65. S5, Ep10: Equity for autistic people in recruitment and the workplace - and hearing the voices of all autistic people

Nesceda Blake is a performing arts producer and creative energiser from Melbourne, Australia. In a bit of a departure from my usual guests, she was diagnosed very early, at just three years old. I found her insights as an early diagnosed woman fascinating - and I was struck by how familiar and relatable her experiences still were.

We met on LinkedIn, after I came across a post about her experiences with recruiters which had gone viral. After leaving a job with an autism organisation, she had started looking for a new role, and quickly found herself clashing with the neurotypical standards of professionalism in interview guides and job ads.

She passed her feedback on to one recruitment firm, and to her surprise they replied, saying that she had inspired them to change their materials and start an advisory group.

Her post on LinkedIn about this has lead to many more employers and recruiters pledging to change their processes, too.

In our conversation we talk about:

➡ Her experience of being diagnosed as a child

➡ Meltdowns, masking and burnout

➡ Support needs, functioning labels and addressing the needs of all autistic people

➡ Neurodiversity and equity in the workplace, accommodations, and how the hiring process can be changed to be more inclusive

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I'm Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I'm now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn't quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Nesceda's LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nesceda/

Nesceda's Website: http://nesceda.com/

Her article: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/autistic-jobseeker-please-stop-perpetuating-nesceda-blake/

The post that went viral: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/nesceda_interview-neurodiversityatwork-actuallyautistic-activity-6894113559224164352-2ron/

The post update: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6899215353453395968/

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/

Or on my website: https://squarepeg.community/

THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS!

A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast:

Abi Hunter, Amy Adler, Amy-Beth Mellor, Abigail J Moore, Ben Davies, Benita Borchard-Thierbach, Caroline, Cat Preston, Catrin Green, Cindy Bailey, Corinne Cariad, Danielle Warby, Dawn Trevellion, Elizabeth Williams, Elise, Jackie Allen, Jeff Goldman, Kate Faust, Katharine Richards, Katherine Lynch, Lea Li, Lilli Simmons, Mandy Allen, Pete Burke, Rebecca Kemp, Sarah Jeffery, Sarah Swanton, Sioned Wynn, Susan Millington, Suzanna Chen, Suzanne, Tree Hall, Una Walkenhorst, Vera Cady, Vicki Temple and Victoria Routledge.

If you're enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from just £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast