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WORK

seek help. Eventually I was encouraged
by a social worker to work at a greeting
card company which took on people
with mental health problems,
but had no experience with autistic
people. The staff did not listen to my
problems and I was very unhappy
there, behaving in a difficult way and
crying frequently. This made it even
harder to be understood. I was
patronised and felt like a round peg
in a square hole and became
very obsessive. Returning home after a
day’s work I felt depressed and
miserable. When the company moved
I left.

My social worker suggested that I should
try volunteering and at one of the
meetings I heard about the Holy Cross
Centre Trust which helps people who are
socially excluded. I now run an art table
at their drop-in centre in Kings Cross
providing materials and advice
where a small group can draw and colour
and I use my own talents to encourage
and facilitate their work. Everyone is
friendly and caring and the atmosphere
suits me very well. I am respected
for the person I am and at no time
have I felt upset or ill at ease. I have
made some friends and my confidence
has snowballed over the years there.
Volunteering is good for autistic
people as it is flexible and non-
pressurised. It provides a regular routine
and a structure to my week.

I have through my life experienced high
degrees of stress and have not been able
to suppress my anger when people have
behaved rudely or with total disregard for
my problems. Words may have failed me
so I have felt I had to show my distress David still attends art classes because, he says, he greatly enjoys working together with
physically. Over the years such episodes other people and being inspired by a brilliant teacher.
have become infrequent and I now love
life. I enjoy many fulfilling activities and
meeting lovely people. I still attend art
classes because I greatly enjoy working
together with other people and being
inspired by a brilliant teacher.
In spite of all this I still encounter
some problems.

Being autistic comes with some
benefits. I am particularly thorough and
tidy and careful not to hurt the feelings
of those around me. I am keen to help
autistic children to develop artistic gifts
and their parents to give them hope for
the future and to convince them that
autism is not a disability but just being
different. I have already given several
talks to parents.

www.cl-initiatives.co.uk Community Living Vol 31 No 1 | Autumn 2017 11