National Autistic Society Response To The Welfare Reform White Paper, UK

Main Category: Autism
Article Date: 11 Dec 2008 - 1:00 PDT

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Following today's publication of the welfare reform white paper, The National Autistic Society (NAS), the UK's leading autism charity, voiced concerns that toughening up conditions on benefits could mean people with autism face hefty sanctions, rather than getting the specialist support they need to succeed in employment.

Mark Lever, chief executive of The National Autistic Society said:

"Many people with autism want to work, but experience great difficulty in finding and staying in employment often due to inadequate support. We strongly welcome the welfare reform agenda's focus on what people with disabilities can do. However, the Government must uphold their end of the 'something for something' bargain and invest in specialist support if people with autism are to truly realise their potential.

"The level of help people require isn't always obvious and the NAS is deeply concerned that people with autism will be vulnerable to inappropriate sanctions due to misunderstandings related to their disability. The behaviour and actions of people with autism can be easily misinterpreted as a result of their social and communication difficulties and they could mistakenly be deemed to not be engaging in the job-seeking process.

"Without appropriate support, sanctions are also likely to be ineffective for people with autism who may not fully understand the consequences of not complying or why they have been punished.

"It is absolutely crucial that employment advisors and those enforcing conditions understand the complexities of autism and each individual's needs. Too inflexible an approach may only increase the stress and anxiety they are already under and could damage the employment prospects of the 300,000 working age adults with autism in the UK in the long term."

National Autistic Society