Aeolienne

This initiative sounds interesting - I wonder if they have any plans to expand beyond London? Bake For Good

Here's an interesting interview with Temple Grandin on Grist.

It's a long story - see earlier thread.

I had to admit he was right, which made me feel guilty for stringing him along all this time. I guess I was more in love with the idea of a relationship than with him, plus I was fed up with online dating.

I don't know how you measure coping. I have to cope with the added feelings of failure at being unemployed, living with my parents and being unable to drive.

I actually met a representative at Specialisterne's stall at the Autism Show in London in June 2011; I remember confessing to her that I wasn't sure whether I could cope with the upheaval of moving from London to Glasgow, and all she had to say in response to that was that Glasgow was a nice place with an active autism scene. As it happens, this wasn't the first time I'd spoken to this person. I'd spoken to her on the phone a few months earlier. I asked her various questions about the application and assessment procedures, working environment, career prospects etc.She told me that Specialisterne Scotland was open to applicants from the rest of the UK and Ireland, but at no stage either in this phone conversation or during our encounter at the Autism Show did she mention that the trainees were only paid expenses. I'm not eligible for means-tested benefits anyway.

I suspect that if the entire human race were autistic some of us would still be stuck in caves obsessing over the rock formations.

The issue of the average age of group holidays participants is a vexed one. As I recall, Ramblers Holidays trialled age-specific (i.e. under 40) holidays, but they presumably didn't sell well as they have been discontinued. The trouble is that people don't fit neatly into special interest categories delimited by age. Does a 30-year-old necessarily have more in common with a 25-year-old than a 40-year-old? This guide on how to choose the right holiday may be useful.

People who go on lots of holidays complaining about what a "nightmare" certain airports (or hotels / resorts) are. The sufferings of the rich!

Plus I haven't regained the ability to drive following the accident I had on the M6 slip road in 2012.

I remember this Guardian piece from a few years ago about how to get the most out of solo travel: Link. One of the things they suggest, for group holidays, is to "Book as late as possible, so you can cross-examine the sales assistant on the make-up of the group." The trouble is that you would probably miss out on the best deals for travel, especially if you wanted to to avoid flying. Group holiday brochures make really grandiose claims about guaranteed friends for life. I guess they're exaggerating. (If you really did make lifelong friends with everyone you met on holiday your social life would become unmanageable!) Seriously, I wonder if there are group holiday providers which do more than just throw a bunch of strangers together.. Are there holidays where prospective participants are vetted beforehand to make for a good mix of personalities (almost like dating!) or where the group leaders are a bit more hands-on to ensure that everyone gets on well together? On second thoughts, maybe that would feel too much like a school trip...

There are copies on Abe Books.

I am 40, unemployed, living with my parents and broke up with the only boyfriend I've ever had three months ago. What area of my life should I aim to address first?

The Getting of Wisdom by Henry Handel Richardson

6th job: Placement with an investment bank arranged by AS Mentoring For the record, I was referred for an AS diagnosis after losing my first job, and officially diagnosed just after starting the second.

I split up with my first ever partner in April, two months after turning 40.

For the record, we split up in April this year. He said the relationship wasn't going anywhere.

I haven't had a proper holiday for several years, due to being out of work for most of the time. When I was in regular employment I generally spent around 2-3 weeks (not concurrently) of my annual leave on holidays away. These were a mixed experience. As I had no-one to go with I was faced with the choice of going on my own (single supplements, asking for a table for one in restaurants) or going on a group holiday (having to get matey with a bunch of total strangers I had little else in common with - on one occasion I found myself in a group where all the other were old enough to be my parents!). I did go on a couple of short breaks with my now ex-partner. Unfortunately he preferred to save his annual leave for catching up on political activism in London rather than exploring other regions or countries. Besides which I felt guilty that he had to foot the bill due to my not having a job.

I would contact the universities' disability support services (here and here) in the first instance. If they're not willing or able to respond to your concerns, let that be a warning sign.

Having seen The Theory of Everything earlier this year, I'm re-reading Stephen Hawking: A life in science by Michael White and John Gribbin.

Specialisterne's London branch is operating more as a recruitment agency than a training services provider. To this end they arranged an interview for me with a software firm in Ealing in late 2013, but nothing since.

Didn't the trainees find it a strain having to get by on just expenses? It's all very well saying money doesn't buy happiness, but even so...

And another one in the US: ULTRA Testing

I finally managed to have a phone conversation with Emma's colleague Simon yesterday. There are still some things I need to clarify, so I emailed him with the following questions: What am I likely to gain out of this project? Is it definitely going to end in a job, or is that more of a nice-to-have? How is the programme going to help me get a job? Simon said something about mentoring. Who would the mentor(s) be? Do they have specific knowledge of autism spectrum disorders? Are they affiliated to a particular organisation, such as Remploy or the Shaw Trust? What sort of questions / situations / scenarios are going to be filmed? Do I have the right to withdraw my consent at any time without the footage shot to date being shown on TV?

Tambora: The eruption that changed the world by Gillen D'Arcy Wood Short Circuit: The lifecycle of our electronic gadgets and the true cost to Earth by Philippe Sibaud, available to download here