National Disability Employment Awareness Month Reflection 

By: Jose Velasco, SVP of Strategic Operations at the Autism Society of America 

As the newest member of the Autism Society of America Family, I’d like to thank you for your continued support and for allowing me a moment to share a few thoughts on employment as we celebrate National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). 

Prior to joining the Autism Society team SVP of Strategic Operations, I spent more than 35 years in the software industry, at the intersection of business and technology.  What I consider to be my most rewarding professional experience did not happen in the technology space, but through a program I led for seven years which focused on creating an alternate path to professional success for Autistic individuals at SAP, a transnational software company with presence in 190 countries. This program, called Autism at Work program, yielded close to 700 opportunities for Autistic individuals. These opportunities ranged from high school student growth programs to full-time jobs for qualified professionals and from task-oriented back-office to next-generation technology roles.  During this time, I witnessed the art of the possible, and what happens when we are intentional about creating alternatives for people who bring a different perspective and style to the workplace. Seeing my Autistic colleagues thrive despite the occasional stumble was truly inspiring. 

As parents of children on the spectrum, we dream that our kids will achieve happiness and as much self-determination as possible. We also hope for a world that would adapt a bit more to their style versus them having to do all the heavy lifting. We wish for some elasticity in the definition of wonderful, because they can be wonderful in their unique way. And as individual abilities allow, we also hope that they can enjoy the dignity of work. But an employment opportunity shouldn’t be a moonshot.  The time has come to extend our dialogue from the “in-spite of Autism” to the “because of Autism” as we recognize the strengths and abilities of those on the Autism spectrum.  

But these opportunities for employment will not take place on their own. For these job opportunities to take place we have to solve for five problems: 

1. Optimization and Scale of the Current Labor Market Ecosystem: our nascent (10+ year old) neurodiversity labor market ecosystem composed of private and public sectors, civil societies, K-12, philanthropic and higher-education institutions as well as the Autistic community has demonstrated that it is possible to systematically source, hire and sustain neuro-distinct individuals in the workplace. The next big rock to move will be the optimization, scalability and sustainability of current models and systems, specifically as these relate to the interlocks between different organizations like employers and service providers.
2. The Early Start Problem: the labor market journey of an Autistic individual doesn’t start with a job itself, but with earlier opportunities (or lack thereof) such as volunteer opportunities, internships, apprenticeships and mentorships. We have to do a better job at fostering these types of opportunities as stepping stones for permanent employment.
3. Customizable Job Journeys: we have to be mindful that not everyone’s needs, desires and/or capabilities may align with a full-time paid job. For this reason, it is important to re-define a person’s journey to employment and employment-related opportunities. Not every journey will end in a full-time paid position. We have to address the needs of folks whose circumstances and/or desires would take them to part-time, seasonal and/or volunteer opportunities as an end-state. These types of opportunities have to be valued as well.
4. The Caregiver Perspective: parents and caregivers work too. It is important that the there are supports and consideration for caregivers to participate in the job market as well, while having additional unpaid labor responsibilities. 
5. Unlocking Value Awareness beyond our Community: we believe that there is enormous potential at the intersection of business and social value. For this reason, the Autism Society of America is fully engaged with key members of the employment ecosystem; together, we are focused on the ideation of new methods to scale and sustain employment and employment-related opportunities for Autistic people. But if the value of successful employment programs is not unlocked and shared, this value will remain unseen. We have to do a better job at sharing successes beyond “our community,” because if we don’t expand our reach, we will run into echo chamber challenges.  

While we acknowledge that “we are not there yet,” we believe that the wheels are in motion to evolve current employment efforts for Autistic people from the extraordinary to the ordinary. As we celebrate National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), we ask you to join us in this journey; it is only through your support that we will be able to facilitate the dignity of work for our Autistic friends, family, neighbors and community at large.