Topic 6: Employment in the Library

"Think not of what autistic people can do for libraries, but rather what this

individual autistic can do for this library"

(Gyasi Burks-Abbott, Targeting Autism Forum 2018).

How can we help as librarians? Libraries across the country are helping people with skills training, career information, and the job searching skills they need to find employment. (Hildreth, 2009) "Ninety-six percent of libraries offer online job and employment resources, and 78 percent offer programs to help people apply for jobs. Libraries receive federal funding and grants from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to help their customers-including people with disabilities-find and keep a job." (Hildreth, 2009) Turning outward to the community and area schools, could prove to be substantial for employing people with ASD in the library. Creating partnerships or "pipelines" with schools can help people with ASD transition into volunteer or paid opportunities in the library. Many times, people with ASD find refuge and comfort in their school libraries, and they should know that their community library provides similar opportunities and assistance to those same students once they graduate. Libraries can help young adults with autism focus on skills and behaviors that enhance their abilities and put them into the workforce. An example comes from School Library Journal. Sneha Kohli Mathur, CEO and Co-Founder of Spectrum Success provides a service that, "helps older adolescents transition from school to the workforce by conducting a behavior evaluation and then creating a personal program to address behaviors and provide training for a job that interests the client. Libraries can partner with vocational programs by inviting individuals with ASD to work-either for pay or as a volunteer. That's what Renee Grassi did at the Glencoe (IL) Public Library when she supervised a high school student on the autism spectrum who worked as a volunteer" (Okyle, 2015).

Activity: A local high school contacts you for consultation and assistance regarding students who are transitioning from high school to college, career, and the workforce. What would be some opportunities or programs that you could provide for students with ASD in late spring and over the summer as they prepare for their next step?

So where do we begin as librarians? Libraries can offer many choices and opportunities for people with ASD and those options can be customized according to their interests, abilities, and social skills. Start by thinking about volunteer options. "'Libraries can offer teens with autism the opportunity to volunteer because libraries are orderly places with predictability and rules, and it works well with a population of very literal thinkers,' says Grassi, who is now Youth Services Manager at Dakota County Library System in Minnesota. During the student volunteer term, she accommodated the student's individual needs by communicating in concrete, literal, direct terms. When direct sentences didn't work, visual cues like drawings helped him understand instructions." (Okyle, 2015)

Teenagers and adults need advocates in the library. Renee Grassi, former director of the youth department at the Glen Ellyn, IL Library intentionally connected with the autistic community. She worked with special education professionals in the school district to provide young people with the skills they needed to interact with people and become independent. (Okyle, 2015) "I focused on practicing social skills because they may not be as adept at social cues and honing those skills, says Grassi." (Okyle, 2015)

References

Hildreth, S. H. (2017, February 09). For employment training and assistance, look to your local library. Retrieved from https://www.imls.gov/news-events/upnext-blog/2014/10/employment-training-and-assistance-look-your-local-library

Okyle, C., Travis Jonker on February 25, 2018, Brigid Alverson on February 24, 2018, Lori Henderson on February 23, 2018, Robin Willis on February 23, 2018, Elizabeth Bird on February 23, 2018, . . . Amanda MacGregor on February 22, 2018. (2015, November 03). Almost adult, with autism. Retrieved February 25, 2018, from http://www.slj.com/2015/10/teens-ya/almost-adult-with-autism/