The Good News!
The Good News!
Topic 6: The Good News!
The Good News! Believe it or not, there has been a common trend in the hiring world that benefits people with autism.
As the number of neurodiverse individuals graduate and enter the college and career world, there has been a trend to create opportunities and modified spaces and schedules for these individuals, such as allowing employees to wear noise cancelling headphones, providing a cubicle in a quieter area, and providing checklists, or chunking tasks. Some of it is at a grassroots level, but major employers are also seeing the benefits of having neurodiverse employees including those with ASD.
Forty-two percent of people with ASD have not been employed in their early 20's. This is the lowest employment rate for people with disabilities. Rates of employment: learning disability 95%, speech/language impairment 91%, emotional disturbance 91%, intellectual disability 74% and autism 58%. (Roux et al., 2015) Having realized this number, and recognizing the skill set that individuals with ASD hold, businesses are realizing the untapped resource they have at their fingertips (Lam, 2016). During 2016, "the workforce saw a range of employment initiatives, most of them extra-governmental, often driven by the energy of persons on the autism spectrum, advocates and parents." (Bernick, 2016)
Three groups emerge in this trend - targeted hiring and retention by major firms, autism-focused businesses, and self-employment and internet based creative collectives (Bernick, 2016). As mentioned earlier, Microsoft implemented an "Autism at Work" initiative, in addition to other hiring initiatives, to include individuals with autism and so that their company can mirror the world we live in. If you missed the video earlier, view it again here.
Tech firms like Google, CableLabs, and Hewlett Packard have targeted employment of people with ASD. In addition to tech firms, large companies like Best Buy, Deloitte, Willis Towers Watson and Ford Motor have been partnering with Specialisterne, a consulting firm that specializes in autism employment (Bernick, 2016).
SAP is another company that realizes the potential of hiring those with ASD.
Please watch this short (3 min) video about SAP's Autism at Work project initiated in 2017. Video is subtitled. Click here for full video transcript.
Working on a smaller scale, many autism-focused businesses are being created as "social enterprises," to hire adults with ASD and focus on their employment strengths. Companies including Hart, Shafner & Marx (suit makers) in Chicago, Country Financial (insurance) in Champaign, as well as libraries in IL are committed to hiring individuals with ASD. In Florida, the Rising Tide Car Wash is a business opened by family of a young man with ASD. Rising Tide employs predominantly individuals with ASD. These employees have found success, developed friendships, and learned skills that they can use during employment with Rising Tide or can take with them into another career, if they choose. This video gives a great perspective on what they, and other small businesses like them, do for people with ASD.
Additionally, Hart, Shafner and Marx (suit makers) in Chicago, insurance company Country Financial in Champaign, IL and libraries in Illinois, are committed to hiring individuals with ASD. The Teaching Hotel in Indiana is committed to hiring and training people with autism and other disabilities in the hospitality field. Other small businesses with the same focus are cropping up.This includes businesses that have been developed by people with autism for people with autism. For example, a company called Pete's Petstones was developed by an individual with autism who loved working with concrete and also loved animals. Made by Brad holds a similar story of a father and son developing a furniture assembly business from the son's love of legos.
Bernick lists ULTRA Testing (software testing), Spectrum Designs (shirt design), Platinum Bay Software, Chocolate Spectrum (chocolatiers), and SMILE Biscotti as some of over 50 small autism-focused businesses nationwide.
As in all fields and for people with all abilities, working for yourself, or building a business on the internet is a growth opportunity. Bernick gives many examples:
- Picasso Einstein - provides courses and resources for those seeking self-employment
- The Art of Autism - fosters independence, self-esteem, and artistic expression through participation in The Art of Autism Project
- Autistic Creatives Collectives - working to identify and support opportunities for jobs, projects and potential careers for adults on the autism spectrum who have creative talents, and to enable industries to take advantage of their creative talents.
The good news continues to unfold for people with ASD. With the help of some of the above resources, people can become self-employed. That was the case of Greg B., born in 1973, who explains how self-employment changed his life.
For the most part, I'm much happier during my five years of underemployment/unemployment, than the 11-year period of full-time work. It allowed me to establish a small yoga/meditation practice. These activities have provided a wealth of life transformation and personal growth"
(Greg B, as cited by Carley, 2016).
Starting your own business does not come without its challenges, but there are ways to make it less daunting. Interning or volunteering at a workplace of personal interest or a library, may be a good start. Not only can you learn about the business itself, but also about how the business is run and managed. You will learn more about training opportunities in the next section.
Activity: Think about some of the jobs and job seeking experiences you've had. Now imagine what it would be like if you had autism. Are there resources available to help you find employment? If so, are they the same resources you would have used if you had autism? If not, how would you go about finding opportunities?
References
Bernick, M. (2017, January 04). Where is autism employment heading in 2017? Retrieved March 2, 2018, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelbernick/2016/12/13/where-is-autism-employment-heading-in-2017/#22c56dff1e35
Carley, M. J. (2016). Unemployed on the autism spectrum: How to cope productively with the effects of unemployment and job hunt with confidence. London: Jessica Kingsley.
Lam, B. (2016, December 28). Companies hiring workers with autism. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/12/autism-workplace/510959/