Discrimination towards Autism NEEDS TO STOP!
You'd think in the 21st century attitudes towards Autism would finally be one that is positive rather than negative?
But a recent story published online and via various media outlets have proven that still some people's attitudes to Autism are lacking the compassion and understanding and even questioning the equal rights for those who are considered disabled.
Meet Andy Foster, a 45 year old with Autism started working three weeks ago as a waiter in Grenache restaurant in Walken Manchester.
Andy is a passionate and hard working man who when not working in Grenache cares for his elderly mother who suffers from alzheimer's, was discriminated against openly due to his Autism.
Luckily Andy has an amazing employer who was just as outraged and disgusted by the costumers comments and has stood up for his employee following the incident that took place one night.
The costumers complained to management about Andy in particular, and although his service was good they felt 'Uncomfortable' about being served by him rather than other members of staff.
When Mike Jennings owner of Grenache explained to the dinners that Andy had Autism they then refused to be served by Andy and said a discriminatory comment as Mike explains:
"The costumers seemed to have a problem with him (Andy), even though his service was good. I explained that he suffered from autism and their response was that they didn't want to be served by him."
It gets worse, after the statement above, the costumer then turned to Mr Jennings and asked:
"Why would I give him a job in a restaurant like ours?"
Mr Jennings and his wife Karen were understandably outraged by the statement above and took to Facebook to defend Andy as their employee.
Andy has since suffered with confidence issues and although he understands that it was not because he has done anything wrong, he says that it is something he comes across on a regular basis. Speaking to the Manchester Evening News he said:
"I always feel like it is automatically my fault and I go into defence mode. I always think I have to apologise. When I apologised to the costumer she made a fuss. The other table I was serving left a big tip so I knew it wasn't me."
He added:
"I try not to take it personally because it has happened so many times in the past I have got used to it."
The costumers in their defence said that they didn't know that Andy was Autistic. Andy's response was simple:
"I shouldn't have to walk around wearing a t-shirt on explaining it.
I should be treated Fairly and exactly the same as everyone else in the restaurant!"
Andy is one of many autistic people still being discriminated in this day and age. Unfortunately for many Autistic Adults and Children, not enough information and varying attitudes to Autism can lead them faced with this kind of situation.
As someone with Aspergers Syndrome I do feel like I have the advantage to educate others about the realities to Autism and also to the positive attributes we can bring to the work place. Although I have covered this so many times in my blog over the past few years, no matter what I write I am only one voice in a sea of millions positive and negative.
I have seen discrimination on many levels but never really personally been effected by it since I was diagnosed. But I know some people reading this blog may suffer with it on a daily basis and may understand why they are being targeted because Autism is completely natural.
Attitudes towards Autism in general need to change and it all begins with education.
Unfortunately that is just a pipe dream at the moment. I hate to say this but it has to be the autistic people doing the educating rather than those employed in education.
When you go to a place of employment or even interact with someone who does not completely understand autism you have to explain and teach those although there is a Dummies: Guide To Autism out there and one for Aspergers to I might add!!
Unless those are employed or studying mental health or child psychology they will just shrug you off and tell you where to go or be interested to find out more.
I had a really positive experience when I recently completed my month work experience placement at the BBC.
Everyone on the team were interested to learn more about my Aspergers and how I cope in the everyday world. Not only that they still gave me the opportunities they would give to any other Work Experience person there!
Not only that the feedback I got surprised me and I felt as though I was a member of the production team and I did not want to leave at the end, but whilst there I was actively working between two series of Rip off Britain and had one idea put into production at a later date. The lesson learnt from my experience there was that not matter my disability (but girls class your autism as an ability) I can succeed and I was told as apart of my feedback from one of the producers that I could be a:
"Great Journalist."
I know for many undiagnosed and diagnosed people with Autism this isn't their experiences and what gets me even more annoyed is when people automatically write you off due to something that is built into you and you can not change it!
I over-heard as apart of a conversation by teachers on sunday which made my blood boil. I might have got the context right but from I could hear, they threw 'Duty of Care' out of the window!!!
Ignorance to anyone suffering with a mental health condition or Autism for that matter gets me annoyed as I know many can not defend themselves.
But it was the audacity of the conversation that completely flawed me. Here I am having a lovely meal with my own mum listening to a table behind me talking about in my opinion a undiagnosed Autistic person in the most bitchy way imaginable.
Normally I don't want to confront people when I have overheard their conversations as I don't know the context of the conversation and also with my anxiety I didn't want to cause a fuss. In this case I regret going to that table and just butting in and explaining that the person that they were talking about could be autistic and that they should not be defaming them in public and be sensitive to the fact that there might be an autistic person near by who naturally can not stop themselves from over-hearing the conversation and it might in fact upset them.
It would've been a waste of breath, and although I wanted to make the point above I knew it would not even get into their minds that they were in fact being horrible to someone with problems they could never understand and what made it worse was that one of them was a TEACHER!!!
Teachers should understand disability, whether physical or mental, unseen disabilities do go unnoticed due to the fact that they are unseen or that they are not at the forefront of public thought.
It also does not help our case when there is so much negative press related to Autism, and we all know one lady who has something to say on every topic that she hates and stupidly The Sun and Daily Mail print her thoughts in their papers on a weekly basis.
Not only that - remember Tom who appeared on Channel's 4's: The Undateable's?
He recently appeared on Loose Women and heres how the presenter treated him when he was interviewed:
Although this is amazing publicity for Aspergers, it still feels like it's difficult to except the idea of Aspergers and how it can be a isolating way of life for those who live with it - you and I included.
At one point when I watched this back I noticed that the ladies were talking to Tom like he was a four year old child rather than an adult, and seeing as though he is highly intelligent and completely beautiful by the way inside and out the misunderstanding of Aspergers and what it means to be Aspergers or even autistic seems to not hit the public consciousness yet and that we yearn to have the same experiences as everyone else and this includes Employment, Relationships and even achieving our dreams!
Whatever the reaction you might get when you tell someone you have autism, it should not hinder you from having the same opportunities as anyone else which you are entitled to just like everyone else!
Instead of growing a thicker skin or putting up with discrimination and sometimes exploitation, now is the time that others should adapt to us rather than the other way around.
This might be through more publicity that shows the positives of Autism, More Autistic people in the public eye, Better job prospects for Autistic people and even in education making more of an effort to diagnose and register when they feel a child might be autistic so that they can be diagnosed sooner rather than later!
And listen to parents who are worried about their children and suspect they are autistic and put the correct tools in place to set up diagnosis instead of being shut down.
Hopefully I will be able to break down those barriers, but know that you are never alone!
Oh and Happy International Women's Day!!!!!
Source for the story at the beginning of the blog:
Original Source:
Links to other blog posts:
The Undateable's Debate:
Hate Crimes:
More Information:
National Autistic Society:
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