World Autism Awareness Week starts today, so I choose to take a moment to celebrate my son, Alfie.
Alfie is 5 and wants to be a truck driver.
I tell him he can be anything he wants to be and that he will definitely be the best truck driver in the whole wide world – but I wonder if I am leading him down a path to disappointment and rejection?
According to statistics from The National Autistic Society only 16% of adults with autism are in full time paid employment, and only 32% are in some kind of paid work.
As a mum it worries me that as Alfie grows up, the opportunity for him to pursue a career he loves will be difficult unless mindsets change, and companies actively seek to remove barriers in order to create an inclusive workplace for employees with autism and other special needs.
Which global companies proactively provide career options to employees with Autism?
If you run a company of any size that doesn’t yet – then what support do you need in order to start the process?
Let’s start working together to make sure all our children have the chance to grow up and be whoever they want to be.
