So maybe it is just because I have recently completed my formal Literature review, as part of doctoral research, looking at all the key articles ever written about Autism in the Work place, but everywhere I turn this month I seem to have encountered people writing and talking about this topic.
This started with a conversation with the excellent people from WaysIntowork (web link) who are working with Network Rail, and a number of other organisations in the M4 corridor to provide supported employment for disadvantaged individuals, including people on the Autism spectrum.
I also attended an inspiring meeting organised by the National Autistic Society, bringing together a number of employers who are all exploring how they can do a better job of understanding the needs of Adults with ASD, both for their own workplace, but then to share it for others to benefit from too – what a great conversation.
There was also a flurry of activity from the CIPD, including the launch of the Neurodiversity at work publication, which contains many useful elements.
There have also been some fascinating media exposure to Autism in work, some real life, and some fictionalized – my favourite has been The Good Doctor, and American series portraying a trainee surgeon with ASD. It would be very interesting to hear from anyone in the medical profession who is on the spectrum about your own work experiences.
There was also a flurry of activity from the CIPD, including the launch of the Neurodiversity at work publication, which contains many useful elements.
There have also been some fascinating media exposure to Autism in work, some real life, and some fictionalised – my favourite has been The Good Doctor, an American series portraying a trainee surgeon with ASD. It would be very interesting to hear from anyone in the medical profession who is on the spectrum about your own work experiences.
For me these are all good examples of how much more seriously the challenges, and opportunities, of employing Adults with ASD is being taken. It is also very useful to consider it in the wider context of the overall Diversity and Inclusion agenda, as I feel we have made much less progress on Inclusion than we have on Diversity. So those formal elements of Diversity, especially the nine protected characteristics, have had much publicity, and firms are more aware of their commitments. But what about hidden disabilities or differences, such as ASD – have we really made much improvement here? I think not really. For me this of course includes ASD within the Neurodiversity debate, but could also cover mental health issues; class; culture, geography; and even the fact that I am vegetarian (with friends who are vegan). Unless you’ve attended a series of regular meetings, where lunch is regularly served, but which doesn’t provide the food you eat you are not aware of hoe even something as simple as dietary requirements can engender a sense of exclusion. So if we can get all business leaders and line managers to think much more inclusively towards colleagues with ASD, I genuinely believe this will lead to many other differences being recognised, appreciated, and accommodated in ways that they are currently not.