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3 autistic people founded a job platform for nd people.

techcrunch.com Sam Altman-backed Mentra aims to match neurodivergent jobseekers with ideal jobs | TechCrunch

Neurodivergent individuals often have a harder time finding jobs than their non-neurodivergent counterparts. Unemployment for neurodivergent adults runs

Sam Altman-backed Mentra aims to match neurodivergent jobseekers with ideal jobs | TechCrunch

I read the article but I didn’t check out the platform yet. Thought it might be useful for my fellow autistic people.

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[HN] Mentra aims to match neurodivergent jobseekers with jobs
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[TECHCRUNCH] Sam Altman-backed Mentra aims to match neurodivergent jobseekers with ideal jobs

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  • I think you might be the one that's misunderstanding my point. Or the scope of what is being proposed here.

    My point is not an objection to other methods being out there but a realistic look at what is being proposed here.

    I am also autistic. I have met other autistic people that are high functioning like myself, even in social situations, I have met some that are completely debilitated by noise but are otherwise perfectly capable people, I have met some that are non verbal but can work a computer like a prodigy, and I've met one who will straight up never be able to have even a semi normal life.

    Want to know what the common threads between them are? Beyond an ASD diagnosis, not a lot. One person's fixation is another person's trigger, one's need for white noise is another's audial hellscape. AI has difficulty navigating neurotypical behaviour, despite the latter having the most research behind it, never mind neurodiversity. And a mis step can lead to a trigger or a meltdown.

    So yeah, there isn't really a one-size-fits-all approach. When bringing it outside to include more than just ASD, you're going to find it hard to find even a one-size-fits-most approach. You kinda need that if you want to make a scalable online service.

    • I got your point right from the beginning. I just don’t think it makes any difference. And I dont feel like you’re trying to get mine as well.

      Without AI the situation is already bad. With AI the situation might improve or not but blanket denying it makes no sense to me.

      Also, we dont use the term „high functioning“ anymore since it is putting people into boxes. Source: https://www.telethonkids.org.au/news--events/news-and-events-nav/2019/june/researchers-call-for-term-high-functioning-autism/#:~:text=Autism researchers from the Telethon,children on the autism spectrum.

      • Without AI the situation is already bad. With AI the situation might improve or not but blanket denying it makes no sense to me.

        Because you cannot solve complex problems with buzzwords. Saying AI can fix it is like saying crypto can fix it.

        AI is a very useful tool. To make the best use of it, you need to understand how it works and what it's shortcomings can be.

        In this situation, you're going to constantly run head-first into AI's biggest weaknesses: the quality of the output program is shit when there isn't good data.

        Without AI the situation is already bad. With AI the situation might improve or not but blanket denying it makes no sense to me.

        How, theoretically, would an AI recruiter actually help in your situation? Remember it's still only a recruiter; you'll have to go through interviews anyway with human beings.

        Also, we dont use the term „high functioning“ anymore since it is putting people into boxes.

        What is the preferred term?

        • If you had read the website instead of fighting me, you would know that they are asking questions like „what situations spike your anxiety“ and „what are your strongest interests“.

          AI is not the main feature. The main feature is understanding ND folks and their differences.

          What is the preferred term?

          There is none afaik. We‘re autistic. Some of us are gifted, others have learning disabilities and others again have neither of those. The idea imo is that a severely learning disabled autistic person and a gifted autistic person could stand in for eachother instead of being divided by words since they share the base condition.

          • There is none afaik. We‘re autistic. Some of us are gifted, others have learning disabilities and others again have neither of those. The idea imo is that a severely learning disabled autistic person and a gifted autistic person could stand in for eachother instead of being divided by words since they share the base condition.

            While I understand the sentiment...that's a massive messaging failure, especially when you're representing a group of people that largely already have issues communicating.

            Labels don't just exist to bully people. They exist to get ideas across effectively. NTs rely on labelling for quick and effective communication, so if you don't have accepted ones... they'll make their own, with your permission or not. And you may not like what they come up with.

            We'd be better off taking a page from the LGBT playbook here. They have their accepted labels for identifying pretty much every offshoot there is, in the service of quickly communicating the idea. Like when you hear someone is gay, you know they're a guy that's into men, or depending on context, a woman that's into other women, etc.

            We could have non derogatory labels for people who can live independently, those that might have hearing sensitivity considerations, those that need a bit more help, etc. It would actually do wonders when we talk about our autism to NTs. It would do away with a lot of the harmful stereotypes and myths too.

            • I get your point. But you have to accept that autism and the community around it is like a billion years younger than lgbtq. It’s a good idea to work out this stuff but it will take time.

              Also, low and high functioning never had anything to do with being able to live alone. It was derogatory because it split people in two different boxes that had no meaning other than a crude division. It is a bad idea to label someone „low functioning“.

              In any case, I‘d really like to not discuss these basics too much anymore because they have been discussed at length a thousand times already. I suggest you buy a book or read online to get these basics down.

              Books I liked: Unmasking Autism by Devon Price, The complete guide on aspergers syndrome by tony attwood and my wife is currently reading a hidden force by ed thompson and one more that I cant find the name of. I hope this helps.

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