Tim za socijalno uključivanje i smanjenje siromaštva

Author: Stefan Lazarević (Social Inclusion Blog)

In one of my previous texts I already wrote about how lately I’ve been thinking about possibly finding a job. The idea worries me a bit, but they told me it is very important for a person to get a job, to have a means of living. You don’t go to a job only to work and earn your pay, but also to leave the house, take a walk, talk with your colleagues, etc.

Where did the idea of a job come from? When I graduated high school, I wanted to study journalism. My parents and classmistress believed the faculty would not adapt the materials the way they did in secondary school, and it would all be difficult for me. They started telling me that it would be good if I were to get a job, but I didn’t like that at all. However, slowly I matured and realized what employment means. My father told me that many people do not like going to work, but they have to, to earn a salary. (…)

I found out that people look for work for a long time, particularly persons with disabilities. That many of them have to face a committee that assesses their ability to work, to attend internships and trainings to acquire working skills and work experience. (…) I started thinking about jobs that would be ideal for me. I try to make these jobs ones that would be related to my profession (I graduated from a school of economics – department of business administration), although I don’t really like it much. I am also facing obstacles – I don’t speak a foreign language, some jobs require a university diploma, jobs are far from where I live, some require a driver’s license, some jobs are unrelated to my profession, etc.

I’m thinking about what I would like to do outside economics, and I believe I could perhaps do some simpler jobs (librarian, courier or archivist). One option would also be to work in a shop, organizing the goods or behind the cash register. However, my mom explained that it would be a bit tricky to work at the cash register if I am not good at handling money. I hope one of these wishes comes true, but I would also prepare myself for having to work in jobs that I do not like. (…)

Mom also explained that employers do not want to hire persons with impairments because it is easier for them to hire someone who can work independently, since they don’t need to have anything explained. I think employers should also hire persons with disabilities and help then with their work so that these people could also feel useful and able to earn a living. (…) I worry a bit about how employers and the staff of the company will treat me, whether they would have enough patience towards me.

Help and support at work would mean a lot to me. Employers and other staff should get to know the problem I have, perhaps read my blog posts so that they could understand me better and more easily. I would also prepare myself to not expect too much help, but to make an effort myself to work and concentrate on the tasks. (…).

My former therapist, and now friend, helped me get involved in the activities of the Organisation of Creative Meetings OKO. I mastered many skills there, one of them being how to resolve conflicts in situations where I get upset. I believe this was very important for other participants, to learn how a person with autism thinks and how they can help someone with similar impairments, not only to resolve conflicts, but also to understand the situation. (…)

My friends from OKO sent me a Facebook notice that I can apply for a public speaking workshop at the Youth Office of Belgrade. I applied as soon as I saw the application, because I already had some experience with public speaking, so I wanted to improve those skills. I like the fact that in these workshops I was given the tasks of acting as a journalist, anchor or owner of a record company, but also of working with my peers to design the topic of a public speech, so I chose a text where I wrote about prejudice against persons with autism. Also, the journalist who held the workshop helped me a lot by constantly commending me, and it was particularly important for me that I was accepted by my peers at the workshop, telling me that my text helped them understand me better.

By writing this text I want to make people think about the fact that persons with impairments should also find jobs. I find all of these situations that I have described difficult, and I hope I will overcome them and find a job that suits me.

The entire text in Serbian can be found on the Social Inclusion Blog.