Employment

Although many Autistic adults are both willing and able to work, there are significant barriers confronting us in the job market. Some of these barriers have to do with characteristics of autism that require accommodation in the workplace, such as sensory hypersensitivities that can make fluorescent lights painful, or auditory processing issues that can cause difficulty with noisy environments and telephone conversations. Other barriers arise from lack of supports in the community, such as inadequate public transportation restricting job opportunities for those who cannot drive. The Autistic population also faces widespread employment discrimination as a result of ignorance and stereotypes about autism, other prejudices related to differences in speech and body language, and an interview process that relies heavily on spoken communication even if a high level of verbal fluency is not necessary to do the job.

As a consequence, many Autistic individuals either cannot find work, are underemployed in jobs that do not make good use of their skills, or face unnecessary stress every day in the workplace because accommodations have not been made for their needs. Employers often are unaware of the practical details of how to accommodate workers with disabilities and mistakenly assume the costs to be much higher than they actually are. Governmental efforts to enforce the equal employment opportunity laws should include providing thorough and accurate information to employers on how they can accommodate Autistic workers, with a clear explanation of the employer’s legal obligations in this process. When employers fail to meet their obligations, legal action may be necessary, and sufficient funding should be provided to ensure thorough agency enforcement efforts.

Transition assistance programs should be provided to help people on the autism spectrum who are entering or re-entering the workforce. Some individuals may need job coaching and other services and supports as they adjust to a new position. These programs benefit both the workers and the community as their clients are enabled to become productive taxpayers. Agencies providing such services should be careful to avoid stereotypes of what kinds of jobs Autistic workers can do; they should look upon each client as an individual and should try to help the client to find a job well matched to his or her particular abilities and interests. Other services and supports that are not directly related to employment but that have a significant impact on workers with disabilities, such as public transportation, should be made more widely available.