'You've got to give people with ADHD and autism a chance to work'

"With ADHD and autism, I'd always get the interview, but never get the job."

For Cameron Clarke trying to find work after university was a familiar pattern; application, interview, rejection, repeat.

The 26-year-old spent more than a year searching unsuccessfully for employment after graduating - and he is not alone.

According to a recent review there are around 680,000 people of working age with an autism diagnosis in the UK, but just 30% of those are employed.

Report author Sir Robert Buckland said the lack of autistic people in work meant employers and the wider economy were "missing out on the skills and energy that autistic people could be contributing, to the detriment of us all".

In North Yorkshire, one charity is aiming to change that.

York Community Furniture Store runs the IT ReUse Project - which refurbishes old phones and computers - and offers volunteering and job opportunities to the long-term unemployed or disadvantaged.

For Cameron, his time volunteering at the project has helped him land a job on the IT service desk at a major insurance company.

"I understand computers better than I normally understand people," he says, before calling for more support to "give these people a chance".

Cameron is not alone in his praise for the IT ReUse Project and says he will continue to give up his time to help.

"There's not enough for me to give back to say thank you for getting me where I am," he says.

Tyler Potter was unemployed for five years before securing a job with the project, where he is now the workshop supervisor.

"It changed my life completely," he says.

"I was able to wake up feeling energised for the first time in my life.

"It really gave me a bounce, something to go out and do, and something to contribute my skills to."

Daniel Lee has ADHD and autism and has been volunteering with the project for a year and a half.

"Here, I can be me," he says. "We can sit and talk about things we have in common, but I can also sit and look at a laptop and know what's wrong with it.

"Seeing how a laptop, that someone might throw away, can make a big difference to someone's life, you can't describe it, that feeling you get knowing you're going out and doing good."

Katy Ridsdill-Smith, chief executive of Community Furniture Store, says: "There needs to be more support out there for people who are struggling to find work, particularly people who are neurodiverse. It's a really challenging and daunting prospect.

"More needs to be done on a government level, but also projects like these are fundamental in giving people those opportunities in a safe and welcoming environment."

A spokesperson for the Department for Work and Pensions said everyone should have an equal opportunity to work, saying it was "exploring how to improve support for neurodivergent people in the workplace".

They said: "Our Get Britain Working White Paper announced measures to improve employment outcomes for disabled people, including the 'Keep Britain Working' review, which will look at how employers can recruit and retain disabled people and people with health conditions."

Anyone who wishes to donate old devices to the ITReUse Project can drop their items off at collection points in York and Selby.

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