Thread by @NeuroClastic

Let me explain why autistic people may perform better with robots. It’s not their “Easy to read” social cues, it’s because they’re honest and predictable. They aren’t going to give an exasperated sigh or treat us like we’ve verbally assaulted them by expressing a need (cont)

https://twitter.com/neuroclastic/status/1313665649395281920

They’re not going to call us into the office and tell us they have “concerns” because they misinterpreted our responses. We aren’t going to find after six months of mistreatment that someone has been harboring a grudge because they misunderstood OUR subtext. (Cont)

They won’t assemble in groups in the break room and stop talking when we walk in. They aren’t going to think we are angry at them if we don’t wrap every instruction up in platitudes or remind them they’re a good person if we need to ask them to do something differently. (Cont)

They’re not going to need us to remember to ask about their kids’ little league game, their neighbor’s mission trip, and to compliment them on something arbitrary in order to verify we didn’t start disliking them. (Cont)

They won’t think our tone and affect are communicating something that is the opposite of what we intend. Robots don’t perceive class, racial, or academic hierarchies or assign us to the lowest rung. Robots assume interaction is purposeful. (Cont)

Robots won’t entangle us in workplace gossip. They won’t think that declining an invite means that we hate them. They won’t get a “vibe” from us, hit on us, believe we are “creepy,” or project their biases onto us. (Cont)

They won’t say things like “kids these days” to see if we are going to commiserate with them about how “urban” the area has become to see how racist we can be while maintaining plausible deniability. (Cont)

Robots aren’t going to talk about how “blessed” their day has been in order to confirm that we share their religious beliefs, attempt to convert us, or see us as dangerous if we have different-- or no-- religious beliefs. (cont)

They won't think that questions are a Darwinian or existential challenge and will accurately interpret them as an attempt to gain information. (cont)

Robots, despite what they are programmed to do, are not going to see us as perpetually in need of intervention, compliment us on how "normal" we are, or filter their every interaction with us through their (debauched) perception of our differences. (Cont)

Robots don't show up slathered in obnoxious perfume that excoriates the olfactory nerve or cackle at ear-piercing decibles. (cont)

Robots don't get to assume the moral, expert, or sympathetic advantage in every situation by default of being in a majority group. (Cont)

Robots do work at the workplace because that is the alleged reason for their position in the workplace.

Robots don't evaluate our degree of professionalism by our hairstyle, makeup, clothes, or shoes. They don't care if we are attractive or not, don't have unwarranted advice, and don't struggle to gain or maintain power imbalances.

It's actually baffling that the combined efforts of so many ivy league universities would not lead them to the obvious conclusion that that removing biases, privilege hierarchies, and barriers to performance is more inherent to an autistic approach to the workplace. (cont)

Perhaps the biggest irony is that no one assumes the problem is with the employers if the autistic people do just fine with clear directions from a nonthreatening source whose only objective is safe and efficient task completion. (Cont)

Maybe the key to inclusion & equity is to apologize for the trauma autistics have been subjected to by having our needs for accommodations treated like special snowflake syndrome & every social interaction to be a gamble that may result in further disenfranchisement. (cont)

Maybe even stop treating workplace culture like a hostage situation for autistics and start paying people and promoting them based on objective measures that do not involve personality contests as a metric.

Maybe think about how robots never believe you, trust you, or respect you more because you demonstrate the right amount of charisma, eye contact, and performative empathy.

Maybe just ask what an autistic individual needs in order to be able to love doing their job and start there; because if they love it, then they'll do it with passion and dedication-- except then you'll penalize or exploit them for being too passionate.

Autistic people are not the reason autistics are unemployed.