Autism and Reasonable Accommodations in the workplace

Greetings Earthlings! 🙂

Leading on from my previous posts about autism and the workplace, this week I’d like to focus in on the legal frameworks that there are to support an autistic worker and the concept of reasonable accommodations.

Up to 80% of autists will struggle to find and maintain employment, but there is legislation to support you in accessing employment. Legislation such as the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and the EU’s Employment Equality Directive legally require employers to provide reasonable accommodations for employees with disabilities such as autism.

So what exactly are reasonable accommodations?

Reasonable accommodations are measures that an employer takes to ensure a disabled person can access employment, but won’t place a disproportionate burden on the employer. Some examples of reasonable accommodations include:

• Flexible working hours or working from home (an accommodation that has really helped my work output since the pandemic)
• Provision of noise cancelling headphones, standing desks, ADHD chairs or assistive technology such as screen reading software for dyslexics
• Changes to the working environment such as putting your desk in a quieter part of the office or adjusting the lighting
• Providing clear, written instructions to remove ambiguity
• Allowing the use of sensory stimming toys in the office

In other words, minor, inexpensive, practical changes that can have a huge impact on an autists ability to do their best and flourish in the workplace.

However, this doesn’t mean that autists can ask for whatever they want to help them work. The law is clear- adjustments must be reasonable and they cannot be unrealistic or burdensome to a potential employer. For example, you can’t request to work from home if your job requires you to work on the factory floor, or ask to start work at 6pm when operational hours end at 5, or tell your boss to build you a soundproof office. Whilst those requests might help you to do the job, they are unreasonable things to expect your employer to agree to.

When applying to jobs, think carefully about your needs and what reasonable accommodations you might require in the workplace. Do your research on disability employment laws in your country to ensure you are fully supported in gaining employment.

Hope you enjoyed this post dear Earthlings!

Have a lovely weekend!

Aoife