Image description: top half of image says "What People THINK the Reason for Autistic Folk Masking in the Work Place is" with a full pie chart pointing to "autism" the bottom half of image says "What the Reasons for Autistic Folk Masking in the Work Place ACTUALLY Are" and has another pie chart, divided into 5 key points: Fear of unconscious bias, stereotypes, & stigma Desire to connect with colleagues Concerned about mistreatment and/or repercussions Eager to succeed/be promoted In search of belonging. If you want to make your company truly inclusive for neurodivergent employees, or for more about autism and neurodiversity in the workplace, you can find me at But most #ActuallyAutistic folk don't feel safe to unmask. Yes, masking is not only unhealthy, it also adds to our workload.īottomline, masking is NOT sustainable. But can include forcing or faking eye contact, minimizing our interests, memorizing social scripts, tolerating sensory discomfort, mimicking style, gestures, and it is so much more WORK. What masking looks like varies from autistic to autistic to autistic. But in the long term, masking is an unhealthy, unsustainable coping mechanism that causes immeasurable mental distress.
In small doses, masking can mean quicker, less risky exchanges. While often successful, over time, even the best maskers amongst us succumb to burnout. Why do we do it? Here are some of the reasons behind autistic masking in the workplace:įear of unconscious bias, stereotypes, & stigma Ĭoncerned about mistreatment and/or repercussions In an effort to survive, we learn to mimic the ways of the neuromajority. This begins for many of us at school age and continues well into adulthood in the workplace. It's also a learned trauma response.įor most of our lives, whether directly or indirectly, we are told our natural state of being is "wrong". Masking, or social camouflaging, is a favorite social strategy for many, if not all neurodivergent people. #community #career #disabilityinclusion #autism #students #connorspeaks Thanks to TheHub and the EDI team at UTSC and YAIJ for hosting such a valuable and informative event! We enjoyed it tremendously, and the after-event networking and tour of the #UofT Scarborough Campus made the afternoon complete. It was a pleasure to hear the suggestions, insights, and encouragement from so many university faculty, staff, students and community members. The young men also spoke about their own desires and dreams for their futures and the varied career interests they have. The event featured young speakers who introduced us to several black disability advocates who made great strides towards equity and justice in their communities. and The Youth Alliance for Intersectional Justice. This was a collaborative event hosted by the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus' TheHub & EDI Department, Carolyn T. Well since you asked… I continued to celebrate Black History Month (because it’s Black History every month!) with my son by attending the "Black Disability Histories and Futures" event. Hey Laura, what did you do during March Break? 😊
0 kommentar(er)
