Free training is being offered next month to help businesses become more aware of autism.
Ahead of World Autism Awareness Day on April 2, the Preston-based IDEAS firm has announced details of a workshop for local firms.
The session will be held at Cotton Court on April 15 (9.30am-1pm) where delegates will find out about autism and how they can make their business more welcoming to autistic people.
IDEAS spokesman, Denise Edwards, said: “The fact is there are a great many autistic people who cannot get into the employment market.
“It’s tough because the process of getting in is so difficult and there are problems with filling in application forms or getting an interview.
“However, once people do find work, they can stay for years because they tend to be very reliable, very trustworthy and they get on with their work.”
Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that affects how a person communicates with, and relates to, other people. It also affects how they make sense of the world around them.
People with autism have three main areas of difficulty: social communication; social interaction; and social imagination.
As the world can also seem a difficult and confusing place to autistic people, IDEAS hope this workshop can enlighten businesses.
“People do have problems fitting in and can be sensitive to things like noise and smells so they need some support,” Denise added.
“We’ve done training courses before but, with this one, we’re really trying to target businesses.
“We’d really like to interest businesses and open them up to the idea of employing autistic people as well as recognising that they are also customers.
“We won’t just be talking to businesses on the day though; there will be activities as well which have proved popular with people who have been on other courses we have staged.”
For more information, or to book a place, please email info@ideaslancashire.com or phone 07707 954592.
