code. Ideally you'd get those skills all in one person, but I've yet to see it in 10 years as a programmer.

eve13 wrote: »

Sorry, that term for being an aspie always infuriates me! My son is 25, very articulate in subjects he is interested in, becomes monosyllabic (sp?) otherwise. Loves his voluntary work with childen as they always say exactly what they mean and love to play, things he is also keen on. However simply volunteering isn't a guarantee of work. His two employers are full of praise for him but will not give him paid work as he does not meet their standards yet after 5 years. We are paying for him to take NVQ2 Childcare and see if they run out of excuses when he passes (which he will, with flying colours) Don't want to take the discrimination route because what would be the point of working in a job where employers are forced to take you on. Am worried ofcause by new legislation forcing onto ESA

Even if he meets standards this won't guarantee paid work, employers will work on budgets including wages and if they are full when he passes then this is not discriminatory in terms of not paying him.

However if someone left and there was a job position available this maybe discriminatory but only if his disability is the reason for him not getting the job and in the current job market there may just be more qualified and exerienced people that apply.

Is he actually applying for other jobs or is he pinning his hopes all on these two?

There are always vacancies as the youngsters (16+) tend to see this as something to do until they get a better job, or they get bored or they find it harder than they expected it to be. Like most aspies my son is concientious , honest and hardworking- I sometimes wonder perhaps he doesn't get the jobs because why pay for a good worker when he is willing to work for free? Remember we are talking about an aspie here, he isn't actually worried about money but would like the status of being a real staff member. Trying somewhere else would be a nightmare- he can't talk to people he doesn't know especially when they ask open questions. He's also too honest, at one interview for job as playLEADER he was asked did he prefer to be a leader or a follower- guess which he chose!! Also it took him over two years to settle into these two voluntary positions with support in place who is going to do the same for a paid worker when they can hire another person with no disabilities?