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What do you all think is holding people on the Spectrum back from taking on more leadership positions in the public sector? Obvious and not-so-obvious answers both appreciated!
Obvious answer: elections are a popularity contest.
Even seats without elections, the kind that are just based on someone being nominated and confirmed involve socially based barriers such as expectation of eye contact, appropriate facial expressions and vocal expressions and body language, ability to make friends and allies quickly and easily, ability to read others, ability to read a room, ability to respond quickly and appropriately to social situations, and so on.
Less obvious answer: public perception of autism may prevent higher functioning individuals from "coming out."
Autism has such a negative stigma attached to it and is so badly understood by so many people, that "coming out" as autistic could very well be a big mark against you. Just having overheard a lot of conversations, I've heard autistics associated with killers, rapists, and such. I've heard we have no empathy, which I for one can say is totally false. I've heard autistics called a drain on resources, and I've heard people say about lower functioning individuals that they just need to "suck it up". At best, people think "Rain Man."
However: Even with the socially based barriers, there may be some individuals who are on the spectrum who have snuck into office simply because they were running for one of the lesser known and lesser contested positions. For these positions, which often require little more than a statement of interest and an association with a political party, voters may elect their representative without ever interacting with or even seeing them.