Do not tell them that you are being assessed for Asperger's.
Or that you do have Asperger's once you've been assessed.
There's no reason to tell them unless you know it's going to effect your ability to do the job, in which case there's no reason for you to apply for that job in the first place and they'd be well within reason to deny you the job. If you were to tell them that you are being assessed they'd wonder why you're telling them about the possibility of having a disability, there's even less reason to tell them this. If you have problems in interviews then explaining it to an interviewer may be a benefit, but it's much more likely to be held against you.
In a perfect world you'd be able to explain your anxiety or lack of eye contact as traits of Asperger's and an employer will then treat you as they would anyone else - in an ideal world this would also allow you to up-sell your positive Asperger's traits such as loyalty and problem solving. We don't live in an ideal world. Ignorance and fear of disabled people means that employers will largely instantly discount disabled people, so if you can act NT you really need to act that way and avoid telling them you're AS at any cost.
Of course people are really that discriminatory - they have their pick of THOUSANDS of people, why would they hire someone who is disabled, and could cause various problems for them, when they can have a 'normal' employee?
They're not looking to hire you, they're looking for two things;
1. An excuse to exclude you to thin-out the numbers.
2. A way in which you will be of benefit in the role.
Having Asperger's puts you firmly in the first section, even if you're applying for a job where your Asperger's traits may be beneficial, you cannot expect an employer to know enough about Asperger's to know it's not going to cause problems for them, to understand how you would be of benefit over an NT, or to be able to see past the big fat 'DISABLED!! !' label across your head. It's a numbers game, you need to beat the odds by making yourself look as attractive as possible to employers.
The only exception - guaranteed interview scheme.
If the employer offers this then it allows you a chance to get an interview, we have the advantage in that if employers are looking for disabled employees to get their equality quota up this can work to our advantage - e.g. they'd rather take a person with Asperger's/potentially with Asperger's over someone who is missing a couple of arms, for example. It allows you to say 'Because of Asperger's I have X traits that would make me better at X aspect of the job' as well as make it clear what your problems may be and down-play these problems so you look more attractive to the employer. It shifts the odds a little bit in our favour, but again there is the chance of an employer just doing this to humour you and still viewing you as disabled and thus unemployable. I personally would only use this route if you're confident with your interview technique and if you're getting desperate.
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Bloodheart
Good-looking girls break hearts, and goodhearted girls mend them.
Last edited by Bloodheart on 30 Jun 2011, 5:15 pm, edited 2 times in total.
29 Jun 2011, 11:42 am
