EMPLOYMENT MODELS AND SETTINGS


EMPLOYMENT MODELS

There are several employment models for you to explore. Options can range from competitive employment to starting your own business. This section will help you determine which model works best for you.


Competitive integrated employment

Competitive employment is full-time or part-time work in a business that pays at or above minimum wage, sometimes with benefits (including health insurance and retirement savings plans, among others) the same as every other employee. You are independent in your job and do not require or want employment supports.


Supported employment

Supported employment is a service that can help you gain competitive employment in integrated work settings, and then provide ongoing support services to help you maintain your employment. Examples of supported employment supports for autistic people are: job coaches, co-workers, business supervisors and mentors.

To experience personal satisfaction and quality of life, you must be given the opportunity and support to express your work-setting preferences. You can help manage this process by choosing a service provider, your employment specialist, and the specific support services that you may need to obtain and maintain employment. State VR programs can assist you with the process of identifying and selecting a service provider. They can tell you the level of education and certification of employment specialists, the types of jobs they or their clients have obtained, their experience working with autistic people, their rate of pay and their length of employment.


Customized employment

When your job skills and interests are not an exact match for a job but you can perform many of the job requirements, you should consider talking to a potential employer about customizing the job. Customized employment is a flexible process designed to personalize the relationship between you and an employer in a way that meets both of your needs. It is based on a match between your strengths, interests and needs and an employer's needs. Customized employment uses an individualized approach to employment planning and job development — one person at a time and one employer at a time.

Customized employment can take different forms:

  • Task reassignment: Some job tasks of current workers are reassigned and a new job is created, perhaps for you.
  • Job carving: An existing job description is adjusted so that it contains select tasks from the original job description.
  • Job sharing: Two or more people share the tasks and responsibilities of a job based on each other’s strengths.

Self-employment

Starting your own business can be exciting yet challenging. It’s a good idea to research other companies that were started by people with disabilities to see what has worked.

The Small Business Administration (SBA) has programs to assist individuals with disabilities in entrepreneurial initiatives. Among these are programs for starting a business, financing a business (with access to loans and grants) and understanding tax information.

Success Story: Chris Tidmarsh, Green Bridge Growers

Hard work alone is never enough to succeed. Many autistic adults know this well. National data shows that most are unemployed or underemployed, despite having the skill sets and expertise to excel in the workplace. Farmers know this, too. In this country, their long, labor-intense work is increasingly challenged by climate change, soil erosion, production expenses and access to capital.

Neither of these facts sit well with Chris Tidmarsh. Autistic by diagnosis and an environmentalist by way of a college degree, he set out to take matters into his own hands, literally. In 2013 he started Green Bridge Growers with his mom, Jan Pilaski.

Their mission: use innovative methods to grow sustainable, fresh produce year-round and create jobs that harness the amazing skills of young adults with autism.

Life as an autistic employee in a traditional workforce

I graduated in 2010 from Hope College (Holland, MI) with degrees in French, chemistry, and environmental studies. The environment has been a passion of mine for a really long time, leading me to study it in college and pursue sustainable agriculture as a career.

After college I took a job as an environmental researcher. I am visual learner, and it was hard for me to adapt to everything being done by speaking. For instance, directions were communicated verbally, but I do better when they are through emails or texts. Social skills-related issues led me to leave the position after a few months. After that, I decided it would be a good idea to start my own farm, to employ others like me who are on the autism spectrum and build a business around our strengths.

Life as an entrepreneur

When we toured different farms to research what was possible in our area, aquaponics stood out as a way to grow throughout the entire year. Aquaponics is a soilless method for growing crops where plants and fish grow in tandem. It uses 90% less water than conventional farming and because we grow vertically, we conserve space and can grow more plants. Our fish basically act to fertilize our plants. Their waste is turned into a form of nitrogen the plants use to grow, and the plants clean the water back to the fish.

We received great guidance in small business development from a start-up incubator at the University of Notre Dame. We had the opportunity to prototype our idea in partnership with an agency in our hometown serving those with disabilities called Hannah and Friends. We learned so much by piloting and testing our growing methods and demonstrating the capabilities of those on the autism spectrum in farming.

Our original prototype greenhouse is 300 square feet. At that location, we also managed a large garden. We are now on five acres and have six employees. We currently have two greenhouses in cultivation totaling 4,500 square feet and are building a new 3,000-square foot greenhouse early next year.

We primarily grow lettuces, herbs, and other specialty greens. In our “high tunnel” greenhouse we grow kale, collards, tomatoes, carrots, eggplant, and basil. In our field we produce beans, sweet corn, potatoes, squashes, pumpkins, and garlic. All of it is grown organically and we take great pride in growing food that’s of the highest quality.

We supply to restaurants, grocery stores, health food stores, early childhood centers, and farmers’ markets. Because we are also very concerned about food access, we deliver weekly produce shares to food pantries and agencies serving people in need. Having a wide range of customers really has helped our business a lot.

As an entrepreneur you realize you can’t do everything yourself. You have to find out what you don’t know and learn your limits. You can bring to your team those who can do what you’re not able to do. I also like to teach and train those who come to work with us so they can grow their own skills. I hope to always keep learning which seems what entrepreneurs should do to do a great job.

Life as a champion of autistic employees

Green Bridge Growers’ name itself tells our story: we are “green” because we are committed to caring for the earth and using the most sustainable methods possible; we are a “bridge” because we are a pathway to employment and training for autistic individuals, and we are “growers” not just of the delicious vegetables we produce, but of the people we train and employ.

Through a combination of both training and employment, we have helped 40 autistic youth and young adults gain skills to prepare them to find employment. We are proud to provide a program in collaboration with our local public school system that specifically provides training in the various tasks required at our farm.

The great thing about operating our farm is that autistic workers with a variety of skill levels can participate. In my experience those on the spectrum can be very attentive to details and want to follow through on tasks to see them to completion. Many of our team and trainees are good problem-solvers and help think about better ways to do a task or project. They often want to learn about what and why they’re doing something.

We also have to be thorough, consistent and work on a schedule. Our autistic team members have the ability to do that. Most of all, there’s great pride in the work accomplished. Our autistic team members want to benefit the community and are proud to see our product on the shelves of grocery stores or to know that we are helping feed the hungry. Everyone brings their skills to the table and our work gets done. It’s teamwork of the very best kind.

Advice for aspiring autistic entrepreneurs

As an entrepreneur, you will be an ambassador to show what autistic people are capable of. The work you do is important and makes a difference for many, many others.

If you have the chance to employ others with autism, put them in the forefront. Do all you can to help autistic employees grow, learn, and become leaders at what they do.

Be sure whatever you sell or provide the community is of the very highest quality. That will help potential customers get behind your business and support even more the idea of a business that employs autistic individuals.

Workbook activity: What needs do you see in your community?
Think about things your community could benefit from. Is the public library understaffed? Could you be an advocate for people who need it, either through activism or pursuing local elected offices? Would people benefit from having a local bakery or cafe? Look for gaps you could fill with your talents and abilities–whether that’s starting your own business, getting involved with local organizations, volunteering or anything else.
Example, the local park has a lot of litter–I could volunteer with a local club to pick up litter, or see if the city is hiring park rangers. This workbook can be downloaded here.

Employment settings

An important consideration in your job search should be your job setting, or where you will work. Some jobs must be performed at an employer's location, like those in restaurants, hospitals, construction and retail stores. Other jobs – mostly those that involve you working on a laptop or other personal computing device – may allow you to work from home, either on a permanent basis, temporarily or on certain days of the week. In competitive employment models, the employer typically determines the setting for their job and makes sure you agree to it as a condition of your employment. Below are some common settings to consider as you think about where you can and want to work.


Onsite

Working at an onsite location, like in an office, store, restaurant, healthcare facility, warehouse, construction site or professional building, among others, used to be the standard in employment. With the increase in other options, this has also become known as working in-person. Many employers still require it, and most will specify where jobs are to be performed in job postings. Onsite work requires you to find transportation to the location. We will talk more about transportation later.


Remote

Technology has made it easier for employees to work anywhere they can operate a laptop or other personal computing device and have access to the internet. When the Covid-19 pandemic forced many companies to send their employees home to work for social distancing purposes, many digital tools became popular, like Zoom and Skype for video calls, to make it easier for bosses and employees to communicate with one another. Now some companies are completely remote, or virtual, as some call it, without a physical headquarters or office. Instead, employees work where they want. Most work from home.

Employers still have policies around remote work, including company hours and start and end times, which employees must follow. They also have strict policies around the use of company computers and other technology. Many use Zoom to have meetings and some even require you to be on camera. It is important to consider your work set up and your personal appearance if you are going to work remotely.

Remote Work: Tips from an autistic advocate to make sure working from home works for you

by Lydia Wayman

It seemed like overnight working from home went from a temporary means to social distance during the outbreak of COVID-19 to becoming an acceptable practice for many employers to conduct their business. Everyone from CEOs down to the office assistants have had to adjust. The rules are not always as clear as when working onsite somewhere. But here are some steps you can take to make this new employment set-up work for you.

Manage your time

Just because you are without a boss or coworkers in sight doesn’t mean you have to be without a routine. Start by determining what tasks you need to accomplish and when they are due. If necessary, contact your supervisor to make sure you are clear about what is most important to work on. Then, break bigger tasks down into steps and schedule them into your days. Try to leave extra time slots open in case you get behind on a task. This way, you have a plan in place for when things don’t go exactly as planned.

A written schedule or visual routine is a good strategy for time management. You can use an app, a daily planner, or a simple checklist with the tasks you need to complete for the day. Many autistic people like to use visual cues to organize information, such as color-coding by task type or days of the week or using pictures alongside a written schedule. For example, you might shade your “break” times in blue or include a picture of a phone next to any scheduled conference calls.

If you prefer a more flexible approach, you can break the project down by setting a goal for the end of each day. Then list the steps you’ll need to do to reach that goal.

Organize your workspace

Set up a workspace that works to your advantage. As tempting as it is to lounge in bed or in front of the TV with your laptop, this can make it harder to focus during the day and harder to relax at night. Consider your sensory needs—the type of lighting, noise level and seating that allows you to focus. Choose a place that allows for easy access to any paperwork, tools or other items you need without clutter. If you’re having a hard time remembering your new setup, try using trays or bins with clear labels (made using text, color-coding and/or visual cues).

If your work involves frequent emails, consider setting up your inbox with subfolders and color-coded tags for each sender. You can organize computer documents and files in the same way.

Communicate with coworkers

Technology exists that allows teams to work together across cities, states, countries and continents. Your employer may use a platform or app designed for remote work, such as Basecamp, where team members post announcements, schedules, to-do lists and files. Team meetings may take place over a video or web-conference platform such as Zoom or Skype. If you are having trouble navigating these platforms, contact your supervisor, your IT department or a savvy co-worker and ask if they can walk you through how to use the most important functions.

Since in-person contact is not possible, you might see an increase in emails, phone calls and video conferences. Leave time for responding to these in your daily schedule. Some of these communication methods may be more difficult for you. Don’t be afraid to double-check your understanding following one-to-one emails or phone calls, especially if you were given instructions.

During meetings, consider taking notes, writing down questions or even asking permission to record. If you agree to do or are assigned tasks during the call, you can write them down as a list of action items. Then, you can reach out to the meeting leader, your supervisor or a coworker with your list to confirm or clarify what you will be working on.

Stay well

Successfully working from home is as much about personal wellness as it is about productivity. As much as possible, keep the parts of your day that don’t have to change, like the time you wake up and go to bed, the clothes you wear and mealtimes. Using these as anchor points can give you a sense of normalcy as you fill in the gaps with your new routine.

For many autistic people, work can be socially draining, so home becomes a place of much-needed alone time. In this case, working from home could mean too much isolation. But you can find ways to stay connected to other people once your work day is over—play video games, invite coworkers to a long-distance movie night via Teleparty or take a walk at a local park.

Make sure you take breaks during the workday for both your body and mind—eat regular meals, get up regularly to stretch or take a short walk, and give your eyes a chance to get away from the screen.

As you develop your routine, check in with yourself regularly. Are you meeting your goals? Are you getting healthy amounts of sleep, food and exercise? Are you keeping in touch with other people? Are your mood and anxiety level manageable? Keep the big picture in mind—that your wellness is key to successfully working from home.

About the author Lydia Wayman is an autistic advocate with a B.S. in education and an M.A. in English and nonfiction writing. She has worked at an autism resource center, mentored youth with disabilities, and spoken at Girl Scout events, parent-led groups, and conferences with her autistic peers. Her work for Autism Speaks includes articles on anxiety and stress, social media, the Roadmap to Self-Empowerment for Autistic Adults and the Adult Autism Diagnosis Tool Kit, among others.


Hybrid

Hybrid work is a mix of working both onsite and remotely. Typically, employers determine a schedule to have employees work so many days in an office or another onsite location, and so many days remotely. Some companies are flexible and allow the employees to set their schedule. Sometimes companies determine the schedule for their employees.

There are also companies that have a hybrid workforce where certain employees work entirely onsite, like the shipping department of a manufacturer, and others work entirely from home, like a customer service department of a manufacturer. This too is considered a hybrid setting. If you are interested in a job at a company with a hybrid workforce, make sure you understand where the work is expected to be performed.

Workbook activity: Where should I be?
Job descriptions can help job applicants figure out if the job matches their skills and preferences. Look through some job postings. Circle the words and phrases that appeal to you. Then, look over what you’ve circled. Does one setting above best fit most of what you circled? This workbook can be downloaded here.

Next section: Your job search