Aubergine is a venture by 2 Autistic friends with a vision for acceptance – We need a catering van!

Aubergine is the vision of two Autistic friends…

We need YOUR help. We’re raising £4000 to buy a used catering van, which will help us set sail on our first giant leap towards Autism Acceptance!

Statistics from the National Autistic Society and the Office of National Statistics tell us that only 16% of Autistic people are in full time work (compared with 80% of non-disabled people and 47% disabled people). Many of those who do work full time work well below their pay grade and skill set, because workplaces - even those that work in the field of disability - are not suitable environments for Autistic people.

From the point of application and interview, Autistic people are already at a disadvantage: Interviews are very much a social skills exam, meaning that Autistic people frequently lose out on being accepted for work that they may well be excellent at. We have learned that office etiquette, such as greetings and socialising, or face to face supervision meetings can often lead to ‘expectations not being met’ despite having completed work to a high standard, and the Autistic employee becoming isolated and even bullied. It’s a story we hear time and time again. A story both of us, Selena and Frankie, have struggled with for a long time.

So we’re looking to change this. We want to be able to afford to support ourselves and work to our potential, and we want to provide that opportunity for other Autistic adults too. We have BIG plans for a fantastic cafe and catering service run entirely by Autistic people, like us, with an autism-friendly business model that has been informed by evidence based research in business practices, management and architecture. In order for us to reach those goals, we have decided to start small and test all of our business practices thoroughly along the way, so that we can build a strong case for funding and partnerships on a much bigger scale.

So, in part one of our plan: We’re getting a van!

We need YOUR help. We’re raising £4000 to buy a used catering van, which will help us set sail on our first giant leap towards Autism Acceptance!