First Person — 5 Minutes

David’s Work Experience

First Person — 5 Minutes

David’s Work Experience

David speaks with Dr. Gwynette about loud noises, stress, bullying, and other aspects of being on the job.

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Dr. Gwynette: Hi, David, thank you for talking with us. Can you tell us a little bit about your work experiences? Some of the highs and lows.

David: Getting work done, chilling with people. It can be quiet sometime, and then other time it could be pandemonium with the crazy people coming in. We get real busy and on some days we can be real quiet.

Dr. Gwynette: If it’s busy and loud, what does that do to you?

David: It don’t bother me. I can handle loud noises. I play loud music. It’s some of that don’t bother me.

Dr. Gwynette: Do you prefer to be busy at work?

David: I’m not picky.

Dr. Gwynette: Okay. Now how about interacting with people at work? What’s that like?

David: Pretty good. I’m not picky about it.

Dr. Gwynette: Do you have people ask you a lot of questions?

David: Yes, I do. I sometimes have customers but asking me to help them for apps and help them load vehicles up sometimes for my job to go out into the parking lot and grab, like you said, returned up into the building.

Dr. Gwynette: Do you find that people are friendly.

David: Sometime. And then there are sometime you have people that can get crazy to the point where you’re by yourself and they get to the point where you can’t handle it.

Dr. Gwynette: Yeah. What’s the stress level like at work?

David: When it by myself and there are mess, it’s stressful. And that if I’m unable to get stuff done because of how busy it is.

Dr. Gwynette: Do you feel like people are at work ever treat you differently because you have autism?

David: Sometimes. And then there are times they to try to use me, my coworkers, but I don’t fall forward. I needed two people trying to use me. And so it’s harder where people do escape that on by me.

Dr. Gwynette: You mentioned people talking down to you sometimes. Can you tell me about that?

David: And people tried to make me feel bad. The Jane, I liked get [inaudible 00:02:18] Jane to go away, like saying that you won’t do anything important in life. I had that then my whole entire life, even in school, you will have people, even if you’ve run a YouTube channel, like me go down.

Dr. Gwynette: Have you been picked on in the workplace?

David: A couple of times. But that was by my old coworker who also a PWD himself, but he not autistic.

Dr. Gwynette: Okay. What would you like to say to people out there? They were going to be working with somebody with autism? Like what advice would you give them?

David: Be kind and respect them. And sometime what they need help, help them. Don’t try to take advantage of if they’re a good worker.

Dr. Gwynette: How would they take advantage of you?

David: By putting all of their work on you. Watch I had that happen a couple of times. So I’m used to it.

Dr. Gwynette: Are you able to talk to the people at your work and say, Hey, this isn’t fair?

David: Yes. I called them out. Sometimes the people who put out work on me, get mad and try to take it out, but it don’t bother me because they’re too mad. So I learned not to get over me.

Dr. Gwynette: David, would you give any other advice for people? If they’re looking to hire someone with autism, what would you tell them?

David: Make sure you treat them with respect and kindness and don’t try to be a jerk. The people you might not think they’re good for a job, but sometimes they might be and they might do phenomenal. You can’t judge a book by its cover.

Dr. Gwynette: Great. Thank you, David.

Dr. Gwynette: Hi, David, thank you for talking with us. Can you tell us a little bit about your work experiences? Some of the highs and lows.

David: Getting work done, chilling with people. It can be quiet sometime, and then other time it could be pandemonium with the crazy people coming in. We get real busy and on some days we can be real quiet.

Dr. Gwynette: If it’s busy and loud, what does that do to you?

David: It don’t bother me. I can handle loud noises. I play loud music. It’s some of that don’t bother me.

Dr. Gwynette: Do you prefer to be busy at work?

David: I’m not picky.

Dr. Gwynette: Okay. Now how about interacting with people at work? What’s that like?

David: Pretty good. I’m not picky about it.

Dr. Gwynette: Do you have people ask you a lot of questions?

David: Yes, I do. I sometimes have customers but asking me to help them for apps and help them load vehicles up sometimes for my job to go out into the parking lot and grab, like you said, returned up into the building.

Dr. Gwynette: Do you find that people are friendly.

David: Sometime. And then there are sometime you have people that can get crazy to the point where you’re by yourself and they get to the point where you can’t handle it.

Dr. Gwynette: Yeah. What’s the stress level like at work?

David: When it by myself and there are mess, it’s stressful. And that if I’m unable to get stuff done because of how busy it is.

Dr. Gwynette: Do you feel like people are at work ever treat you differently because you have autism?

David: Sometimes. And then there are times they to try to use me, my coworkers, but I don’t fall forward. I needed two people trying to use me. And so it’s harder where people do escape that on by me.

Dr. Gwynette: You mentioned people talking down to you sometimes. Can you tell me about that?

David: And people tried to make me feel bad. The Jane, I liked get [inaudible 00:02:18] Jane to go away, like saying that you won’t do anything important in life. I had that then my whole entire life, even in school, you will have people, even if you’ve run a YouTube channel, like me go down.

Dr. Gwynette: Have you been picked on in the workplace?

David: A couple of times. But that was by my old coworker who also a PWD himself, but he not autistic.

Dr. Gwynette: Okay. What would you like to say to people out there? They were going to be working with somebody with autism? Like what advice would you give them?

David: Be kind and respect them. And sometime what they need help, help them. Don’t try to take advantage of if they’re a good worker.

Dr. Gwynette: How would they take advantage of you?

David: By putting all of their work on you. Watch I had that happen a couple of times. So I’m used to it.

Dr. Gwynette: Are you able to talk to the people at your work and say, Hey, this isn’t fair?

David: Yes. I called them out. Sometimes the people who put out work on me, get mad and try to take it out, but it don’t bother me because they’re too mad. So I learned not to get over me.

Dr. Gwynette: David, would you give any other advice for people? If they’re looking to hire someone with autism, what would you tell them?

David: Make sure you treat them with respect and kindness and don’t try to be a jerk. The people you might not think they’re good for a job, but sometimes they might be and they might do phenomenal. You can’t judge a book by its cover.

Dr. Gwynette: Great. Thank you, David.

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