Auties as gold mine

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This I find detestable. Perhaps it’s the language used. A PR language for occupational agencies. AS are seen as a “gold mine” and the only problem is to fit them in the machinery of production-consumption. They are not persons but unused cogs, “untapped work force”

From a daily newspaper: “ - less than 30 percent of them (autistic disabled people)are employed part time or full time! With few exceptions, our local business communities don't understand the potential gold mine in the untapped work force of the developmentally disabled. This must change….share information about the very real business benefits of hiring people with disabilities.”
Italics added.

It's good to feel wanted.

gold mine is very different to exploitation

Paolo,
You are being oversensitive here. Gold mine is a cliche phrase used in business to indicate something good. It is used to identify hispanic market niches that are underutilized, places to invest, anything good that is also profitable. And lets face it, if the employee you hire costs you more than you make from his labor, you lose money until you go out of business. I like that the statement says that we can be valuable employees. And we can be, if the office politics can leave us alone. We work efficiently without all that wasted shmoozing time. Or, at least, I do.

Absolutly, where I work I am more productive because I do things both systematicly and without needing to talk every 10 mins, as a result I tend to get special treatment, I get bonuses, better pay and more time off, more flexibility. Ill never understand how people can work and then talk as I would loose track of what im doing (and I need to remember numbers, measurments and where stuff is located, talking hinders this alot) and their is absolute chaos when I see people work around me, their is no systematic way, so their is no way they can be efficent, so I see slow workers who often do their job half assed and screw up. Now I make mistakes also but usually eather catch them or dont make such a catostrophic one that costs us time.

I hate then having to help others, i do my work and tho i get payed better now I am expected to help others finish up cause they were slow and screwed up, i flipped out about it one day and so now I get payed better cause without the better pay and treatment I woulda quit cause of it.

Indeed we are a valuable resource, and can be a worthy investment for employers if given a chance.

I am probably oversensitive because I am retired, and I have means of survivaval. I realize that being unemployed is terrible. I have been unemployed myself for long periods and without means. But there is a rethoric of economic growth, availability of cheap labor as a fundamental asset for the system, indifference to the nature of commodities produced and to the quality of employment that leaves me critical.

In this case I find reference to "gold mine" not derogatory at all. If annything just the opposite. Why? Cheap labor (minimum wage labor) simply needs to be done. It's not feeling sorry for someone and it's not charity.

Think of it this way. It's money in your pocket, a paycheck every Friday, and a sense of independence and accomplishment.