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Creating Inclusive Work Environments for Employees with Disabilities
Historically, adults with disabilities have faced high levels of discrimination in the workplace environment. The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, or ADA, was enacted in an effort to eradicate discrimination against employees with disabilities while also requiring employers to provide...
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Disclosing an ASD Diagnosis: There is Another Option
You are on the spectrum and searching for jobs. You’ve prepared your resume, practiced interview skills, written cover letters, applied for jobs. You also might have considered whether or not to disclose your diagnosis. If you were diagnosed as a child, then, growing up everyone around you...
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What Employers Need to Know About Asperger’s Syndrome: Accommodating Managers and Professionals on the Spectrum
There is increasing evidence, albeit anecdotal, that autism is now on the radar screens of employers. Last year, SAP, the giant software company, pledged that in the next few years 1% of its workforce will be individuals on the autism spectrum. The announcement generated widespread publicity....
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The Impact of Expressive, Receptive, and Pragmatic Language Deficits in the Workplace
Most individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have vocational strengths and are increasingly being hired by small businesses and corporate chains. ASD, by definition, is characterized by communication deficits. Once hired, these deficits present as challenges for individuals with ASD....
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Autism in the Workplace: Identifying Opportunities and Providing Support
Between 1997 and 2011, the unemployment rate of those diagnosed with disabilities has ranged from 72% to 88%. This is an astounding number of persons with disabilities and Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), specifically, without a job. Despite the enthusiasm, motivation, and dependability so many job...
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Assistive Technology Need Not Be So Technical
When most people think of the word “technology,” they imagine iPads, tablet PCs, or internet-ready glasses. Technology, though, just means machinery or equipment developed for practical purposes. This different understanding of the word “technology” can shift a practitioner’s focus from...
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Career Planning for People on the Autism Spectrum
As autistic kids graduate from high school and enter adulthood, parents ask, “What’s next?” Some will go to college, others won’t, but many will want to enter the work force. But what kind of work is the individual suited for? Everyone on the spectrum is different. Deciding on a career...
