Jump to content
Aeolienne

Employment and autism conference, London

Recommended Posts

Employment and autism: why it is important for employers to understand autistic perspectives

Brought to you by Ask autism

 

Date: Thursday 7 May 2015, 09.30 - 16.30

Location: RAF Museum, Conference Centre, London, NW9 5LL. Nearest tube: Colindale

 

The aim of this conference is to improve the understanding of autism in relation to employment, with the goal of equipping employers and support professionals with the tools to allow people on the autism spectrum to achieve all that they can achieve.

 

The topics covered will include: why you should hire someone with autism; how to support someone already in employment; what are reasonable adjustments if you are on the autism spectrum; and how can you succeed in the workplace environment?

 

In attending it is thought that you will gain a true understanding of autism and the positive attributes someone with autism can bring to the workplace; learn what employers should be doing to ensure true participation in the workplace; hear real-life examples of good and bad work practice; learn about the challenges faced by many people on the autism spectrum with interviews, work life, and maintaining employment; and visit the exhibitor stands to find out what support is available for employers and employees.

 

Delegate rate (early booking - £195 + VAT) £225 + VAT, NAS members - £175 + VAT; Individuals on the autism spectrum and their parents/carers - £45 + VAT; Academics and students - £45 + VAT.
To book and full details click here

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

This was the programme:

 

Employment and autism: why it is important for employers to understand autistic perspectives

 

08.45 - 09.30 Registration and refreshments on arrival

09.30 - 09.40 Welcome by the Chair Mark Lever

9.40 - 10.30 Employment: doing it your way Damian Milton

10.30 - 11.20 Recognising hidden gems – roles and companies that value the autistic mindset Conor O’Halloran

Break

11.50 - 12.40 Stream A: Transitions, work plans, consistent support and skills David Breslin

or
Stream B: Employment Training for Professionals
NAS Employment Consultant

Lunch

13.40 - 14.30 Hints and tips: an autistic's perspective on how to get a job and maintain employment Stephen Ben Morris

14.30 - 15.20 Finding the balance between reasonable adjustment and professional development Helen Ellis

Break

15.40 -16.20 Q&A panel Stephen, Helen, Damian, Conor, David

16.20 - 16.30 Close Mark Lever

16.30 End

 

 

My feedback...

 

The conference was interesting, but didn’t actually offer anything in the way of leads to follow up. I had hoped that Conor O’Halloran’s talk might have provided such leads, but despite its title he spent most of the time talking about his chequered work history. What information he had about enlightened companies employing autistics was drawn entirely from a US perspective (not that he had ever worked there) and I suspect was largely a cut-and-paste job. Damian Milton’s talk was also predominantly about his work history. He did briefly raise an interesting point, about whether the low percentage of autistic adults in employment suggests that the methods used by schemes such as Prospects Transitions are ineffective, but didn’t follow this up.

The best talk of the day was Helen Ellis’s. As she said, professional development is so often overlooked for autistic employees because getting them into work in the first place is seen as such a hurdle. Indeed, there seems to be this assumption is that the right way to treat autistic workers is to give them routine, predictable work, and to assume that they have no career ambitions. I personally think that even if some people do want that kind of work, they should still be encouraged very gently to move in the direction of career paths so that they are better prepared to move on if they get made redundant due to circumstances beyond their control.

Just my tuppenceworth.

Edited by Aeolienne

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...

×
×
  • Create New...