Finding a job can be tough enough, but people with autism can face a more difficult task because of misperceptions.
Jessica Finn was non-verbal for the first years of her life and said people had a habit of underestimating her.
"It can be hard to get your foot in the door for employment," the 22-year-old Queenslander said.
She hopes Autism Awareness month, April, will bring greater understanding and acceptance.
"I don't think anyone would like it if you were to pick on someone for the way they are and made them feel that they have to change, and I felt like that for many years," Ms Finn said.
She is studying visual arts at TAFE and has a goal of living out of home with the help of her teachers at STEPS Pathways College.
The Sunshine Coast school helps people with a disability develop skills geared toward independent living.
It's #SeeMe campaign aims to dispel misconceptions about hiring young people with a disability, mental health issue or other barrier to employment.
Ms Finn wants to see a more accurate portrayal in the media of the reality of living with disability.
"A lot of it isn't positive and I tend not to watch that sort of stuff because I don't want to feel like I'm being mocked," she said.
The use of narrow stereotypes can lead to the belief people with autism are all the same.
"We're all different ... no autistic person is the same, we all have our different quirks," she said.
Her comments coincide with new findings showing that autistic adults can be wrongly perceived as deceptive and lacking credibility.
A study of more than 1400 people highlighted common behaviours including gaze aversion, repetitive body movements, literal interpretations of figurative language and poor reciprocity, Flinders University researchers said.
"It's unfortunate that many of the behaviours that are believed to be portrayed by people who are being deceptive, often erroneously, are also commonly seen among people on the autism spectrum," researcher Robyn Young said.
A Disability Royal Commission has been examining the effectiveness of providers tasked with finding work for people with a wide range of skills and abilities.
A lack of appropriate support, poor client outcomes and clients placed in jobs that are a poor match were common problems reported in responses to it's employment issues paper.
Some disability employment service providers focus resources on people more likely to get job while giving little help to those considered more disadvantaged, investigations found.
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Australian Associated Press
