Need a head count -How many Aspies/AS people unemployed?

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Hello everyone.. I am trying to see how big a problem unemployment and poverty are for people on the spectrum.

I made another thread here where I am exploring the idea of Aspie (all autism spectrum) businesses and a aspie community - http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt232690.html

But I wanted to see how many people would be interested in something like this.. if there was enough demand.

Please post if you need a job or have had trouble through your life with work and school. Also please post in the thread if you would like to participate in working toward an aspie community.

I myself have always had trouble in school. I was good at taking tests but horrible at doing homework or busy work. Whenever I worked on project I would be over ambitious and had trouble just doing meaningless projects.

I have always struggled with certain kinds of tasks like working with money or jobs where you have to be even remotely social. That's like most jobs in the world.. haha

I have lived with my mom several years trying to find some way to make a living that I could remotely stand but things seem to get worse with her not better.

I can't speak for the whole forum, but recent statistics suggest that as many as 85% of people with an Autism Spectrum disorder are either unemployed or underemployed (meaning working only minimally or below their capabilities).

underemployed.

Wow.. that is crazy. I wonder how many in that group could contribute for some kind of jobs? I definitely feel I could if the situation was right and I had help with my weaknesses. I bet there are a lot of others who are the same way.

<--- Gainfully unemployed but ardently looking.

Redrobin.. check out this thread... if you are interested you could help with this.. maybe we can get this rolling?'

It's along the lines of the other thread I created.


http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt218974.html

I thought there was a poll on this very issue not that long ago, but my search fu is weak.

I did find this poll asking what WPer's income was

http://www.wrongplanet.net/postp5341442.html

Unemployed, likely going to be employed thanks to BRS state agency. Meh.

hurray! i'm a bum! [IOW i'm long-term unemployed, since 2006]
I would LOVE a community of aspies
but I dearly would love to hear RedRobin's secret method of being "gainfully unemployed."

It's kind of funny. When I was younger it was expected that I would say the most off the wall, non-sensical thing. I'm older and these "robinisms" slip out from time to time. Aspie curse, indeed.

^^^
at least in an aspie community, we would have some slack cut for us, in that regard.

So true... that alone would be worth it! haha

How do we keep people from abusing the system though... non-aspies trying to join in? Or should we let anyone who wants to be there be there?

I have nothing against anybody that actually wants to become an aspie, however that could be arranged.

What do you guys feel your strengths and weaknesses are? What subjects did you like and hate in school?

Our current system, or at least that which exists in Australia,
is not conducive to aspies finding / gaining employment.
Those who decide to hire prioritise interpersonal skills, presentation, and
written communication over technical skills, or simply ability to complete the task.

The interview and application process are also not structured in a way that is helpful
to many of us on the spectrum. I work in a highly technical field, and even then I find
'simple' job/graduate program applications about as easy as final exams (which were not easy).

That 80% un/under employed really doesn't surprise me - most of our economic system
favours the managerial classes, (which in most cases is not a strength in AS) and promotion
is based more on relationship and social hierarchy than ability.

There was a case I heard of from a colleague where a large company he had previously worked for wanted to replace an engineers who had left. HR conducted the interviews and gave engineering a short-list. All of the candidates were not qualified for the job. Someone in Engineering later went through the applications and found that many qualified applicants had been knocked back. When HR was asked about this, they said that these people 'did not suit the image of the company' or some such.