Hey, all! Sorry it’s been so long since my last post, life has been hectic. I have another speech to share with everyone! This one is from a recent competition I was in, and it’s about the link between workplace violence and ableism. If that seems like a lot of buzzwords (especially ableism), but I implore you to read the speech and comment your thoughts.

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Does someone in your life suffer from these symptoms? Fidgeting, a lack of eye contact, introversion. Are they…a little bit weird? Well, then they might be violent. 

If you think that’s an exaggeration…it’s not. 

CenterStone, National Safety council. They both agree: those are signs of workplace violence. OSHA defines workplace violence as “any act or threat of physical violence, harassment, intimidation, or other threatening disruptive behavior that occurs at the work site.” Reports of workplace violence are substantial. So are its signs. 

Let’s start with the National Safety Council. 

The National Safety council’s guide to workplace violence lists these traits: overreactions, a depressive appearance, introversion.  

Why is that a problem?  

While these signs of workplace violence can also be signs of violence, they’re also just signs of autism. Autism is a very common disorder. According to the CDC, about 1 in 36 children have symptoms.  

Colloquially, it’s called a “hidden disorder” It’s something that is easily ignored and overlooked. 

Being a hidden disorder, there are many instances in which people with autism are misunderstood. At social gatherings, they may be cast as the loner. At school they may be called introverted. At work, they may be called violent. People with autism face all sorts of labels- labels that don’t focus on the person, but instead the disability they are born with. 

There are three main symptoms that I will be addressing: emotional outbursts, depressive appearance, and introversion. 

Emotional outbursts are the most common sign of workplace violence amongst my sources. According to the Autism Research Institute, emotional outbursts, or, “unreasonable overreactions,” are common. They are loud explosions of emotion that are typically harmless. 

One of the biggest stereotypes of autism is that autistic people are robots and do not have emotions. However, this is far from the case. I learned this for one simple reason: I know many autistic people. And I can tell you…they can be VERY emotional people! 

They just express emotions differently. Usually too little, or too much. But because of that, many autistic people appear to be depressed or have an absence of emotion. 

Yet even an absence of emotion is pegged as a sign of violence. According to the National Safety Council, “depression” or an absence of emotion, is considered a warning sign. Once again, a warning sign that unfairly targets autistic people. 

Along with depression, a common symptom of autism is introversion, or as is phrased in the workplace violence handbooks, “withdrawal.” Withdrawal is described as being a loner and unsociable, especially in workplace gatherings. It has a similar appearance to introversion. Autistic people, even if they are not introverts, appear that way. And even further than that, many people are…naturally introverted. Don’t you think that this is a harmful standard? 

Introversion…depression…emotional outbursts. 

Growing up, that’s what I saw “danger” portrayed as. People who were introverted, depressed, just a little weird. That pop culture stereotype of, “Don’t be mean to the quiet kid, you don’t know what they’ll do.” 

Then I grew up…and my friends started exhibiting those signs. Fidgeting, being anxious, withdrawn. In school, they just sit in a corner listening to music during lunch. Now, nothing ended up happening, but it could in the future. In the workplace. I’ve been told about those dirty looks, those paranoid glances…I’ve seen what it’s like to not be understood, and to be cast as something you’re not. Policies like this scare me. I don’t know if my friends could say the wrong thing and be accused of violence. Now, by strictly following these guidelines, someone could say my friends are potentially violent, but it’s not true.

This is not me saying that their experience is indicative of everyone’s. However, it does show that these sorts of policies affect people. It’s not just words on a page, it’s a culture. And that culture harms people. One in 36. 

So how did we get here? 

According to the National Autism Center, autism as a disorder was established in 1943, with ASD, autism spectrum disorder, being developed later. The diagnosis “autism” used to rely heavily on strict symptoms, not taking into account other forms of expressing the disorder, especially the expression in women.  

ASD accounted for all the forms autism can take, becoming a much more accurate and inclusive diagnosis. But many organizations did not change. The original diagnosis of autism caused many people, and organizations, to not recognize the fact that so many of their guidelines were…discriminatory. 

That’s the true problem with these guidelines. Not that they’re inaccurate, but that they’re discriminatory. 

Discrimination can take many forms: blatant racism, sexism. It can be hidden. It can be overgeneralization.  

These “signs of workplace violence” should not stand alone; after all, there are cases where it’s accurate. The key to fixing these policies is giving people an alternative- people who exhibit these signs shouldn’t immediately be called violent. Instead, consider multiple options. 

Modified policies like this already exist. For example, in regard to school shooting prevention, CNN reports that warning signs are based more in changes in behavior, not just the behavior in isolation. Context…is incredibly important. Yet, these workplace violence policies don’t have that stipulation.  

Instead, they just list the signs- signs that are too general…that are discriminatory. 

After 2020, there has been significant talk about systemic racism, sexism, homophobia. Yet, there has been nothing done about this. The hidden disorder, autism, has been demonized. Corporations created policies, a culture, telling the world that autism equals violence.  

Corporations have been working to fix problems with racial diversity and sexism in the workplace. The pieces are all there. What it takes now is to recognize there is a problem. It’s a subtle problem, a hidden one, just like the disorder it targets. But it’s fixable. 

And we should fix it. That way, we can help that child, that one in 36. So then, when they grow up, they will not be the one in 36 that is called…violent.