News and Knowledge

For this month’s Profile, OAR asked Kathy Martinez, assistant secretary of labor for disability employment policy who leads the Labor Department’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), to answer some questions about the office and how it can help people with autism spectrum disorders who are seeking employment.

Q: What is your office’s vision for what an “inclusive” workplace looks like?
A: Our overall vision is “a world in which people with disabilities have unlimited employment opportunities.” So, our vision for an inclusive workplace mirrors this on an individual workplace level. To us, an inclusive workplace is one that promotes equality and full access for people with disabilities, not just through polices on paper, but everyday practices.

Q: How does ODEP provide support to job seekers with autism and other disabilities?

A: The majority of our initiatives are cross-disability, taking into account the needs of people with a range of disabilities, including intellectual and cognitive. But there are some that may have particular relevance to people with autism spectrum disorders. For instance, our “Skills to Pay the Bills” curriculum was developed to assist educators and youth service providers in helping youth, both with and without disabilities, develop the necessary “soft” skills (e.g. oral communication, working with others, learning from mistakes) for workplace success. These resources may have particular benefit to youth with autism.

Also, one of our major policy focus areas in recent years has been accessible technology, and we have been very careful to address how this issue affects not only those with sensory disabilities, like blindness and deafness, but also intellectual and cognitive.

Q: How does ODEP provide support to employers/businesses?

A: This really gets to the core of our mission, so we do this in a number of ways, including educational materials and our technical assistance centers. One is the Job Accommodation Network (JAN), which provides one-on-one guidance to employers on workplace accommodation solutions for applicants and employees with disabilities, including those with autism. Our Employer Assistance and Resource Network (EARN) also provides assistance to employers, particularly when it comes to adopting and implementing disability-inclusive policies within their companies. Our Partnership on Employment & Accessible Technology (PEAT) is another way we support employers, by helping them understand how to make their workplace technology infrastructure accessible and the value to be gained by doing so.

Q: Can you give an example of one or two particular initiatives that are especially relevant for the autism community?

A: Sure. I just mentioned PEAT, and that is a really good example. We have worked hard to expand the conversation on accessible technology to go beyond those with sensory or physical disabilities. In fact, on the PEAT Web site we did an interview with Julia Bascom from the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, or ASAN. In it, she does a great job of explaining how technology, especially text-based communication options, has helped level the playing field for many people with autism when it comes to employment.

JAN, which I mentioned earlier, is also a great resource. It offers detailed guidance on effective workplace accommodations for people with all sorts of disabilities, including autism. This information can be accessed on the JAN Web site. Once on the site, just choose “A-Z of Disabilities” and then autism spectrum disorders. This information can empower people with autism in seeking employment and optimizing their productivity once on the job. In addition, ASAN’s president and co-founder, Ari Ne’eman, was a guest speaker on a free (and archived) JAN webcast on understanding and accommodating autism spectrum disorders in the workplace. ASAN also provided input on JAN’s Accommodation and Compliance Series document on employees with autism spectrum disorders. Both the webcast and document can be accessed at the JAN Web site as well.

Q: What are some of the biggest challenges your office addresses?

A: That’s a great question. Really, the biggest challenges are attitudinal. There are a lot of misconceptions out there, and my guess is that this is not news to those of you in the autism community. There are people who don’t think people with disabilities, whether physical or developmental, can work. And sometimes people with disabilities get trapped in this mindset themselves – they don’t think they have the skills or ability to get a job. Others may be told by their family members that they will never work. Sometimes cultural factors come into play. People, parents in particular, may want to shelter their family members with disabilities, to keep them safe. This may stem from best intentions, of course, but in the end it doesn’t always serve them well.

We also need to ensure that employers understand the value and talent people with disabilities have to offer. Again, the key is attitude change. And I feel that we’ve made a lot of progress on this in recent years. But we still have a long way to go. That’s why, in addition to the resources I mentioned earlier, we have what’s called the Campaign for Disability Employment. This campaign seeks to challenge misconceptions by highlighting the skills and talents of people with disabilities. In fact, one of the campaign’s public service announcements, titled “Because,” included a high-school student named Jonathan, who has Asperger syndrome and is also a talented artist.

Q: For a young adult with autism seeking work, what’s the best place to start?

A: As with all things, information is power. So, I would recommend arming yourself with information about strategies other people with autism have used to succeed in the workplace. While you are in school, use your Individual Education Plan (IEP) and, if you happen to be in one of the 38 states that have them, your Individualized Learning Plan (ILP) to explore a variety of careers to find out what you like and what you are good at. Most important, while you are in high school, make sure you get some real-life work experience, whether it be through an internship, service learning, a summer job, or an apprenticeship, because this is the one thing that research tells us is most important to ultimate employment success for people with disabilities.

And, of course, network, network, network with anyone and everyone who may be in a position to help you!  These may be teachers, service providers, or family friends, and you can do a lot of it electronically through email and social media. Ask them if they know of opportunities, and if they work in a field you are interested in, ask them how they got into it. Also, I recommend a few job-searching resources. One is GettingHired.com, a Web site that focuses solely on connecting employers with job seekers with disabilities. Another is the nationwide network of American Job Centers (AJCs), which offer a broad range of employment services free of charge. If you haven’t connected with your closest AJC, I would highly encourage you to do so!  Many have youth-specific programs. Some also have disability resource coordinators who are specifically focused on assisting youth and adults with disabilities. Even if an AJC doesn’t have a youth program or disability resource coordinator, it can still help you with your job search. To locate your nearest AJC, go to http://www.servicelocator.org.