Topic 6: Library Support and Opportunities: Employment of People on the Spectrum

Introduction

When people with ASD graduate from high school and move on to the college and career world, resources and support decline significantly. People with ASD have trouble finding employment, as well as keeping employment due to a number of factors. The symptoms of autism, such as executive functioning impairments, difficulty with social skills and communication, sensory issues, and difficulty with successfully regulating behaviors and managing emotions all contribute to making the search for employment challenging. All of these make it that much harder for people with autism to get an interview, pass the interview or second interview process just to secure the job. Another factor is keeping the job. Many highly educated adults have lost jobs because of miscommunication with their supervisor, "odd" behaviors, or socially inappropriate behaviors. This is simply due to the fact that they didn't know how to properly communicate or behave in the workplace or perform in a way that was considered socially appropriate (M. Pelich, personal communication, 2018).

In addition to these struggles, employers are intimidated by possible accommodations for people with ASD, as well as how they will "fit in" to the workplace when collaborating with fellow coworkers. This is, however, if accomodating people with ASD is even on their radar. Most employers think of equality in terms of race and gender, forgetting about those with disabilities. If they do think of accommodating those with disabilities, they often think of physical disabilities, such as providing access to those in a wheelchair. Lastly, an employer can only make accommodations and offer supports if the individual has disclosed their disability.

There is much discussion among autistic self-advocates around whether or not to disclose their disability and how to do it properly. Disclosing ASD is a personal choice. Disclosing ASD may be as simple as discussing what things may be challenging on the job, not explicitly stating that one has ASD. It is an option to try to advocate for oneself as soon as it is necessary. Some choose to wait until after hiring to disclose the diagnosis, as disclosure "may hurt [one's] chances during the interview process, whereas [employees] are protected by the ADA once hired." (Simone, 2010, p. 118)

There are many ways people with ASD can find employment, whether it involves training, workshops, or organizational support. However, volunteering can be one of the most successful ways find employment opportunities for people with ASD (Gill, 2018). Opportunities volunteering in libraries can not only lead to employment in the library, but also employment beyond the library. Volunteering in a public space, such as the library, with many procedures and systems in place provide a structure for people with ASD, while offering them a place for the development of social skills. In addition to this, libraries can provide information regarding employment resources, including community partners and autism organizational support.

There are a number of organizations that currently exist or are being established to provide resources and employment opportunities for people with ASD after high school. Another developing sector is the organizations that are now working with those with ASD to help close the employment gap and create independent people in the workforce. These organizations are working with people with ASD to become successful job hunters, find employment, become more independent, and thus begin closing the employment gap.

Learning Outcomes

After completing this Topic, learners will be able to:

• Identify employment gaps for people with ASD;
• Understand why it is difficult for people with ASD to find employment opportunities and how they can overcome these challenges;
• Locate and describe employment training opportunities for people with ASD;
• Create employment opportunities for people with ASD in the library; and
• Guide people with ASD to resources and opportunities for employment.