Article from Times, "Who'll be first to offer disabled people a job?"

This article from the Times was interesting about the latest reforms on Jobseekers and disability benefits.

Go to the Have Your Say section and click "Show All Comments", there are 2 with reference to Asperger, one mother of a daughter with mild Asperger and epilepsy, she hardly even gets an interview even with good A levels, degree, numerate and literate, and has decent IT skills. Another one noting employers asking for "team players" in job descriptions.

BBC link to 'Work for benefits' article - comments by Scope

This BBC news article is on the government's 'Work for benefits' plan.

What really struck the chord was the comment from the chief executive of Scope "Disabled people face a myriad of barriers in finding employment, including negative attitudes from employers and inadequate social care support. Punitive measures against individual disabled claimants will do nothing to remove these barriers" citing the "target-led ethos" underpinning the reforms.

'Bosses say I'm not a team player' newspaper article

This link was interesting to read about trying to change workplace attitudes to Asperger syndrome.

Are they bucking the construction trend

Latest application just sent by e-mail is for Administrator with Accounts at a builders' merchants. The construction industry is in a slowdown with the housing market situation getting worse, still maybe these guys are bucking the trend if they're taking someone on.

Another one this week was an administrator with a local occupational health services provider. Like so many adverts they want involvement in reception and telephone enquiries aspects which I'm obviously not suited to with having Asperger, yet there's also so much I would do very well. I can only be honest with them.

Well, that was two weeks

So the temp job has finished today two round weeks on, I didn't count any chickens, but have been glad of it. Won't overly miss the very early starts and crowded return journeys but have appreciated it overall.

Lucky Friday 13th

Well its Friday 13th and this time its lucky, I've got another two days at the temp job. They've been good, appreciating that I was good at detail, a positive side of Aspergers, my supervisor had me matching the faxes and e-mails for the loan applications we work on.

Monday's train journey back was exceptionally bad, a train somewhere else broke down such that three trains worth of passengers joined mine until their common station. Funny thing was though that got people on the train talking who wouldn't have done otherwise.

Can really enjoy myself at the soul music dance I'm off out to tonight to celebrate Wednesday's birthday :-)

Back in one piece

Well I've had the day and they've said I'm definite to stay to next Friday to start off with, ie a week and a half when done. I was on phone sometimes but don't have to do the most difficult communication and do not answer external calls. I do make some calls to applicants' stated workplaces to establish that they genuinely work there and ask them other "security" items, but this isn't confrontational like the suppliers of the place I was at in January. My supervisor understands I may need to pass a difficult call to someone with more authority and experience to know what to say.

The train journey back was a tad crowded, but then I expected that. Still I'm sure it wasn't as bad as driving into that city would have been, and the office didn't have many allocated parking spaces anyway.