Education

How People With Autism Can Find Training And Jobs


April is National Autism Awareness Month, and it’s also a time of transition. Students and recent graduates, including neurodiverse teenagers, begin to seek places in the professional world. In the U.S., one in 54 children are affected by autism spectrum disorder. Marlene Sotelo, the Chief Operating Officer at the Els for Autism Foundation, and Michael Alessandri, Clinical Professor and Executive Director of the University of Miami-Nova Southeastern University Center for Autism and Related Disabilities, share their view of job education and training for young adults on the spectrum. 

Julia Brodsky: What are some of the biggest challenges people with autism face when they are looking for employment and training?

Marlene Sotelo: One of the biggest challenges is competing for limited opportunities with the neurotypical population that has also been out of work. Another challenge is that large industries still lack experience in supporting employees on the spectrum. However, with Microsoft, SAP,  Dell, Ernst and Young, and others creating disability employment initiatives, I hope we can get big industry on board. It is heartwarming to see some compassionate small companies, including mom and pop shops, such as Oceana Coffee Roasters we work with, moving in this direction, too. 

Brodsky: What do businesses gain by training and hiring neurodiverse employees?

Michael Alessandri: The environment of inclusivity helps to elevate the culture of the company. There are individuals with undisclosed disability within all companies. By putting these types of supports in place, it helps for retention of your employees. Many people have relatives affected by a disability. When the company demonstrates a commitment to a broader diversity, it really connects with employees on a deeper level. And every company should consider where people with disabilities, regardless of their functioning level, can fit in. 

The pandemic has been helpful in educating neurotypical people about the power of visual supports and visual engineering of environments, such as handwashing and social distancing signs. These types of visual support are among what is needed to make job environments more welcoming for neurodiverse employees. And this type of environment and training pays back. Recently, a carwash company, Rising Tide Car Wash, began to hire people on the spectrum. They went from washing 3,000 cars a month to washing 17,000 cars a month, all by employing reliable, focused, neurodiverse employees.

Brodsky: Are there any legal obstacles for training and hiring people with disabilities?

Alessandri: Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) laws are a good starting point in providing protection for physically disabled, blind, deaf, and hard-of-hearing individuals. Laws have been put in place to ensure that they have access to buildings and access to employment. We need to broaden that universal design concept to the unseen needs of individuals with autism, such as visual supports. 

Brodsky: What are some good practices to educate and train people on the spectrum?

Sotelo: We’ve created a 10-work experience training program. We have a set curriculum that we developed to teach them soft skills, as well as professional and interview skills. That also gives them experience to add to their resume. One of the challenges is matching the person’s interest to available opportunities. We establish relationships with companies – everything from bakeries to Publix, G4S, Computer Aid, Inc. and more – helping to carve specialized jobs for our trainees. We also educate potential employers on alternative hiring practices. One of the biggest challenges for people on the spectrum is the social communication aspect of the interview; the best practice is to allow the individual’s skills to come out through a task-oriented interview. For example, I once interviewed a person for a facility manager position. I was showing them the things that were broken, and they would tell me how to fix them. This way, a potential hire can demonstrate whether they can meet the demands of the job.

Brodsky: Where could businesses that want to hire neurodiverse people get some training and advice?

Alessandri: There are organizations like ours all around the world that are willing to step in and support businesses. The US Office of Disability Employment Policy for Autism coordinates with employers to increase employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Plus, every state has an Autism Society of America chapter. And vocational rehabilitation departments in each state are a good resource that could connect the employer with a vocational rehabilitation vendor like ELS for Autism Foundation. The “Building A Neurodiverse Workforce” conference is one of many resources available to businesses interested in initiating a neurodiverse workforce program.

Our online course, The Autism Advantage, helps individuals with autism and their families who might want to create their own businesses. We have also created employer training modules, open to those businesses who would like to educate themselves. 

We should remember that everyone is employable. It’s a matter of finding the right task, finding the right job, making sure the right supports are in place, and making sure the culture of the organization is able to sustain that employee through difficult moments.



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