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A guide to autism, the power of autistic people and Autistic Achievers.
A recommendation from an Autistic Achievers supporter: Kathy Lette – Author of The Boy Who Fell To Earth: With diagnostic hindsight, we now know that Mozart, Van Gogh, Einstein, Warhol, Orwell, Jefferson, Jane Austen’s Mr Darcy and many other famous composers and artists were on the autism spectrum. It is well known that creativity is associated with a variety of cognitive disorders. And yet 15% of people with autism are in the workforce, much lower than any other disability group. People with autism have a tangential, lateral, literal logic which is original and disarming. really do ‘think outside the box’, so let’s not box them in with prejudice.
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With their exceptional skills and talents, autistic people could contribute to society in the most extraordinary ways, if we could just stamp out the bigotry that excludes people who are different from mainstream life. I don’t like the terms ‘normal’ or ‘abnormal’. I prefer ‘ordinary’ and ‘extraordinary’, and these extraordinary people have so much to offer.
Contents Page 5 - What is autism, and what is Autistic Achievers? Page 6 - How Autistic Achievers can help employers and employees Page 7 - Ways of advertising with Autistic Achievers Page 8 - The Autistic Achievers support promise Page 9 - Notes
Phil Evans - Founder of Autistic Achievers
What is autism, and what is Autistic Achievers? Hello! There have been uses of autism in popular culture, with Dustin Hoffman’s portrayal of Raymond Babbit, an autistic savant, in Rainman, a Barry Levinson-directed film from 1988, being one of the largest and perhaps most defining roles which have showed the disability in its low-achieving form. He appeared disconnected, and incapable of being independent. By using such a well-known example of autistic portrayal, I want to show you how high-achieving autistic people are capable of living a perfectly happy life. If you are an employer with a vacancy to fill, autistic people are capable of working to a high standard. They can be honest, punctual, keen and precise in perfecting any task that they are given. Only 15% of all adults with autism in Great Britain, however, are employed, according to The National Autistic Society’s findings in The Way We Are: Autism in 2012, with 79% struggling to find work while claiming out-of-work benefits. I’ve been lucky in finding part-time employment on two occasions as a Residence Assistant at Southampton Solent University and as a Retail Assistant at Iceland Foods and by living with Asperger’s Syndrome, a high-functioning form of autism, I’ve decided that I want to try and make a difference to the lives of others. From Monday 5th August 2013, Autistic Achievers will be a specialist online recruitment portal for British adults with autism, and I want you to be a part of the service that it will offer. Available to those who are 18-years-old or over with proof of diagnosis of a disability which is part of the autistic spectrum, the agency will seek to tailor job roles with small, medium and large employers to common autism traits. By advertising vacancies for a flat fee and by also offering support packages for employers that hire autistic adults through Autistic Achievers, employers and employees will have a chance to go on a journey of discovery that could improve knowledge and hope for the future. This is something that I believe in and by being recognised by Jobcentre Plus as an employer that is positive about disabled people, I want to try and set an example. Autism has a lot of positives, and I’d love to tell you about them. Phil Evans - Founder of Autistic Achievers
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How Autistic Achievers can help employers and employees As a recruitment portal that will specialise in tailoring the vacancies that it offers in accordance with common traits of autism, Autistic Achievers wants to take employers and employees on a voyage of self-discovery and understanding. By working with an employer to develop a job role that will be suited to an adult with autism who can offer great qualities such as honesty, precision and a desire to work as hard as they can in showing gratitude for a chance to earn a living, an employee would have an opportunity to earn a living for themselves and become independent. Through on-going support that will consist of e-mail, face-to-face and phone contact that is offered for a set fee, this will not be a relationship that everybody will have to deal with by themselves. Every prospective employee will need to send a C.V. and covering letter that will need to be uploaded, with any information then being sent to employers under the Data Protection Act 1998 when vacancies are applied for. Having built an impression of abilities and skills, the transition into work would then be made as easy as possible for everybody that is involved.
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Ways of advertising with Autistic Achievers All employers will be charged to advertise a vacancy on the Autistic Achievers website for a tthree-month period, with additional charges then being made payable to the employer if they wish to advertise for a longer period. This is where as a recruitment portal, Autistic Achievers differs as recruitment agencies would instead take a percentage of an employer’s salary for an agency employee plus a commission fee. Whether a smaller employer wants to work with one autistic adult or whether a larger employer wants to work with a larger number of autistic adults, there are choices for everybody. The full Autistic Achievers pricing structure is as follows: Standalone vacancies: • Work Experience Placements (£75 for three months, with an additional £60 charge) – Designed to last for a minimum of two weeks and for a maximum of two months, a work experience placement from Autistic Achievers should give an employer and an employee a chance to see if they can build a working relationship. • Part-time paid vacancies (£60, then £45) – A part-time vacancy will give an employer a chance to offer an employee a job and a living, while slowly bringing them into the world of work. • Full-time paid vacancies (£45, then £30) – A full-time vacancy will again offer a chance of a job and a living, but also a permanent role in the workplace. Discount packages: • Package One (£1,000) – By saving a total cost of £400, five work experience placements, 10 part-time paid vacancies and 10 full-time paid vacancies can be bought together. • Package Two (£750) – By saving a total cost of £300, 10 part-time paid vacancies and 10 full-time paid vacancies can be bought together.
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The Autistic Achievers support promise By just giving a person with autism a chance to find employment, you’ll be making a real change in life and should you do so, Autistic Achievers will be with you every step of the way if you would like to be supported. For your first vacancy that is filled, access to telephone and e-mail support will be offered which will be based purely on the personal experience of Phil Evans as an autistic adult that has managed to find employment. Developing a true level of understanding with an employee is something that Autistic Achievers wants to promote for every employer. This will be offered at no fee as a working relationship begins, but a pricing structure will then apply for levels of support that are offered as more vacancies are filled. Listed below, packages are available that are similar to those that offer vacancies in bulk: • Phone, e-mail and face-to-face support (£200 per year) – Support in dealing with issues in the workplace, from the personal experiences of Phil Evans, will be offered by phone, e-mail and face-to-face contact with expenses being incurred for travel beyond the East and West Midlands. • Phone and e-mail support (£100 per year) – Support will be offered in dealing with issues in the workplace, once again from the personal experiences of Phil Evans, by phone and e-mail only. In addition to these packages, opportunities will also be available for Phil to lead sessions at your workplace that could educate your existing employees on how they can understand the issues that autistic adults may face in becoming a part of the workforce. Charging £50 per hour, a presentation will be given and any questions that are asked on the effects of autism in employment will be answered in a time frame that can be stipulated by you as an employer.
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Recommendations from an employer and an autistic jobseeker: Jess Davanzo – Davanzo Ltd Autistic Achievers are a truly noteworthy company who strive to bring their candidates and employers a specialised service whilst positively impacting the perception of autism. Passion is at the heart of everything they do and one cannot help but be uplifted by their enthusiasm for achieving great results in the workplace. You can rest assured that much care will go into placing any vacancies or candidates who require their services!
Jo, Northants An agency for people with autism is a great idea. Autistic people have very specific needs which are not well understood but they also have an array of talents and skills beneficial to the workplace. An agency could be effective in bridging the gap in understanding of autistic people and how best to help them succeed in getting a job which suits the needs of both the employer and employee.
AUTISTIC ACHIEVERS
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“Helping people with autism to achieve�
Name: Philip Evans | Email: phil@autisticachievers.co.uk www.autisticachievers.co.uk /autisticachievers
@AutismAchieve