Analysis of Oppression on Individuals with Autism

Analysis of Oppression on Individuals with Autism
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Autism spectrum disorder generally affects one’s social interaction, behavior, communication, and interests. People with this condition have experienced greater levels of oppression and stigmatization within society for many years at any age in their lifetime. Several articles have been published that focuses on these issues. The oppression of autistic people began a long time ago hence called for the foundation of the National Autistic Society in the UK in 1962 and the Autism Society of America in 1965 (“History – Autism Society,” 2016). These were founded to create awareness and improve the lives of autistic people.
According to one of an article published in the Guardian, the vast majority of these people have experienced great difficulties in getting employment. It is estimated that only 16% of these people have had full-time paid work since 2007. Before 2007, the figure stood at 15% according to the National Autistic Society survey. Based on the survey, 51% of the autistic people who had full-time paid job said that skills or qualifications were higher than what their jobs required. The article states that people with autism in different workplaces have been experiencing some level of harassment, bullying, unfair treatment or other forms of discrimination as a result of the condition. The article also mentions that the oppression might have gotten worse in 2012 when there was a significant increase in these statistics.

Most managers have often admitted that they have no idea how to support their employees with autism. Based on A YouGov survey conducted on various sizes of businesses between May 31st and Jun 3rd in 2016, 60% of the managers confirmed this (“11 shocking statistics about autism and employment”, 2016). The autistic people have always experienced discrimination and inequality making it a major concern.
In an institutional setting, there are possible ways of bullying students with ASD. One of the possible outcomes of bullying is the panic of being laughed at. People with ASD are normally afraid of being humiliated or mocked as a result of their condition. The negative feelings are brought about by their behaviors that are linked to their condition. Butler and Gillis (2011) made some efforts in exploring the stigmatization of people with autism. They surveyed the attitudes of 195 college students and realized that there are greater levels of stigmatization towards people with autism. The survey found that the greater number of the respondents (70%) had never known anybody with autism spectrum disorder which may increase the level of stigmatization. In most institutions, several students also are in the opinion that people with ASD are not clean, are not able to control behaviors and difficult to communicate with.
According to Butler and Gillis, most students in various institutions normally have little knowledge about people with autism since they have had no or little contact with such individuals. Many people seem to lack contact/experience or adequate information about individuals with the condition. Based on the study carried centered on public media and autism, Stevenson Gernsbacker (2011) established that most attention had been put on children with autism. Little information is available about adults living with autism hence the adults are also very vulnerable to misunderstanding and misinformation. Therefore, stigmatization and various challenges that affect individuals with ASD can be reduced by increasing awareness of people with autism. ASD is a serious, disabling and lifelong condition and lack of appropriate support can lead to devastating effects on individuals as well as families.
Reference
11 shocking statistics on autism & employment. (2016). the Guardian. Retrieved 7 December 2016, from https://www.theguardian.com/tmi/2016/oct/27/11-shocking-statistics-about-autism-and-employment
Butler, R. & Gillis, J. (2011). The Impact of Labels and Behaviors on the Stigmatization of Adults with Asperger’s Disorder. Journals of Autism & Developmental Disorders, 41(6), 741-749. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10803-010-1093-9
History – Autism Society. (2016). Autism Society. Retrieved 7 December 2016, from http://www.autism-society.org/about-the-autism-society/history/
Stevenson, J., Harp, B., & Gernsbacher, M. (2011). Infantilizing Autism. Disability Studies Quarterly, 31(3). http://dx.doi.org/10.18061/dsq.v31i3.1675