Article: The National Autism Strategy and Employment – Is It Enough?
Autistic individuals in Australia experience alarmingly high rates of unemployment and underemployment relative to non-autistic individuals. As an autistic woman myself, I feel lucky to have found a profession that suits me and that I enjoy. However, I endured a decade of unstable employment patterns to get here. I repeatedly found myself struggling to sustain professional roles for more than a few months. Why?
It is not that autistic individuals aren’t capable, because we are. A recent survey that I conducted into the experiences of 140 other autistic women found that our common strengths include empathy, problem solving skills, creativity, attention to detail, pattern recognition, capacity for deep focus, and integrity – all valuable skills in the workplace. Rather, the problem is that typical work environments do not accommodate autistic people and our needs.
