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#jobs-discuss
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2018-09-08
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Vincent Cantin05:09:55

@jgh Asperger is not a disability.

soulflyer05:09:08

Rightly or wrongly there is also an association with high intelligence and an implication of attention to detail. Add to that the unusualness of this on a cv likely causing the potential employer to look twice. Depending on the job, this could be quite a shrewd move.

seancorfield05:09:13

@vincent.cantin Depends on where you live. In the US, people with Asperger's syndrome can apply for disability benefits (depending on a number of factors).

Vincent Cantin05:09:38

Then the disabilities are better described by those factors alone, not by the cluster named “Asperger”.

Vincent Cantin05:09:52

For example, sucking at following meaningless social codes is not considered a disability in many places in the world.

seancorfield19:09:41

A friend's son has AS and he's very grateful for the assistance he gets through disability allowances and services. He's a marine biologist but has struggled all his life with school and jobs. America has a very broad view of what a "disability" is, fortunately.

gdanov09:09:16

now, that's a plot twist. being european I wouldnt've expected to hear such story

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danm16:09:05

It might not qualify as a disability in many places, but I wonder if that is a plus or a minus. I mean, not picking up on 'meaningless social cues' or being able to answer a lot of common interview questions that a person with Aspergers would find harder than most would quite probably make it harder for them to get a job. It probably varies from person to person whether they'd prefer to avoid the stigma of their condition being classified as a disability (and the people who wouldn't even consider them as a result) or whether they'd like to take advantage of the help that it being classified such would offer.

seancorfield16:09:18

It really depends on where you live and what laws apply. In the US, people with disabilities are protected from discrimination under the law so having your AS considered a disability can help -- and my experience of living in the US (for 20 years) vs living in the UK (for 35+) is that Americans have a lot less stigma around disability, and will talk more openly about it, because it is protected under law. If you apply for a job and state a disability up front, a company is "on notice" about discrimination (which I guess can be both a plus and a minus).

danm16:09:37

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Over here (UK), people might get turned down at interview stage, regardless of how technically proficient they were, because they didn't seem like they were a good 'team fit', but if it was known they had Aspergers then certain allowances [co|sh]ould be made)

malcolmsparks08:09:10

Reading https://www.autism.org.uk/recruiting I think it's all good advice in general.