It is estimated that only 15% of adults with autism are in full-time employment. This is despite the fact that most are willing and able to work. The problem is that people with autism, Asperger’s Syndrome and similar challenges often find that they don’t fit in and look to a lifetime of long-term unemployment and exclusion from society. Take a look at any job vacancy and you will usually read something along the lines of “must be a team player, work well under stress and exhibit flexibility.”  If you have autism or Asperger’s for example, you probably feel that these kind of attributes eliminate you from the selection pool before you have even applied. And there are more  invisible barriers preventing people with autism and similar challenges from joining the global workforce. You may have the required education for a specific job profile but you never sat the exams. Or you might find job interviews very stressful, and therefore don’t perform well. Or you may have some specific requirements when it comes to your work environment that may seem strange or unreasonable to potential employers.

At Specialist People Foundation, we work to remove these barriers through our Specialisterne model, working with companies to change attitudes towards people with autism, and to reach our goal of enabling meaningful employment for one million people with autism around the world. Equally important is working with you at our Specialisterne offices; helping assess your talents and abilities, and looking past your difficulties to see who you are as a person and potential employee. Eventually helping you secure a job that you value in a company that values you!

Realise your potential by:

• Joining an assessment program where it is ok to be different, and where you can identify your talents, rather than focus on your difficulties.
• See your potential for a valued and valuable role in the labour market by identifying meaningful job opportunities you may not have thought you had.
• Take your place in society with a job you enjoy, and witness the self-esteem that comes from being an active contributor to the world around you.