Hi, my name is john26!

john26

I was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at 55 years of age; that was three years ago. I have been out of work for 5 years, living off independent means. I am reaching the end of a divorce process having been married 27 years. I am looking to learn coping mechanism for my ASD, make new friends, long-term relationships, find a vocation/job to find a new purpose in life.

chiarieds

Hi @john26 - & welcome to the community from me also. Scope may be able to help you get a job, if you have a look at the info here: https://www.scope.org.uk/employment-services/

john26

Hi @chiarieds, thanks very much for your quick response. I will check out the links on the employment-service page.  I am just outside of the Greater Manchester area, does that mean I can't access services in that area?

chiarieds

Hi @john26 - it does say they're working online due to the pandemic, whether that's still the case, I'm sorry I don't know. Perhaps ring them to ask. If that doesn't work, then there's the 'Support to Work' programme.

john26

Hi @chiarieds - ok thanks, I will do.

Danielle_2022

Hi @john26,
Just wanted to quickly add: I'm sure you'll be able to find lots of people with similar experiences if you head over to the Autism and neurodiversity category, too. I wish you the best of luck in your job search and hope that you find the resources shared by @chiarieds to be helpful  

Alex_Alumni

Hello there @john26 and a warm welcome from me too, thanks for joining the community and sharing a bit about yourself.

If you need a hand with anything, just give us a shout

Alex