Volunteering just as hard

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Anyone else find volunteer work as hard to find as paid work?

On a few occasions the job centre have made it harder for me to find voluntary work, but in general I find voluntary work hard to find and no one ever gets back to me. I've been along in person to one of the biggest voluntary organisations in the country, had a lovely chat with the woman there (I was very NT-like with small talk and everything!) and chased-up on a few occasions but then never heard back.

I'm also fairly certain that stating I'm AS is working against me - I disclose being AS to organisations I wish to volunteer for because the types of work I'm looking for is working with disabled adults (I'd like to go into paid work with disabled adults, or simply be more involved with the local disabled community) so I consider being disabled myself a huge benefit in working with other disabled people.

I've noticed a lot of organisations to support disabled people locally are run by those who are not disabled or who have disabled family members rather than disabled people themselves, and seem to consider disabled people incapable thus they find the concept of a capable disabled person foreign and can only think of me as incapable when I say I'm disabled, thus dismiss me. One organisation seemed fantastic and very positive about disabilities, I was happy when they asked me into a training session but it was clear by saying I'm on the spectrum that they thought I was 'Low-Functioning' and considered me to be far less capable, this meant the training session was awkward as it was obviously aimed at disabled people less capable than myself and it also meant that the roles available were designed for severely disabled so not at all suitable for me or what I was looking for. I heard nothing back from them.

Do any of you volunteer, if so what do you do and how did you get that voluntary position?

Last edited by Bloodheart on 06 May 2012, 8:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.

My Disability Employment Advisor at the Job Centre always seemed to be able to arrange voluntary work. I found it much easier to get a voluntary position than a paid job. Notably none of the voluntary positions involved customer-facing roles or dealing with people - if they did I suspect the results might be different.

I think, on a subconscious level, many of the people working with the disabled see them as children to be nurtured. When you identify yourself as disabled and say you want to work with the disabled, I imagine they think of it like children raising children. I consider this a problem.

A lot of people seem to have had better DEA's than me - I didn't have a DEA until 3 years into JSA and he was little more help than any other advisor, now I'm on the Work Program I don't get a DEA at all (which seems stupid - especially as the company providing the Work Program show no regard for disabled job seekers!).

Yup, that's the problem. I've also seen it in autistic organisations locally who don't seem to approve of self-advocates, it's frustrating...although I suppose it also has me thinking if I do go into paid work with disabled people how I'd deal with such attitudes from co-workers.

Now, some of it might be that a volunteer organization can be a disorganized as anything else. But to the main question, yes, there is a bias toward 'normal' and they kind of get scared anything outside of normal (and no such thing as 'normal' anyway and how boring it would be if there was! )

I have some experience in peace activism. As hierarchical as anything else, people tend to shy away from anyone who's a little different, the smooth functioning of the organization above all else, and the people leading don't really feel comfortable delegating (so, they don't really welcome new energy, no). I also applied at an organization working to prevent child abuse and it was as much a job interview as anything else and I was not "hired."

I dream of something like an independent and free-wheeling newspaper, or radio station. It's a variety of group projects and independent projects. And if we make a mistake, it's not tragic, we just issue a correction. In fact, mistakes can add to the texture (so much so that we need to remind ourselves that it needs to be a real mistake, and we probably will make enough of those anyway!).

Another reason that I feel that it's best not to bother with them. They often don't have our real interests at heart - it's more their own.

I guess just matter-of-factly try to coach them up?

I think we do need our own organizations where the majority of voting members themselves have a disability. And I feel comfortable viewing being on the Asperger's-Autism Spectrum as both a difference and a disability.

Yes, I'd guess it would be just that - I always ASSUME acceptance and equality, when I don't see it then I question it as an abnormality. It may be challenging however if you fall into working for an organisation where the majority and the policies are ableist, lots of biting your tongue and diplomacy would be required to avoid losing your job...and loosing your opportunity to change attitudes.

I've found one organisation locally which is run by AS/ASD individuals who seem to have the same pre-neurodiversity/anti-curbie views as my own, they run a nice little social group which includes some members both AS/ASD and NT's who are active with both autism and other charities/causes/organisations so there may be a possible networking opportunity there and hopefully the organisation itself will grow large enough that they need volunteers like me...but for now it's just too small. I'd love one day to have my own organisation.

Yes. I know you already realize this because you said a "majority", but I just want to emphasize that it would be important to still have a component from outside the community, else you do run into the danger of the blind leading the blind. I think that's true for purely physical disabilities too, and it's even a good idea for other organizations. For example I live in a housing co-operative, and on the Board of Directors is one spot that's called the "community liason officer" who must be someone who is not a resident.

Need to know basis, guys, need to know! If you can basically function well enough to do the job, whether paid or volunteer, then they don't need to know that you are on the spectrum. You can tell them that loud noise or bright lights, or fluorescent lights bother you, or any number of trait problems, without actually telling them that you are on the Autism/Asperger's spectrum. Are you a quiet introvert? Just tell them that you are basically quiet and not a social butterfly type. It's part of the truth, without risking your chance on their bias concerning spectrum disorders. Don't like being touched? Just tell them that you are not a touchy, feely type of person, and don't care much for physical contact. Do the same with any traits you have that may be an issue in work or volunteering. Just leave out telling them that you are on the spectrum. Unless someone needs to know, don't tell.

While I agree with that 100% for paid jobs, for working voluntary with disabled people it works as experience - that doesn't mean you don't face biased, but equally it'd be a possitive to the types of organisation you wish to work for.

This sounds familiar. I'm on the work programme and they simply don't care about my disabilities. I've seen a DEA and they've been useless. The company I do my work programme with, don't seem to care about my disabilities and keep telling me to do stuff I can't do. Even the company I was with before did that. And the jobs of both providers is to help disabled people back into work.

I had no problem with voluntary work. Although, I guess I'm lucky. There's at least 4 (that I know of, including the manager) who I volunteer with who have some form of disability.

*nods* I've only been with the Work Program for 2 weeks but already I'm anticipating problems as although they're not being openly unfair or prejudice (YET!) they are being purposefully difficult, and so I'm looking at going back onto ESA.

I struggle to find 3 jobs p/w to apply for and now I have to find 10 jobs p/w but they refuse to acknowledge that there are very few jobs available let alone jobs I can do with disability. They refuse to give me afternoon appointments because I asked for them due to sleeping problems with AS and RLS. They played hell with me for taking so long to get up/down stairs with my bad leg. They keep saying MANDATORY about things such as phoning employers and role-play work in groups, both things I can't manage. They show general ignorance towards AS/ASD, including my advisor who sits right in my face and forces me to make eye contact. The whole thing stinks of ignorance and negativity.

But yes, the point being DEA's are useless and Work Program is evil

I found that saying " I need a morning appointment due to tiredness (always feel more tired in the afternoon) which is a reasonable adjustment under the Equalities Act" worked.

I've now found that they always run late. So basically, I get up and end up rushing for the bus for no reason at all.

I am tempted to see if I can get on to ESA and find a job in my own time. I do want to work; but I don't want to be forced into doing stuff I can't do.

Between Thursday and my next appointment, I have 2 hospital appointments. One for ASD stuff and another for brain and spinal stuff. It would be interesting to see what both consultants say. Hopefully, my adviser will take me seriously once I've got diagnosed and will stop making me out to be a liar.

My DEA is struggling to know what to do with me really. She is really nice and her heart is in the right place, but she has so few resources available to her. Her last suggestion was a residential course, which would cost the job centre lots of money - and to be honest I don't think it would do very much for me. The stumbling block, convincing an employer to take me on, would likely still be there. The other suggestion she had was the Work Programme, and she said but then I wouldn't be able to see her for a year. I was wondering if the Work Programme might be as bad as you suggest. Now I know not to go into it voluntarily.