Marxist. Trade Unionist. Socialist-feminist. Author. Poet. Speaker. Tutor. RMT ex-Exec. Workers' Liberty. Autie. Bi. PUFC fan.
Writing, training, speaking, campaigning …
LUL Fit for the Future Stations Equality Impact Assessment Disability discrimination cases in LUL Employers’ disability policies Proposed employment policy on Autism RMT training Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) UK Disability History Month UN to investigate UK government Access to … Read more
On 11 October 2014, I was the guest speaker at the Disability Conference of the Communication Workers’ Union (CWU), held in Leeds. I addressed the conference about Autism in the Workplace, and got great feedback from delegates!
This is the speech that I gave in the opening plenary of Workers’ Liberty’s ‘Ideas for Freedom’ event in 2013 – originally published here. On 23rd June 2012, Steven Simpson, a gay autistic student, was verbally abused, stripped, and his … Read more
From the TUC handbook, Autism in the Workplace Refusal of time off: An employer may refuse a request for time off, for example a career break or a period of leave to adjust and make arrangements when a dependant is diagnosed … Read more
From the TUC handbook, Autism in the Workplace Workplaces and employers make work difficult for autistic workers for the following reasons: Discrimination: Treating the autistic worker differently from, less favourably than, others. Bullying by management, including ridicule and physical/ verbal abuse. Lack … Read more
From the TUC handbook, Autism in the Workplace Autism is an issue for trade unions, because: Most autistic people can work, including in ‘normal’ (whatever that may mean!) workplaces. Where adults with autism do not work, it is often because working conditions … Read more
From the TUC handbook, Autism in the Workplace Beware of stereotypes; they can overlook people’s individuality, and lead to mocking and bullying. ‘Autism is one of those trendy ‘conditions’ that everyone seems to have these days.’ This is a commonly-heard view, but … Read more
From the TUC handbook, Autism in the Workplace Neurological diversity Autism is an example of neurological diversity, or neurodiversity. Humanity is a neurologically diverse species – people have different neurological make-up, different ‘brain wiring’. A population – whether that is a workforce, … Read more
From the TUC handbook, Autism in the Workplace There are different ways of understanding disability. The two main ones are: the social model the medical model The trade union movement uses the social model of disability. This section explains the social … Read more
About the author Janine Booth, is a member of the TUC Disabled Workers Committee and the committee of Autistic-UK. She is a former member of the national Council of Executives of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT). Janine runs Autism in the … Read more
from the TUC handbook, Autism in the Workplace The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Autism (APPGA) is a formal cross-party backbench group of MPs and Peers who share an interest in autism and Asperger syndrome. It was set up in February 2000. Its … Read more
From the TUC handbook, Autism in the Workplace “We know that LAs [local authorities] have had their budgets slashed and are making cuts which are impacting on adults with autism and families living with autism. Families are being told that they will … Read more
From the TUC handbook, Autism in the Workplace In 2013, Labour MP Ian Mearns introduced a Ten-Minute Rule Bill to require the police to maintain a register of hate crimes committed against people with learning difficulties, learning disabilities and autism. During the … Read more
From the TUC handbook, Autism in the Workplace The trade union movement supports the demand of the disabled people’s movement: ‘Nothing About Us Without Us’. Many trade unions have structures for disabled members; if so, it may be useful to invite and … Read more
The following motion, which I drafted, was submitted by RMT and passed unanimously at 2013 Conference. It is included in the TUC handbook, Autism in the Workplace. We note that autism is a neurological spectrum condition. Our society – including our … Read more
From the TUC Handbook, Autism in the Workplace: Be aware that your membership (nationally, in your region, branch, workplace, etc.) is neurologically diverse, even if no-one has identified themselves to you as being on the autistic spectrum or having another neurological condition. Your … Read more
Attached is the handbook for trade unionists on ‘Autism in the Workplace’, written by me and published by the Trades Union Congress in 2014. This should be useful to all trade union reps and activists both in representing individual members … Read more
From the TUC handbook, ‘Autism in the Workplace’. 1910: Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler coined the term ‘autism’, derived from the Greek word autós (αὐτός, meaning self). Bleuler was researching the symptoms of schizophrenia and identified a ‘withdrawal’ present in some patients as autism. … Read more
From the TUC handbook, ‘Autism in the workplace’. Asperger syndrome An autism spectrum condition that affects the way a person communicates and relates to others. People with Asperger syndrome usually have fewer problems with language than those with other forms of autism, and … Read more
From the TUC handbook, ‘Autism in the workplace’. All Party Parliamentary Group on Autism Autism Europe Autism Hub (list of autism blogs) Autistic UK DANDA (Developmental Adult Neuro-Diversity Association) National Autistic Society