Autism in the workplace

This is the sound recording of my talk about Autistic Workers, Trade Unions and Solidarity at the AutSpeak event on Thursday 12 January in London. The overall theme of the event was Building an Autistic Community. It was well-attended, and after the four panellists had finished speaking, a lively question-and-answer session took place.

A 20-minute PowerPoint presentation discussing whether Marxism can help us to understand autistic experience in modern capitalism, and how it might inform our struggles for liberation.

From PCS Disability Matters newsletter, issue 2, 2016

It is increasingly recognised that there are an enormous variety of different ways our human brains are ‘wired’. One of the ways this ‘neurological diversity’ finds expression is in a range of conditions such as those on the autism ‘spectrum’ (Aspergers, dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, AD(H)D, Tourette’s Syndrome and others).

The media is reporting that Susan Boyle may never perform live again, and that this is because of her Asperger Syndrome - implying that it is her autism that is the problem rather than the barriers that the entertainment industry puts in the way of autistic artists.

From struggling years her star had come to rise
When those judgemental judges were surprised
A frump like her could have a splendid voice
The admen and accountants full rejoiced
But putting on that mask was such a drain
Now Susan may not sing on stage again

Published in the National Autistic Society's magazine 'Your Autism' – Winter 2016

How do I… challenge discrimination at work?

By Janine Booth

Contact me: [email protected]

1. Disabled People Against Cuts held a week of action to coincide with the Paralympic Games. During the week, DPAC attended our Southern Rail picket line. Disabled campaigners have compiled a report alleging that Southern's plans to remove guards breach the Equality Act in making its services less accessible to disabled passengers.

Review by Damian Milton in Asperger United, July 2016 (see picture).

More about Asperger United here.

Published in Solidarity 409, 15 June 2016

Val Graham reviews Autism Equality in the Workplace by Janine Booth.

Janine Booth, poet and author of Autism Equality in the Workplace, is both a worker and trade union activist. A member of the TUC Disabled Workers Committee, her handbook Autism in the Workplace was published online by the TUC in 2014.