Carol Povey: A perspective on
autism
Why we need to put equality and diversity
research into practice
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wareness of autism has improved markedly in recent times, but
there is still a long way to go before the condition is fully
understood and those with autism are able to participate fully in
their community.
Research for researchers
Historically, there has always been an issue of researchers talking to
researchers, and yet they have little ability to effect change. There is a
growing recognition that research needs to better reflect the concerns of
autistic people and their families, and that rather being involved only as
subjects, they should be involved at all stages of the research, as well as
determining what the priorities for research should be. Over the last decade,
funders have expected a greater emphasis on research having a measurable
impact, such as that which should help us to improve people’s lives, which
I welcome. We definitely need to find better ways to communicate what
research is telling us to those people who can effect change and put theory
into practice. That would include families, people on the autism spectrum
and practitioners.
More generally, if we're really going to change and improve the world for
people with autism, we need to move away from focusing on simply raising
awareness and ensure we are building an understanding of the condition
and the different way it can affect people.
This must happen in every sector of society, from health and social care to
culture and the media. Better understanding of autism would improve every
part of the life of a person with autism, increasing the chances of an early
diagnosis and support, lowering incidents of bullying at school and
improving employment prospects. This type of large scale change requires a
holistic approach, influencing issues at a national level, while empowering
and working with people and other organisations across the country to
make a difference in their own communities.
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Autism was the fifth most common “what is?” question on Google
in 2014.
According to 2015 National Autistic Society statistics, over 99 per
cent of people in the UK have heard of autism... but 87 per cent of
people affected by autism don't think the public understand.
Just 15 per cent of adults with autism in the UK are in full-time
employment, despite 79 per cent of people with autism on out-ofwork benefits saying they would like to work, with the right
support.
An issue of unemployment
At the National Autistic Society (NAS), too often we still hear stories of
families experiencing judgemental attitudes or individuals facing isolation or
unemployment due to misunderstandings around the condition, frequently
a result of employers’ unfamiliarity with the positive qualities that
someone with autism can bring to the workplace.
Simple adjustments like making job interviews more accessible and
providing support so that those in work understand the “unwritten rules”
of the workplace, can unlock the potential of a whole army of people with
autism who are ready and willing to work. Many people on the spectrum
have strengths such as accuracy, a good eye for detail and reliability, which
can benefit all sorts of businesses.
Employers must take into account the needs of autistic adults in every stage
of the application process, ensuring that the job description is clear, making
slight adjustments in the interview such as briefing the individual about the
structure of the interview, and giving the employee an opportunity to
suggest the adjustments that might help them excel.
In 2015’s Budget speech, the Chancellor announced that the Government
will provide new funding for additional support to help disabled people find
work. We believe that this funding needs to be invested in specialist
programmes if it is to work for autistic adults.
This is particularly important for autistic adults as while unemployment rates
among disabled people is high, just 15 per cent of adults on the spectrum
are in full time paid employment, while 79 per cent of those on out of work
benefits say they want to work but need more support to retain full-time
employment. We regularly hear from adults on the spectrum that the
current Government programmes to get people into work are not working
for them. Yet, research into the impact of a specialist autism employment
This PDF is © Emerald Group Publishing Limited and is provided for your own personal use only. It may not be used for resale,
reprinting, systematic distribution, emailing, web hosting, including institutional repositories/archives or for any other commercial
purpose without the permission of the publisher.
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support scheme found that almost 70 per cent of adults found work, when
supported by this scheme, demonstrating the significant impact that this
type of help can have.
What is the NAS doing?
In line with the discussion above, the NAS works with research funders,
researchers and policy makers to ensure autism research enables autistic
people to lead the lives they choose.
Starting in 2016, the NAS will launch a campaign to transform public
attitudes towards autism and make communities more accessible. This will
support our engagement with MPs and decision makers, making sure the
voices of people on the spectrum are heard.
In addition we are working with key professionals to improve support they
provide to autistic people. This is done through our accreditation service,
network autism (network.autism.org.uk) our training and autistic led
initiatives such as “Ask Autism” and pushing this message to the media to
increase public understanding of autism.
About Carol Povey
Carol joined The National Autistic Society (NAS) as Regional Co-ordinator
for London and the South-East in 2001 where she had responsibility for
working with branches, parent groups, and local authorities. In 2005 she
became Head of Adult Services for the NAS, developing a strategic and
modernisation plan for the National Autistic Society’s adult services, as
well as leading in the identification and transfer of best practice within the
organisation. As “Responsible Individual” under the Care Standards Act,
Carol held responsibility on behalf of the Board of Trustees for ensuring that
the National Autistic Society services meet their statutory requirements.
In 2010, Carol was appointed as the Director of the Centre for Autism. The
aim of the centre is to promote innovation, excellence and understanding
across the autism sector and to provide a hub for greater collaboration both
UK wide and internationally.
Carol is the chair of the editorial board of the NAS’ professional
conference. She has contributed to a number of publications, and has
trained and presented at conferences nationally and internationally.
This PDF is © Emerald Group Publishing Limited and is provided for your own personal use only. It may not be used for resale,
reprinting, systematic distribution, emailing, web hosting, including institutional repositories/archives or for any other commercial
purpose without the permission of the publisher.
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Previously, Carol worked for the City of Westminster, Wirral Autistic Society
and Bromley Autistic Trust. She has contributed an article, “What should
services for people with autism look like?” to the 2015 edition of Advances
in Autism, an Emerald journal which aims to be a key tool in building and
disseminating evidence to change the way that professionals work with
people with autism and to challenge traditional assumptions and ways of
working.
This PDF is © Emerald Group Publishing Limited and is provided for your own personal use only. It may not be used for resale,
reprinting, systematic distribution, emailing, web hosting, including institutional repositories/archives or for any other commercial
purpose without the permission of the publisher.
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