The Stark Reality of Employment for Autistic Individuals
A shocking statistic from the Office of National Statistics found that only 22% of autistic people are in any form of employment. Even the national charity The Autistic Society was shocked by this figure, which is lower than any other survey they have run.
The world of traditional employment is perhaps something that simply does not suit autistic brains. With a unique view of the world, it is possible for those living with autism to triumph with autism and have a brilliant career – it might just not be within an organisational structure.
G Sabini-Roberts is a brand designer and entrepreneur from the UK. G is passionate about raising awareness of the challenges many Autistic people face as they try to forge a successful career and wants to do more to help Autistic people see that entrepreneurship is a brilliant alternative to traditional employment.
Here, G shares their personal autism experiences.
Early Challenges and Discoveries When Living with Autism
It was only when one of G’s children was diagnosed with Autism that the list of symptoms and experiences felt eerily familiar. G took the first step to official diagnosis and was also diagnosed with Autism. Like many people who discover their Autism when their children are investigating Autism and ADHD treatment options, they start to recognise the patterns from their childhood.
The Traditional Employment Struggle
G’s Autism challenges first started at primary school because they found playground chatter and games dull. It wasn’t until secondary school and finding fellow ‘socially awkward geeks’ and the loneliness of their childhood started to diminish. G had a supportive family who were very accepting of their quirks, especially when they came out as queer aged 15. After a successful time at university and securing a first class honours degree in graphic design, G found it difficult to hold down a job for more than 18 months.
The typical ‘model’ for a graphic designer is to take a brief from a client, provide some design options, bin what didn’t work (which frustratingly would be great work and would never see the light of day again), then go back and forth (sometimes for months) on email until the final design is perfected.
G’s brain (which we now know is autistic) couldn’t handle this. Some of their employers welcomed the ideas to innovate and do things differently, but often, continuing with the status quo was the preferred choice. G couldn’t accept this desire to run a business so inefficiently, and so the 18 month cycle of moving on from jobs would continue. This was a very typical personal experience.
Embracing Entrepreneurship When Living with Autism
It wasn’t until G had young children that the possibility of entrepreneurship was even considered. G took their design skills and built a business around their family in a way that suited their autistic brain.
Challenging the traditional design process, G designed a method of working with clients where they worked together to create exactly what the client needed, right there and then. No more back and forth. No more context switching. Once the client was happy with their design, G could move on and no longer carry the mental energy of their project with them. Not only did this suit G’s creative brain, the client got what they needed in a much quicker timeframe.
Once diagnosed at 36, G needed to find people like them and luckily they found neurodiverse entrepreneurs in various Autism and ADHD communities. G says: “People with ADHD, autism, dyspraxia and dyslexia all have wonderfully creative brains that don’t fit into traditional model of work. They have chosen to make it work in their own way and are making more money and working in a way that brings their brilliance to the world, not in a system that squashes you.”
Empowering the Next Generation and Spreading Awareness
“Many people living with ADHD and autism have spent their life battling to fit into the box that the world wants to fit them into, which results in trauma. Feeling incapable because you can’t be successful in a box that you shouldn’t be in at all sucks. So does arriving in the world of self-employment because you’re in a desperate situation.”
G is passionate about young people learning how to build a business on their own terms. They want to encourage young people to thrive with the correct autism and ADHD support and bring their brilliance to the world. They should be encouraged to create businesses that play to their strengths and allow them to share triumphs with ADHD and autism without experiencing countless years in the world of employment feeling like a failure.
Decide Your Future For You
To raise Autism and ADHD awareness, G spoke about this subject in 2021 at Nantwich Tedx – Why being neurodiverse can make you a brilliant entrepreneur. It’s well worth a watch! Their closing comment is this:
“We are getting better all the time at diagnosing Neurodiversity. All the advice afterwards is about changing yourself so that you fit into society’s boxes. We must stop that. We must urge people to consider entrepreneurship.”
“You do not have to fit into a neurotypical box. Those boxes were not made for you. You can make your own box.”
Find out more about G’s design business at https://brandingbyg.com/ and follow G on LinkedIn to find out more about them.