Being Fired for a Manifestation of My Disability

 "I did not even know that I had a disability at the time. If I had, I would have definitely done something to prevent losing my job."
Read more in the Prism, the autismNOW newsletter from the National Autism Resource and Information Center.

Just in case you missed it...

February Prism

Employment

By Karen Wolf-Branigin
Director, Autism NOW Center

The February 2014 Autism NOW Center Prism newsletter is about employment. For many people, their job is a prominent part of who they are as a person. Those who aren’t part of the workforce often face financial burden, low self-confidence and a feeling of social isolation. Unfortunately, people with disabilities, especially those with ASD, face extremely high unemployment rates.

Early in my career, I directed a supported employment program where I learned these important lessons:

Prism: Employment
More to read in this issue:

Employment: Autism NOW Resources

Employment: What are we learning from others?

The Arc of the United States currently coordinates these innovative, national initiatives:

• The School-to-Community Transition Initiative

The Arc’s Recycling Initiative

Employment: What does the research tell us? Unfortunately, research tells us that adults with ASD have very high unemployment rates. A recent study reported that “only half (53%) of young adults with an ASD had ever worked for pay outside the home in the first 8 years following high school, the lowest rate among disability groups even when controlling for impairment severity, household income, and social demographics.”

What can we do about increasing employment opportunities? 

Being Fired for a Manifestation of My Disability

By Amy Goodman
Co-Director, Autism NOW Center

No Longer an Empty Shell

by Sarah Stup

Thanks for reading Prism: the newsletter from the National Autism Resource and Information Center.



"Life on the Autism Spectrum can be ENJOYable."