Mr. Stephen Coates:

I thank Deputy Cairns. She spoke from the heart and I love that. Regarding the community employment schemes, the problematic one for me was flexibility. When I was working on that scheme, one staff member was doing everything and it took that person the full eight hours. I can fully understand that part. When it became the two of us working on the scheme, however, it was a much lighter workload. Everything was done within six hours, including the final clean-up. That left us basically twiddling our thumbs for two hours, which was tortuous for someone like me who has ADHD.

Another aspect I wish to mention concerns applying for jobs. I have applied for jobs online in the past. I know this is going to sound stupid, but the computer systems in some places will check CVs sent in online. If any problem words are detected, such as "disability", for example, a rejection letter is automatically sent out to that applicant. One rejection letter I got stated the company concerned did not have the supports to facilitate someone like me. In my CV as well, however, I had also mentioned that I do not require any additional supports. I do not need someone standing and looking over my shoulder. That was a big red flag in respect of annoyance for me.