4th December 2017
In this week’s blog I would like to talk about the new series of “Employable Me” which started last Monday. I watched the first series when the BBC aired it, as at the time I was researching the possibility of being diagnosed with Autism myself. At the time I was watching anything that discussed Autism and Aspergers Syndrome, for obvious reasons. The programme featured several Autistic people. I really enjoyed it.
The premise of the programme follows the life stories of people who are currently unemployed and are struggling to find a job due to their disability and differences. The first series dealt with individuals with neurological conditions such as Autism and Tourettes.
This second series deals with physical differences too. The first episode followed two men, Andy who suffered from a stroke which left him with Aphasia, and Ryan who has Tourettes.
I found them both to be inspiring characters. I will start with Andy. He was the managing director of his own motorbike company before he had the stroke. His family was told that he would be dead in six days. He obviously lived. They also told them that he would never speak or walk again.
When I was watching him on the programme I kept thinking of what the doctors had said and was amazed at how far he had come. My mother had a stroke and so did my wife’s grandmother so I have seen the devastation that it can cause first hand and I believe that to come back from that shows Andy what strength of character he must have.
The stroke had left him partially paralysed and with Aphasia, but had not taken away his determination. When you hear his story, you instantly think why has he been unable to find work? He has so many positive points. His determination, the experience of being a managing director and most of all his “never going to give up” attitude. I kept thinking if I had to employ people then these are all qualities I would want in my staff. So the question is why is he not getting a job?
Ryan was a similar individual. Forget the issues with his Tourette symptoms – this guy has passion. The programme shows his interest in amphibians and fish keeping and clearly his knowledge on this subject is vast. I believe having this level of passion would bleed into other areas and is definitely a quality that would be an asset in employment. Ryan does a trial in an aquatic shop, seems to excel looking after the fish and also manages to keep his tics under control.
However, there is some swearing in front of customers. Ryan has the confidence to explain his condition and the public seem to be ok once they are informed. I strongly believe that discrimination against disability generally comes from lack of understanding. I can admire Ryan here when he handles his outbursts and it proves that understanding comes from being exposed to people to learn about their differences.
So do Andy and Ryan get a job? You will have to watch to find out – end of spoilers! I enjoyed the programme though as it clearly portrays Andy and Ryan as individuals and not a person with Tourettes and a person who is partially paralysed. This is so important. Currently, according to figures on the Scope website, there are 13.3 million disabled people in the UK. Over 3.4 million of these are currently employed. This means that nearly two thirds are unemployed and a large percentage are currently trying to get a job.
The percentages are higher still for Autistics. I believe the National Autistic Society’s last figures stated that only 16% were actually in employment. Add to that statistic the fact that Autistic people want to work, and there is a serious problem that needs to be tackled. So why are companies not employing more Autistics and disabled people?
I think there are probably several reasons depending on the company but overall it must be due to a lack of understanding and fear, believing the difficulties that a person may have to be too much hassle. Yes, this is discrimination and illegal but it sadly does happen.
The only way this naivety and ignorance can be dealt with in my opinion is exposure. Organisations and people within in them need to be around Autistics, those with Tourettes, Partial Paralysis, and those with either physical or invisible disabilities, to learn that there is nothing to fear and everything to gain. Then they will see the talents, skills and diversity that are on offer. Programmes such as “Employable Me” help to raise awareness of this. I am pleased that broadcasters are making such crucial television and I look forward to watching more episodes over the following weeks.