Why are so many Aspies on here getting disablility income?

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Many NTs are on welfare and many Aspies are not, and each of these poeple have a different personnal, unjudgable without more data, reason.

ProtossX, for how many years have you worked full time, with due dates, over the neck breathing bosses, bullying co-workers, last minute called last minute location change meetings, that finally happens in a crowded restaurant,..... by now ?

What next, should we cut special education, because those with cognitive difficulties should just buck up and learn the same way everyone else does?

Some Aspies, such as myself, have had the benefit of being exposed to and taught things that helped us adjust or matched up well with our skills while making it possible to mask our difficulties. However, some are not so lucky - especially if they or their families are already poor and do not have access to therapies or education in certain more spectrum-friendly skills (like music and computers). Due to sensory issues, social issues and other problems like that, jobs involving customer service or otherwise heavy interaction with others might be nigh-impossible, but if they weren't given the right tools for anything else, what are they supposed to do?

I have known people who have tried to use the welfare system just because they didn't want to work. However, some people genuinely do need it, as their case is extremely severe, or because the system has failed to provide them with things they could have used to help themselves earlier in life.

I must ask, why are you so hard on others with issues, whether it be appearance or cognitive ones? Surely you would not want others to be so harsh on you for what deficits you may have (in fact, you've all but stated it in your other threads), so why can't you extend that same courtesy to others?

Why do you insist on using apostrophes for plurals? That's really annoying. Perhaps you should look at the plank in your own eye before attempting to remove the speck in the eyes of others. And not everyone is as perfectly functional as you. And there are a lot of narrow-minded, intolerant employers who are more concerned with social interaction ability and appearances than actual work performance. Not too many of them are hiring "ret*d", as you call them, individuals. And it often depends on where you live, as someone else so aptly pointed out.

Because some aspies are disabled.

ProtossX, In my case, if I told you what happened to me, you wouldn't then afterward have even wanted to know. You would say, "Why did you tell me that, now I have that in my head...! !!" Just know there are at least a few tragic cases out here so try real hard to reserve judgement. I have my dignity and self-respect and no one can take that away from me. Put this together with being autistic and it's a match made in hell!! Being autistic in the wrong circumstances is life-threatening and damaging at every level and in every direction you turn. Maybe one day I'll write a book because that's about the length of it, but I don't think so because it would only be another one of those true life horror stories. If you've seen one, you've seen them all!! !! People are ruthless and I hate you all.

Don't worry about him, aspieartist, or let him bother you. People like that are quick to point their finger, without realizing that, when they do that, they have four fingers pointing back at them. And I've known too many like that; ironically, they're the first in line for benefits if something happens to THEM. It's the "I've got mine but you shouldn't have the same" mentality. It's fine for them, because they always have a perfectly good reason, but no one else has a good reason.

Um...because they are disabled.

And just because you have a part time job doesn't mean you are not still getting disability payments. I'm guessing that the 'ret*d people' you refer to (Downs Syndrome, Fragile X, whatever they may actually have) are in a supported employment program through the state or county.

That, my dear, is a far cry from a 9-5 job you got -- and kept -- on your own.

Supported employment is a great thing, don't get me wrong -- but it is quite different.

Thanks Westernwild, you're very nice. I noticed your other post after sending the last and thought how nice you were to say what you did.

I have a step brother that is MR. HE is on a program like you said, works as a janitor(He has no concept of money, and can't even read, so he couldn't work in a ticket booth), AND his mother is paying for the special help. BTW he isn't THAT young. I think, at this point, he is AT LEAST in his late 20s. On the bright side, he at least APPEARS to enjoy his life, such as it is.

I can name a number of reasons why there are problems with employment:

There is a higher prevalence of other psychiatric issues (from my personal observation) such as bipolar, ADD in the Autism/Asperger community that may make employment difficult.

There can also be a lot of discrimination against people who are mentally ill or autistic. A lot of this stems from reading a sensational news headline about someone with Asperger's Syndrome or mental illness and drawing misguided conclusions.

People on this board who are not able to drive due to sensory issues may not have any other means of getting to work.

Telecommuting (which I believe would greatly benefit many Aspies) is very underdeveloped. Part of this is the way I believe the employment laws are set up.

Some of the message board posters are in areas which are very poorly served in terms of assistance for Autism/Asperger community.

Some of the message board posters are in depressed areas that have little to offer in terms of employment.

Some of the message board posters may be physically disabled severely limiting employment opportunities.

You cannot pin it down to any one particular reason.

I don't think my area is really "depressed" it just has a lot of unskilled labor. I think the problem is attitudes people have. I notice there's a lot of judgmentalism (if that's a word?) and people assuming what is and isn't true. All this makes getting a job tough especially when there are so many so-called NTs all looking for jobs. Around here so many people need or want jobs it's unreal. Practically everyone who is old enough to work wants a job. This makes it tough to get jobs, at least for me.
What I don't understand is this: So many unhealthy looking people who are overweight get jobs with ease while I have difficulty finding one. How can an overweight person possibly be more qualified than me? Most the time overweight people have more health problems. I have no health problems (that I know of). By health problems, I mean physical ones. For instance, if a place needs three new cashiers, the overweight ones will get chosen over me and I to me that is so unfair. How can I possibly be less qualified? It's blatant discrimination.

Guys Job's are supposed to be hard

If people just handed me free money all day who wouldn't take it?

What im saying is People have to work they don't lkie to they just do it for money and living and be a member of society

I still don't know what is going on this thread is asking out why people with aspergers are on disability an so far ive gotten one person say they were on it but won't say why and the rest are ppl who say they aren't on it but see why some people are on it

but I WANT TO HEAR from ppl who are on it why they are on it not from other ppl an so far the one person just said "i have a tragic tale and won't elaborate on it" I mean how hard is it to tell us why you are on it you don't have to go into details just give us a reasonable idea of why. a tragedy isn't really elaborate enough for me to go yeah man you deserve that money or whatever.

Only because it's an interesting thread and you made the assumption so many people with AS are on disability when they don't seem to be...but if you want to name names, I would be more than happy to read:)

That's a key difference between those with cognitive issues such as retardation. They frequently lack the knowledge that they are different from the mainstream, and so in a very real way are happy. Aspies, on the other hand, are generally painfully aware of the difference. Additionally, most folks with cognitive issues are very evident in their disability, whereas ASD folks are not. So, NTs make more accommodations for the cognitively impaired, where they do not for Aspies....

Because some of us have it worse than you, and would be unable to support ourselves at all without it.
I'm not on welfare but I can understand being on it.

Yep you're right, Shleed is another person because I have talked to him on MSN and he is real nice. But he stopped trolling again on zomg and he says he is trolling here again and he wouldn't tell me who he is on here so I am guessing Protoss since he said he is paroding a member on here about women and Protoss has made threads about women. If he really is him, then I am relieved because that means he didn't mean what he said about LFA people and incontinence.