Autism Acceptance Week: Tim Young explains how to breakdown the barriers

The 27th March to 2nd April 2023 is World Autism Acceptance Week. A campaign organised by National Autistic Society to raise vital funds, increase acceptance and create a society that works for autistic people. As we are now in the middle of World Autism Acceptance Week, we wanted to take the opportunity to speak with IoSCM Ambassador Tim Young, a distinguished procurement professional, who has created a successful career while working tirelessly to overcome the barriers faced by individuals with autism, including himself.

Autism Awareness

“Autism is a neurological condition that affects an estimated 700,000 people in the UK alone. Despite its prevalence, many people still lack a proper understanding of what autism is and how it can affect individuals. This lack of understanding can create significant barriers for individuals with autism, including in the workplace. Companies can take steps to raise awareness of autism in the workplace, creating a more inclusive and understanding environment for all employees. But it starts earlier, by realising there is a lack of organised “work environment” experience for children. My belief is this missing step contributes to the low number of people with autism in employment.

Education and Training

One way that companies can raise awareness of autism is through education and training. So, with the support of professional bodies, such as the IoSCM, I have created a brief presentation around raising awareness of autism. This is another step to support and encourage businesses to actively seek out and give people with autism a chance of employment.

What can companies do?

I talk about ways that companies can raise awareness of autism by creating a supportive workplace environment. This can include making accommodations to meet the needs of employees with autism, such as providing quiet spaces, flexible work schedules, and clear communication strategies. Companies can also consider developing mentorship programs, pairing employees with autism with mentors who can offer guidance and support, again this links much earlier to getting children involved with autism friendly workplaces, to help build positive experiences of being in work.

Raising Awareness

Raising awareness of autism in the workplace is not only the right thing to do, it is also good for business. Creating an inclusive and supportive workplace environment can lead to increased employee satisfaction, productivity, and retention. The retention rate of employees with autism is significantly higher than others. By taking steps to raise awareness of autism, companies can create a workplace culture that values diversity, inclusion, and understanding.

But ultimately why?

Well of all those children with autism that grow up, the life expectancy is 39.5 for severe autism and just 58 for high-functioning autism. My hypothesis is the lack of employment contributes to wellbeing issues and directly feeds into the statistics that will show that more than 3 in 10 of those children will attempt suicide.

By taking some time for this presentation, if it helps just one person in your organisation to have a better understanding of autism, or even better yet, encourages your business to seek out and support autism workplace experiences, then you have directly helped to improve the statistics. And I thank you.” – Tim Young.

DOWNLOAD YOUR COPY OF THE RASING AWARENESS OF AUTISM IN THE WORKPLACE PRESENTATION BY TIM YOUNG HERE

Tim Young, is a dedicated procurement professional who dedicates much of his time to supporting others across his profession, the wider supply chain and championing diversity in the workplace to help individuals who maybe at a disadvantage due to medical reasons, disabilities, learning differences or even gender. Tim is passionate about procurement and has some outstanding career achievements to be proud of.

Tim’s work with IoSCM

“As an IoSCM Ambassador Tim offers a level of expertise in the areas around Autism which can only come from experience, and we can’t express enough our appreciation to his commitment to making supply chain education a viable option for everyone regardless of their background, differences or personal challenges. We were delighted to present Tim with The Kevin Rumfitt Award 2022, for excellence in his field and the contribution he makes to inclusion and diversity in the workplace.” – J Stansfield Smith CEO, IoSCM