Employment: What Works and What Doesn't Work

by Dora Raymaker · 2009-04-07 16:00:00 UTC
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glowing icon of a battery on dark background, there is a '+' on the right side of the battery and a '-' on the left side of the batteryUS News and World Report story Teens with autism looking for jobs gives concrete examples of employment approaches that work for people with a wide range of interests and abilities, and echoes ideas I've covered here on finding jobs to fit people, employment practices for the whole spectrum, and Employment First programs.

Barriers of course continue to be some of the very government programs that are supposed to help, especially for older people who were not necessarily well supported by modern programs to begin with, as well as attitudes about autism, disability, and employment (including misguided notions by service workers who want to change people to fit a narrow range of jobs). In my state, only a small percentage of former special ed students are getting jobs.

Approaching the employment problem both from the direction of what is working and from the direction of what is not working can provide valuable insight into solutions. Removing barriers and encouraging facilitators are both necessary. As is "thinking outside the box."

Dora Raymaker
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