Workplace Experience

 In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the employment of people on the autism spectrum.

 A release from NEXT for Autism

:A new national survey from NEXT for AUTISM, a leading nonprofit dedicated to transforming services for autistic adults, offers one of the first comprehensive looks at workplace experience from the perspective of autistic employees themselves – revealing the everyday practices that support autistic employees – and the gaps that stand in the way.

Based on responses from more than 400 currently or recently employed autistic adults across the U.S., the data finds that the most important factor shaping success for autistic employees isn't workplace policy – it's their direct manager.

 ta shows that employees are turning to managers, not HR, as their primary point of trust: 49% report disclosing their autism diagnosis to a manager or supervisor, compared to 44% who disclose to HR. Simultaneously, nearly 8 in 10 respondents say their manager trusts them, and that relationship shapes whether employees feel safe communicating how they work, accessing support, and contributing fully at work.

The report, Inside the Autistic Workforce: A National Survey of Autistic Employees on Their Workplace Experience – and What Employers Need to Know, was developed by NEXT for AUTISM in partnership with Sago and funded by the Anita Bhatia Foundation for Tomorrow. It captures insights from autistic employees working across industries – from data scientists and occupational therapists to bartenders, paramedics, and overnight restockers – and offers a clear blueprint for the conditions that help autistic employees contribute, perform, and stay at work. Uniquely, the survey was developed in collaboration with autistic and neurodivergent staff, advisors, and subject-matter experts to ensure that the questions and analysis reflected authentic workplace realities.

The findings challenge long-held assumptions about disclosure, accommodations, performance, and retention. They show that the conditions shaping workplace experience are often neither complex nor costly, but instead rooted in how managers communicate, build trust, and adapt to individual needs.

"Managers are the difference between success that's sustainable and success that quietly drains," said Gillian Leek, CEO of NEXT for AUTISM. "Autistic employees are already contributing across the workforce, but too often they're doing it while managing challenges that go unseen. When managers build trust and make it easier for employees to communicate how they work, that's when organizations get the full value of the talent they've hired."

Key findings from the survey include:

Many Autistic Employees Are Contributing at a Cost
While many respondents report strong workplace outcomes, the findings reveal a critical tension: performance is often sustained through significant, invisible effort.72% feel fairly compensated

• 70% say their role matches their abilities
• 73% feel supported and respected at work

At the same time:80% report masking and emotional exhaustion as a challenge
More than half cite sensory demands and communication overload as highly challenging

For many autistic employees, doing well at work doesn't come without a cost. Masking behaviors—suppressing natural responses, scripting interactions, and managing sensory overload—can consume as much mental energy as the job itself.

Managers Are the Difference Between Stability and Chronic Strain
Throughout the data, one factor stands out above all others: the direct manager.

Managers shape whether employees feel safe disclosing their diagnosis, asking for support, and working in ways that align with their strengths. In practice, this makes managers – not policies – the front line of inclusion, retention, and performance.

The practices autistic employees associate with effective managers: empathy, active listening, clear communication, willingness to accommodate, and consistent follow-through – are the fundamentals of competent leadership. In return, managers are rewarded with loyal, dedicated, and creative employees.

The Hidden Gap in Workplace Support
The survey highlights a gap between the availability of workplace support and employees' ability to access it.

• 41% don't know what supports are available without disclosing
• 36% are unfamiliar with the range of workplace accommodations once hired
• 31% are unfamiliar with legal rights to reasonable accommodations

As a result, many employees manage challenges independently, even when support is available. Nearly 7 in 10 respondents report relying on support outside of work to navigate workplace expectations and sustain employment.

Notably, respondents report turning to social media for workplace guidance and support at rates comparable to therapists and professional support providers.

Workplace Experiences Are Not Equal
Certain groups consistently report more acute challenges. Autistic women face a workplace environment that is consistently less responsive to how they communicate and what they need:54% are unsure how or when to disclose (vs. 32% of men)
53% feel safe being themselves at work (vs. 73% of men)
48% fear being labeled/stereotyped (vs. 35% of men)

A Clear Path Forward for Employers
The survey findings show that hiring is just the beginning. What shapes whether autistic employees contribute fully and stay in their jobs is the day-to-day reality of how workplaces actually operate. The report offers employer recommendations that can make an immediate difference:

• Equip managers to communicate clearly, build trust, and adapt to different working styles
• Make support visible before employees have to ask for it
• Build clear expectations, flexibility, and predictable structures into everyday work
• Listen to your autistic employees and treat their feedback as data, not complaints

"These are the fundamentals of how good workplaces operate," said Leek. "When organizations get this right, they don't just support autistic employees, they create environments where all people can succeed."

The full report is available at NEXTforAUTISM.org/SurveyReport. A companion infographic is available.

The Employment Situation

 In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the employment of people on the autism spectrum.

Kelly Field at The Hechinger Report:

Today’s college graduates are entering one of the tightest job markets in years, as companies scale back entry-level hiring amid economic uncertainty and the explosion of artificial intelligence. Just under a third of 2025 graduates — and fewer than half of 2024 graduates — have found full-time employment related to their education, according to one recent report.

The market is even tougher for young adults with autism, who have long had one of the highest rates of joblessness among individuals with disabilities. Even before the hiring slowdown, more than 30 percent of autistic college graduates were unemployed, and about a quarter of those who did have jobs were in office- and administration-support roles, one study found.

One key reason: Autistic students often have trouble navigating traditional hiring processes, including interviews, which favor neurotypical candidates.

To help autistic students like Myers land jobs, some colleges are offering career-readiness classes and one-on-one career coaching; some are also working with employers to make their hiring and employment practices more inclusive. Drexel, which began providing career prep to students in its autism support program in 2017, has one of the oldest programs.

Some major corporations have also stepped up, forming partnerships with colleges to recruit neurodivergent students for internships and jobs.

...

It’s difficult to say how many students with autism are enrolled in college, in part because many students choose not to disclose their diagnosis to campus disability services — a prerequisite to receiving accommodations. The best estimate is that there are somewhere between 135,400 and 286,254 autistic college students, according to research by Bradley E. Cox, founder of the College Autism Network and an associate professor of higher, adult and lifelong education at Michigan State University.

Autistic Job Candidates in Academia

 In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the employment of people on the autism spectrum.

Gabriel Proulx at Inside Higher Ed:

In general, autistic candidates are disadvantaged by standard interview formats, which, as Christopher E. Whelpley and Cynthia P. May write, tend to “focus on interview skills, appearance, and social interactions rather than on the skills needed for a given position.” Since autistic people’s social abilities and conversational patterns do not align with neurotypical criteria, they can seem rude or uninterested during conversations even when they are focused and engaged. Socialization can be extremely difficult for autistic people, from finding the right way to express their ideas to understanding when it is their turn to speak.

...

Sandra C. Jones notes that autistic academics often struggle with the hidden social demands of professional life: “Understanding and following social rules, interpreting others’ actions and reactions, masking autistic behaviors, and combining ‘professional’ and ‘personal’ interactions are effortful activities for many autistic people.” In hiring contexts, where competition is fierce, these challenges become magnified.

...

Academic interviews almost always include open-ended questions with little to no structure, such as “Tell us about yourself,” “What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?” or “What can you bring to our department?” Neurotypical candidates usually know how to use these questions as a chance to sell themselves; as Katie Maras, et al. write, “Autistic candidates, however, find it difficult to interpret these sorts of questions, hindering their ability to formulate and recall a relevant and appropriately detailed response that conveys their best attributes and most relevant experience.”

AI and Employment of Autistic People

 In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the employment of people on the autism spectrum.

Nitzan, M. W., Lamash, L., Hedley, D., Bury, S. M., & Gal, E. (2025). Letter to the editor: Employment of autistic individuals in the age of AI integration: Challenges and opportunities. Autism, 0(0). https://doi-org.ccl.idm.oclc.org/10.1177/13623613251401556

We suggest that as AI becomes increasingly embedded in workplace processes, it introduces both risks and opportunities for autistic and other marginalized groups (Walkowiak, 2021). Recruitment is one of the most immediate areas where these risks are evident. Hiring processes have long posed challenges for autistic people, given recruiters’ reliance on implicit social expectations and norms and failure to consider differences in autistic communication styles. Integrating AI into recruitment may further entrench these challenges unless designed with inclusion in mind (Cope & Remington, 2022). For example, AI-based screening tools used to evaluate resumes, conduct video interviews, or score personality traits often rely on data reflecting neurotypical norms. They may prioritize candidates who exhibit neurotypical speech patterns, facial expressions, or eye contact (Fisher et al., 2024), although such traits tend to reflect social conventions more than job-relevant competencies (Lund et al., 2025).

Moreover, as AI evolves in complexity, its “objectivity” (i.e., ability to be impartial, unbiased, and based on truth) will be harder to assess. Likely, any bias that does exist will become more difficult to detect or challenge, and discriminatory outcomes may go unexamined. Without transparency and oversight, such tools risk deepening the exclusion of marginalized populations from employment under the guise of efficiency and objectivity (Fisher et al., 2024).

Beyond recruitment, AI will likely reshape the broader work structure, having potentially significant implications for autistic workers. Although autistic people work in a wide variety of occupations, they are often overrepresented in certain roles (e.g., data analysis, quality assurance, records management) that are especially vulnerable to automation (Walkowiak, 2021). This status may lead to disproportionate displacement for individuals in roles that AI will transform to the extent that there is no longer a need for human involvement, thereby exacerbating an already-inequitable landscape.

Alongside these risks, we believe there is a potential for AI to facilitate inclusive employment and benefit autistic people. When developed with inclusion at its core, AI can serve as a powerful tool for access and empowerment. AI technologies could support task structuring, provide real-time coaching, and reduce social communication demands, which are often identified as barriers hindering autistic employees’ access to and performance within traditional workplace environments (Lund et al., 2025; Walkowiak, 2021). For example, natural language processing tools can facilitate written communication or simplify ambiguous language, generate personalized recommendations for needs-based accommodation, and assist managers in creating accessible environments. AI platforms may benefit autistic workers by enhancing asynchronous and remote work, for example, by increasing autonomy or minimizing the impacts of sensory stressors (Lund et al., 2025).

Doors and Barriers to Employment

 In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the employment of people on the autism spectrum.  It also discusses the workforce serving people with disabilities.

Koldas, M., Dounavi, K., MacCarthaigh, M. et al. Facilitators and Barriers to Employment of Neurodivergent Individuals: A Systematic Literature Review of Employee and Employer Experiences. J Autism Dev Disord (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-025-07139-6

Abstract 

Purpose

While employment rates amongst neurodivergent adults are notoriously low, little is known about their experiences in the workplace and their contribution to innovation and productivity in the labor market. At the same time, the views of colleagues and employers with regard to the inclusion of neurodivergent adults in the workforce are important. The purpose of the systematic literature review presented here was to explore what is known about the experiences of neurodivergent employees, their colleagues, and employers in terms of facilitators and barriers to inclusive best practice in the workplace.

Methods

We conducted a systematic review of the literature. Our analysis and synthesis are based on 56 studies from 12 different countries that met inclusion criteria.

Results

Eligible studies included 4909 neurodivergent employees, 2041 non-neurodivergent participants (mostly coworkers), and nearly 300 supervisors, managers, and employers. Identified barriers included a lack of awareness and education of supervisors, especially when they attributed social challenges to personal factors, at times resulting in disciplinary actions or exclusion. Key facilitators included supportive managers, flexible and tailored work arrangements, and the availability of assistive technologies. Benefits of inclusive approaches included improved employee retention, increased commitment, and an enhanced organizational image.

Conclusions

Our review findings confirm that neurodivergent employees experience a number of impactful barriers at work. They also experience some important facilitators that can make their working life easier. We propose that future mainstream employment research should ensure that neurodivergent voices are heard and suggest that future work also includes employee, managerial, and organizational perspectives.

From the article:

The systematic review described in this paper identified 56 studies that reported on the experiences of neurodivergent employees and their employers. The studies identified definite and tangible benefits when facilitators such as supportive managers and supervisors were available, and neurodivergence aware policies and workplace adjustments were implemented. Benefits included improved employee retention, increased commitment, and enhanced organizational image. Barriers primarily stemmed from a lack of awareness and education of supervisors, especially when they attributed social challenges to personal factors, and this resulted in disciplinary actions or exclusion. Mixed outcomes acknowledged potential benefits of neurodivergence-aware policies in reducing biases, improving hiring practices, and fostering inclusion. However, some employers struggled to effectively benefit from neurodivergent employees and reported inconsistencies in implementing neurodivergence-aware policies and workplace adjustments, highlighting ongoing challenges in workplace inclusion.

Given the rise in awareness of neurodivergence since the early 2000s and wider recognition and acceptance more recently (Nicolosi & Dillenburger, 2025; Singer, 2017), it is not surprising that almost three-quarters of the studies were conducted from 2020 onwards. The majority of these studies were based on research conducted in an Anglo-Saxon context, with only 11 studies covering other regions, highlighting potential gaps in international research regarding the experiences of neurodivergent employees and their employers.

...

Our findings indicate that most of the participants in the studies included in this review were able to hold a relatively good job for extended periods of time, earning average or just below average incomes (bearing in mind that wages have risen substantially since many of these papers were published; Office for National Statistics, 2012). While this is encouraging, it confirms the fact that even well-educated neurodivergent employees with relatively low support needs tend to be somewhat “underemployed” and remain underpaid (Petty et al., 2023). It also indicates that those with higher support needs typically do not take part in employment-based research. This may be the case because they are more likely to be employed via supported employment schemes or in sheltered workshops. In any case, their voices appear to be missing from employment research (Dillenburger et al., 2019).

 

Trump, Labor, and Disability

 In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the employment of people on the autism spectrum.  It also discusses the workforce serving people with disabilities.

 From the Pacific ADA Network:

The U.S. Department of Labor is proposing to change its regulations for Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Section 503 regulations require that businesses with federal contractors use voluntary surveys to track their progress in hiring and employing people with disabilities. The regulations also include a goal for contractors — businesses with federal contracts should try to have a workforce that includes 7% people with disabilities. A new proposal from the Administration would delete these requirements.

To learn more and submit a comment, see the Federal Register notice: Modifications to the Regulations Implementing Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as Amended. Comments must be received by September 2, 2025.

CAP:

The Trump administration has proposed a rule that would get rid of minimum wage protections for upward of 3.7 million domestic workers that work in peoples’ homes to provide care and assistance for children and to allow aging Americans and disabled people to live independently in their local communities.

Home care workers already struggle with low wages: In 2024, the median wage for a home health aide was only $34,900 per year. By exempting these employees from the federal minimum wage law, employers will be free to cut wages for millions of domestic workers to less than $7.25 per hour and avoid paying them time-and-a-half pay on hours worked beyond a 40-hour workweek.

More than a decade ago, the Obama administration closed a long-standing loophole in the Fair Labor Standards Act rules to ensure that more domestic workers had access to minimum wage and overtime protections. These workers were excluded from the federal minimum wage law passed in 1938 in order to win support from southern Democrats, who opposed extending the protections to an occupation that was a major source of employment for Black workers. Now, the Trump administration is opening that loophole again.

The Trump administration will take the next step in rolling back these protections just after Labor Day, when the period for public comments on the proposal closes. However, it has already ordered regional enforcement offices to ignore the existing standard and stop enforcing the federal minimum wage law for domestic workers who gained minimum wage rights under the 2013 rule. The administration claims that the 2013 rule—which has been factored into the cost of domestic services for more than a decade—might discourage use of home care services, but in reality, similar minimum wage policies have had little to no impact on employment.

 

Early Employment Disparities

 In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the employment of people on the autism spectrum.

Yon-Hernández, J.A., Gonzales, C., Bothra, S. et al. Early Employment Outcomes in Autistic and Non-autistic Youth: Challenges and Opportunities. J Autism Dev Disord (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-025-07001-9.  The abstract:

Autistic youth often encounter significant barriers in securing employment, including difficulties with job acquisition, limited workplace support, and reduced access to structured employment services. This study examined early employment experiences in cognitively able autistic and non-autistic youth, with a focus on job characteristics and the associated factors of employment status. Participants included 99 individuals (51 autistic, 48 non-autistic) aged 18–23. Open-ended responses were coded to characterize first job experiences, including job setting, duration, hours worked, support received, sector, and job acquisition method. Group differences were assessed using chi-square tests. Logistic regression was used to examine the predictors of employment outcomes, including IQ, executive functioning, adaptive functioning, and education level. Results revealed notable differences between groups, with 67% of autistic participants having had a first work experience compared to 86% of non-autistic participants. When unpaid experiences (such as WorkAbility/internships) were excluded, this gap widened to 50% versus 78%. Autistic participants were significantly less likely to obtain jobs through competitive hiring and were more likely to work in sales/retail-related roles, whereas non-autistic participants exhibited greater job diversity and career-oriented positions. Personal connections were critical to job acquisition for autistic individuals, although structured employment programs were also a key pathway. Executive functioning difficulties were significantly associated with lower employment likelihood. Early employment disparities persist among autistic youth, particularly in access to competitive and career-track jobs. Interventions that support executive functioning, expand structured employment options, and leverage family and social networks may enhance employment success during the transition to adulthood.

The Paradox of Invisible Disabilities

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the day-to-day challenges facing autistic people and their families -- as well as efforts to mitigate them.   One challenge is that autism is an "invisible disability," which does not have obvious physical markers.  

Russell Lehmann at Psychology Today:

The paradox of invisible disabilities is a cruel and exhausting loop. Society tells me to mask my autism, to blend in, to not make others uncomfortable, and to play the game that is intrinsically antithetical to everything I stand for. I’m rewarded when I suppress my traits, when I wear the cloak of “normalcy,” when I pretend that sensory overload doesn’t feel like my brain's on fire and electric currents through my skin.

I’m told I’m “high-functioning,” “inspiring,” “not like the others”...as if that’s a compliment. As if my ability to suffer silently makes me more valuable. And let's be clear, it DOES make me more "valuable" in the eyes of society because society isn't ready for my autism. It isn't ready for the rare vulnerability, the intense meltdowns, or the complete authenticity.

But the moment I need support, the mask backfires. Suddenly, I’m met with skepticism. “You don’t look disabled.” “You seem fine to me.” “Are you sure you need that?” "Well you must be doing well, I mean, look how far you've come!".

Because my challenges are largely invisible, I’ve been denied professional support time and time again. People fixate on what I can do, often using infantilizing or condescending language, while dismissing what I can’t. When I speak up about my limits, I’m told not to be so negative, as if naming my pain makes me the problem. But no one tells someone with a broken leg that their pain is just “pessimism.” The irony is, many of these dismissive voices come from professionals working in the disability space, people who should know better.

Some States Have Ended the Subminimum Wage

 In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the employment of people on the autism spectrum. Trump's Labor Department withdrew a proposed rule that would have ended the subminimum wage nationwide.

USGAO:

In the last 10 years, 16 states have eliminated subminimum wage employment. And legislation to eliminate this type of employment nationwide has been proposed several times. Ending subminimum wage employment can be part of a shift to integrate people with disabilities into competitive work environments. In these settings, workers can earn wages at or above the federal minimum and work alongside those without disabilities.

States That Have Enacted Legislation Eliminating 14(c) Certificates as of January 2025 

The Subminimum Wage Survives

 In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the employment of people on the autism spectrum.

 Ryan Golden at HR Dive:

• The U.S. Department of Labor on Monday withdrew a Biden-era rule that aimed to phase out a section of the Fair Labor Standards Act that allowed employers to pay certain workers with disabilities wage rates that fall below the federal minimum wage.
• DOL’s rule, announced last December, would have ceased issuance of new certificates that allow employers to pay subminimum wages to workers with disabilities, while giving those with existing certificates a period of three years to gradually end the practice. At the time, the agency said subminimum wages were no longer necessary to preserve employment opportunities for participating workers.
• On Monday, the agency said it received more than 17,000 public comment submissions in response to the rule. It ultimately concluded that “a nonzero population” of workers rely upon the subminimum wage certificate program, and the department lacked authority to end the program because it had been mandated by an act of Congress.

In sharp contrast to the administration's many assertions of executive authority, DOL is now citing legal constraints From the Department of Labor:

The Department takes seriously the concerns expressed by Members of Congress and others that it lacks statutory authority to unilaterally and permanently terminate the issuance of section 14(c) certificates. Section 14 of the FLSA includes both permissive and mandatory provisions. For example, section 14(d) provides that the Secretary of Labor “ may by regulation or order” exempt certain student workers from FLSA wage-and-hour requirements. By contrast, section 14(c) states that the Secretary “ shall by regulation or order provide for the employment, under special certificates, of individuals . . . at wages which are . . . lower than the minimum wage” when the individual's disability impairs their earning or productive capacity. Where, as here, “a statute distinguishes between `may' and `shall,' it is generally clear that `shall' imposes a mandatory duty.” Kingdomware Tech., Inc. v. United States, 579 U.S. 162, 172 (2016) (citation omitted). Thus, section 14(c) imposes a mandatory duty on the Department to provide for the issuance of subminimum wage certificates “to the extent necessary to prevent curtailment of opportunities for employment.”

DOGE Firings

 In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the employment of people on the autism spectrum.

KENYA HUNTER and FATIMA HUSSEIN at AP:

For decades, the federal government has positioned itself as being committed to inclusive hiring and long-term retention across agencies. But as mass layoffs ripple through the federal workforce under President Donald Trump’s Republican administration, disabled employees are among those being let go.

Amid the firings, rollbacks of accommodation guidance for businesses and skepticism of disability inclusion practices, advocates and experts wonder if the government’s status as a “model employer” will hold true.

Trump has said he ended diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the government because people should be hired based on work quality and merit alone.

However, under Schedule A, candidates already have to be qualified for the position with or without an accommodation. They don’t get a job solely because they have a disability.

Trump Policy on FAA Employment

 In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the issue's role in campaign politics.   In the 2016 campaign, a number of posts discussed Trump's bad record on disability issues more generally.   As his words and actions have shown, he despises Americans with disabilities.   He told his nephew Fred that severely disabled people -- such as Fred's son -- should "just die."

Sean Michael Newhouse at Government Executive:

Amid a rash of actions to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs across the federal government, President Donald Trump on Tuesday issued a memo that scrutinizes workers with disabilities at the Federal Aviation Administration.

The directive “Keeping Americans Safe in Aviation” said, based on the FAA website, that former President Joe Biden’s administration sought to recruit and hire “individuals with serious infirmities that could impact the execution of their essential life-saving duties.”

The memo directs the FAA “to immediately return to non-discriminatory, merit-based hiring” and rescind DEI initiatives in hiring. Trump also is requiring the agency to review the performance and performance standards of all employees in “critical safety positions” and replace any who fail to show the necessary proficiency with a “high-capability individual.”

“The Biden FAA specifically recruited and hired individuals with ‘severe intellectual’ disabilities, psychiatric issues and complete paralysis over other individuals who sought to work for the FAA,” an accompanying White House fact sheet said.

...
The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 requires federal agencies to implement affirmative action plans and policies for individuals with disabilities

Alex Kasprak at Snopes:

The cited FAA text is real, but the implication that the policy is new, or that it stems from efforts that began under U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and President Biden, was demonstrably false. It has been included on the FAA's website since at least as early as February 2013. It was present during the entirety of the Trump administration, and it remains present at the time of this reporting.

EEOC lists targeted disabilities, including "developmental disabilities, for example, cerebral palsy or autism spectrum disorder;

 

 

Biden Administration Moves to End the Subminimum Wage

 In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the employment of people on the autism spectrum.

Jacqueline Alemany at WP:

The Biden administration is moving to phase out a Depression-era program that allows some employers to pay disabled workers far less than minimum wage, fulfilling one of President Joe Biden’s campaign promises and triggering what is likely to become a fierce legal and political battle.

The decision is the culmination of the Department of Labor’s year-long review of the program, which opponents have criticized as a form of discrimination and supporters have described as providing disabled people with hard-to-find opportunities for steady wages and meaningful work. The agency will issue a proposed rule Tuesday that would immediately halt the issuance of certificates that allow employers to pay less than minimum wage and institute a three year phaseout period for employers that already hold those certificates.

Before it can take effect, the rule will be subject to a public comment period, possible legal challenges and the scrutiny of the incoming Trump administration. The public comment period is expected to conclude on Jan. 17, 2025, just days before Donald Trump takes office. His administration will have to evaluate and respond to those comments, and then issue a final rule — or withdraw the rule entirely.

Labor Department press release:

The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a proposed rule that would phase out the issuance of certificates allowing employers to pay some workers with disabilities less than the federal minimum wage, currently $7.25 per hour, for the work they perform.

The rule proposes to gradually eliminate certificates employers can apply for under Section 14(c) of Fair Labor Standards Act that allow them to pay certain workers with disabilities subminimum wages. The department proposes to discontinue the issuance of new certificates and establish a three-year phase-out period for employers with existing certificates once a final rule becomes effective.

“This proposal demonstrates the Biden-Harris administration’s dedication to good jobs for workers with disabilities,” said Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su. “In the decades since Section 14(c) was included in the Fair Labor Standards Act, there have been significant legal and policy developments that have dramatically expanded employment opportunities and rights for individuals with disabilities. With this proposal, the department expects that many workers currently paid subminimum wages under Section 14(c) will move into jobs that pay full wages, which will improve their economic wellbeing and strengthen inclusion for people with disabilities in the workforce.”

The proposed rule would do the following:

• Cease the department’s issuance of new Section 14(c) certificates starting on the effective date of a final rule.
• Institute a three-year period beginning on the effective date of a final rule for employers holding existing Section 14(c) certificates to gradually cease paying subminimum wages to workers with disabilities.

Disability Innovation Fund

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the employment of adults with autism and other disabilities. Many posts have discussed programs to provide them with training and experience.  

A release from the US Department of Education:

The U.S. Department of Education (Department) today awarded $251 million to 27 grantees across the country who are working to ensure individuals with disabilities have access to in-demand, good-paying jobs of the 21st century. These five-year grants, under the Disability Innovation Fund (DIF) program, will continue to promote competitive, integrated employment (CIE) so that youth and adults with disabilities are paid real wages for real jobs, while creating pathways to some of today’s most in-demand fields.

“Today, more than 60 million adults live with a disability – each with unique talents and strengths. In our 21st century economy, we must provide more opportunities for these individuals to achieve their goals for competitive integrated employment, independence, and economic self-sufficiency,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “Through the Disability Innovation Fund and today’s announcement, we’ll make progress to overcome historic barriers to employment, while ensuring the varied needs, preferences, and goals of individuals with disabilities remain at the center of our vision for a strong, inclusive workforce.”

The Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) in the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) received more than 200 applications in response to its notice inviting applications. Applications focused on one of the following topics:

• Broadening access to advanced technology careers and creating a 21st century workforce of youth and/or adults with disabilities leading to CIE;
• Innovative applications of advanced technology to support youth and/or adults with disabilities leading to CIE;
• Justice involved youth with disabilities, including early intervention and reintegration from the juvenile justice system to the community, leading to CIE;
• Early intervention and workforce reintegration strategies for youth and/or adults with acquired disabilities that lead to CIE;
• Early intervention and workforce reintegration strategies for disconnected youth and/or disconnected adults with disabilities that lead to CIE; and
• Field initiated, under which applicants address innovative topic areas not otherwise included in this priority, or combine two or more topic areas into one application.

Grant recipients will develop, implement, evaluate, refine, and disseminate new or substantially improved model strategies or programs to transition youth and adults with disabilities to CIE. Additionally, the grant recipients should design the model demonstration projects for easy adoption by others.

Recipients come from 16 states, the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands, and they represent 13 institutions of higher education, nine nonprofits, four state agencies, and one institution of higher education/special institution.

 

The Subminimum Wage Is Problematic

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the employment of people on the autism spectrum

The subminimum wage is a good example of policy failure. Amanda Morris, Caitlin Gilbert and Jacqueline Alemany at WP:

• Federal rules state that 14(c) employers must help disabled workers move on to higher-paying jobs, but many never leave the program. In 2022, just 0.5 percent of 14(c) workers were referred by their employers to vocational rehabilitation services, the main pathway for them to leave the program, according to data from the Rehabilitation Services Administration for 35 state agencies.
• When states have ended 14(c) subminimum wage programs, overall employment of adults with cognitive disabilities has increased. A Post analysis of eight states that ended their programs before 2022 showed that employment rates for adults with cognitive disabilities increased by at least 14 percent after state programs were canceled, when adjusted for overall employment rate growth.
• About one in three current 14(c) employers have failed to correctly pay wages, but that is probably an undercount because few are investigated each year. Between October 2009 and September 2023, the Labor Department ordered employers to pay $20.2 million in back wages for pay and other violations.

...

Oversight of different aspects of the 14(c) program is fragmented between four federal agencies — the departments of Labor, Education, Justice, and Health and Human Services. However, no federal agency is in charge of making sure individuals move from 14(c) programs into community employment. A stream of government reports over three decades have called for additional oversight of the program or ending it entirely. In a 2020 report, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights wrote that the 14(c) system was “rife with abuse,” with respect to wages, and found that workers were not getting the support they needed to move on into community jobs.

A 2023 report from the Government Accountability Office surveyed wage data from 2019 to 2021 and found that workers were typically making about $3.50 per hour, compared with a federal minimum wage of $7.25. About 12 percent made hourly wages of less than a dollar

Only about 2 percent of workers fully transitioned out of 14(c) jobs into a competitive, integrated job, according to August 2021 data from the same agency.

Workplace Accommodations

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the employment of adults with autism and other disabilities. Many posts have discussed programs to provide them with training and experience.  

Steven Kurutz at NYT:

A number of large employers across the United States, including Microsoft, Dell and Ford, are taking steps to make workplaces more accessible and welcoming for neurodivergent employees as the number of autism diagnoses rises.

...
Workplaces with too much light and noise can overwhelm those who are autistic, leading to burnout, said Jessica Myszak, a clinical psychologist in Chicago who specializes in testing and evaluations for autism. Remote work “reduces the social demands and some of the environmental sensitivities” that autistic people struggle with, Dr. Myszak added.

But navigating the job market remains a challenge for autistic people, who are more likely to be unemployed or underemployed, according to advocacy groups. And autistic job candidates hoping to make good first impressions might be reluctant to disclose their diagnoses or ask for accommodations upfront.

...

Back when Natalie Worden-Cowe, 32, was a professional musician, she struggled with the networking side of the business, a key to landing gigs. When she decided, a few years ago, to switch careers and became a software engineer, she had trouble making it through job interviews. Her professional life changed when she discovered Microsoft’s neurodiversity hiring program, which was established in 2015.

The company’s program was modeled after a venture created by the German software firm SAP, and has since been adopted in some form by companies including Dell and Ford. So far, the initiative has brought in about 300 full-time neurodivergent employees to Microsoft, said Neil Barnett, the company’s director for inclusive hiring and accessibility.

“All they needed was this different, more inclusive process,” Mr. Barnett said, “and once they got into the company, they flourished.”

Mrs. Worden-Cowe, who was diagnosed at 29, noticed the difference at Microsoft during the interview process: She was given extra time to answer questions and downtime between meetings with company employees.T

Autism Employment: The Big Picture

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the employment of adults with autism and other disabilities. Many posts have discussed programs to provide them with training and experience.

Preetika Rana at WSJ reports that autism employment used to be the focus of relatively few companies, mostly in tech.

That is slowly changing, said Marcia Scheiner, president of Integrate Autism Employment Advisors, a New York-based nonprofit that helps place autistic workers.

“You would have companies who’d say, ‘I know nothing about this,’” a few years ago, she said. “That stigma or the fear factor is largely gone.”

Rachel Lowenstein used to beat herself up for being unable to think on her feet during group meetings, eroding her confidence at work. Around the time she was diagnosed with autism in 2020, her company—advertising agency Mindshare—made supporting people like herself a part of her job.

Last year, she worked on neurodivergence campaigns for Google, Getty Images and others. Lowenstein helped Google curate its first neuroinclusive event, which featured sensory rooms, weighted blankets and fidget toys for participants. For stock-images distributor Getty, she created a photo library with portraits of autistic social-media influencers so the demographic could be better represented.

Lowenstein has learned to change how she interacts with people at work—by getting early downloads of what will be presented at meetings, for example—and now offers career tips to autistic workers on social media.

More companies are becoming open to making accommodations and navigating the challenges that come with hiring neurodivergent employees. Those hurdles include training managers to be more communicative and creating more ways to do job interviews and meetings online.

Companies are using new tools to support neurodivergent employees. Startup Inclusively has built a chatbot for people who might not feel comfortable reaching out to human resources for help. It can tell employees about under-the-radar benefits from their employer, such as subscriptions to meditation apps to help with anxiety, noise-canceling headphones and transcription services for hard-to-follow meetings, co-founder Charlotte Dales said.

Autism and Tech Startups: The Rest of the Story

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the employment of adults with autism and other disabilities. Many posts have discussed programs to provide them with training and experience.

Michael Bernick at Forbes:

In the early 2010s, a wave of tech start-ups arose with the goal of employing adults with autism, building on the claimed skills of these adults in software testing and quality control. Most of these tech start-ups failed to survive: casualties of the offshoring and competitive price pressures of the software testing and quality control jobs they focused on, as well as an overhyping of the tech skills of most adults with autism. But a few of these start-ups have survived and even grown, and they point to possibilities in this niche market of employment going forward.

The wave of autism-focused tech start-ups was generated in good part by a glowing New York Times article in June 2011 on the Danish tech firm, Specialisterne. The article uncritically accepted Specialisterne’s story, neglecting to note a key element in Specialisterne’s growth: the large subsidies that the company received from the Danish government for its mission. The American start-ups soon ran into the market realities of competing without large government subsidies, and in an environment of greater global competition.

Three start-ups from that period were able to navigate this competition, and continue to do so: AutonomyWorks, Ultranauts, and VenturesATL. Their success is due to the unusual skills and missions of the individual entrepreneurs who founded and continue to lead them, the teams they have built, and their ability to pivot and adapt to changing markets. Though the business lines of these companies differ, a common pivot has been to higher-level data and AI-related services.

Parents of Autistic Adults

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the day-to-day challenges facing autistic people and their families.

Marsack-Topolewski, C.N., Samuel, P.S. Experiences of Parental Caregivers of Adults with Autism in Navigating the World of Employment. J Autism Dev Disord (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-024-06381-8  Abstract:

Purposeparticularly for parent particularly for parents of loved ones with disabilities or health challenges, who need and/or want to be employed. This study describes the employment experiences of aging parents as they continue to balance engagement in the paid workforce with the ongoing provision of care for their adult children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The purpose of this study was to examine the lived experiences of parents of adult children with ASD in the context of balancing career and caregiving responsibilities.

Methods

The current study uses a qualitative phenomenological research approach to describe the lived experiences of 51 parents who were caring for an adult child with ASD. The parents participated in telephone interviews to obtain information about their career experiences while providing care and support to their adult children with ASD.

Results

Three caregiving themes emerged including: (a) difficulty balancing caregiving with work responsibilities, (b) reasons for working, not working, or working intermittently, and (c) work as an escape or wanting to work more.

Conclusion

As more individuals with ASD reach adulthood, often relying to varying extents on their families for daily support, parental employment will continue to be impacted as they juggle their career with caregiving responsibilities. Economically, one or more family members typically need to work to sustain the family’s needs and employment support should be considered. As a society, families often need to make choices even with an adult child with ASD of who will work, how, and when.

Autistic Employees Speak Up

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the employment of adults with autism and other developmental disabilities.

Claire Jack has an article at Psychology Today titled "Are Autistic People More Likely to Speak Up at Work?"

Recent research 3 supports what my clients have told me and suggests that autistic people may be more likely to voice concerns when made aware of inefficient processes and dysfunctional practices in the workplace than non-autistic people. In an online survey, 33 autistic employees and 34 nonautistic employees were presented with examples of potential workplace situations, which contained an example of workplace dysfunction, including an ethical issue or example of operational inefficiency. Both groups were asked to evaluate the hypothetical examples at work and state what, if any, action they would take if they were aware of ethical issues or inefficiencies.

Why were autistic participants more likely to express a desire to take action? It might be because autistic people tend to be less worried about what others think when making moral judgments.4 It could also be the case that autistic people internalise a different set of cultural beliefs and psychological rules in their earlier developmental stages, which makes them less likely to be influenced by others.5



3. Hartman, LM, Farahani, M, Moore, A. et. Al (2023) Organizational benefits of neurodiversity: preliminary findings on autism and the bystander effect. Autism Research, 16(10): 1989-2001

4. Frith, Uta, and Chris Frith. "Reputation management: In autism, generosity is its own reward." Current biology 21.24 (2011): R994-R995.

5. Hartman, LM, Farahani, M, Moore, A. et. Al (2023) Organizational benefits of neurodiversity: preliminary findings on autism and the bystander effect. Autism Research, 16(10): 1989-2001