Dinesh

The truth of it is that I don’t think they really understand me that well and I still feel that there’s a lot that needs to be done in terms of more training around autism. I have had two disability employment advisors. I’ve had one in 2004 and that was when my specialist college called the Interact Centre up in Hanwell mentioned it at the time and they mentioned it’s about people with disabilities and with autism who can help them get access to work. After the first meeting, that’s when it got discontinued because the times I’d phone her, she was not there. In 2009, I did manage to get another disability employment advisor. I had mentioned it to my local Jobcentre, who I was signing on with, with my Jobseeker’s Allowance. Unfortunately, she did mention that if I was to see one I’d have to go to another area of London, which would be Woolwich because apparently the Lewisham branch does now not take Lewisham customers.

When people think the word disability, they could think-, I mean, if you take in the workplace, people might think that some people might not be able to do it, but they need to look at the other side and think, ‘Maybe if we give that person a chance they can prove them-,’ the people who are employers can prove themselves wrong that, yes, a disabled person can work and they should have rights to do anything.