The Buckland Review – supported by Autistica and the DWP – gives valuable recommendations for employers to see the value that autistic people bring, and seeks ways to support them in starting and progressing careers. While employment may not be appropriate for all autistic people, we hope that this Review addresses the gap between the number who want to work and those who find a meaningful job.
At CRAE, we are very proud that our research has contributed to this report.
The report outlines initiatives aimed at building understanding, reducing negative perceptions and stigma, and promoting the value of autism employment. These strategic recommendations focus on creating a more inclusive work environment that recognises and capitalises on the unique strengths and productivity of autistic individuals.
Initiatives to Raise Awareness and Capitalize on Productivity
- National Campaign for Employers: Collaborate with autistic individuals, autism organizations, and employer-facing organizations to launch a national campaign. This campaign will highlight the benefits of employing autistic individuals through success stories, testimonials, and statistics demonstrating increased productivity in specific roles.
- Autistica Neurodiversity Employers Index: Promote this index to help organizations benchmark against best practices, identifying strengths and improvement areas. It aims to create inclusive work environments without requiring autistic employees needing to disclose.
https://www.autistica.org.uk/get-involved/employers/ndei/ - Pilots of Good Practice: Develop and assess small pilot projects in collaboration with large companies to establish supportive recruitment and employment processes for autistic individuals. Disseminate successful practices industry-wide through representative bodies.
Supporting Autistic Individuals in Career Initiations or Transitions
- Cross-Industry Support Groups: Promote support groups that offer volunteering and work shadowing opportunities for autistic job seekers to gain confidence about employment.
- Universal Support Programme: Ensure this new program meets the diverse needs of autistic individuals, including access to supported employment programs.
- Supported Internships and Apprenticeships: Advocate for these as paths for autistic young people to gain experience and skills, with proper adjustments to accommodate diverse needs.
- Awareness of Access to Work: Increase awareness among autistic individuals about the Access to Work program.
Recruitment Practices Supporting Autistic Applicants
- Training for Careers Advisers: Ensure that careers advisers across educational institutions and national careers services are well-informed about autism and can provide appropriate support and advice to autistic individuals.
- Enhancing Disability Confident Scheme: Increase the scheme’s rigour and link it to the Autistica Neurodiversity Employers Index.
- Improving Recruitment Processes: Work with recruitment bodies to highlight the advantages of hiring autistic individuals.
Supporting Autistic Individuals Already in the Workforce
- Role Models and Guides: Identify Disability Confident firms experienced in employing autistic individuals and encourage them to guide other organizations.
- Publicising Neurodiversity at Work Guidance..
- Autism Design Guides: Collaborate with autistic people and charities to produce design guides for creating supportive work environments tailored to various industries.
Encouraging and Supporting Career Progression
- Employee Resource Groups and Support Networks: Promote these within organizations to help autistic employees develop skills and networks necessary for career advancement.
- Strength-Based Training Packages: Work with organisations to develop training focused on leveraging the strengths of autistic employees, aiming at skill development and job role adaptation to match their skill sets.
Supporting papers from CRAE
Davies, J., Heasman, B., Livesey, A., Walker, A., Pellicano, E., & Remington, A. (2022a). Autistic adults’ views and experiences of requesting and receiving workplace adjustments in the UK. PLOS ONE, 17(8), e0272420. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0272420
Davies, J., Heasman, B., Livesey, A., Walker, A., Pellicano, E., & Remington, A. (2022b). Autistic adults’ views and experiences of requesting and receiving workplace adjustments in the UK. PLOS ONE, 17(8), e0272420. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0272420
Davies, J., Heasman, B., Livesey, A., Walker, A., Pellicano, E., & Remington, A. (2023a). Access to employment: A comparison of autistic, neurodivergent and neurotypical adults’ experiences of hiring processes in the United Kingdom. Autism, 27(6), 1746–1763. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613221145377
Davies, J., Heasman, B., Livesey, A., Walker, A., Pellicano, E., & Remington, A. (2023b). Access to employment: A comparison of autistic, neurodivergent and neurotypical adults’ experiences of hiring processes in the United Kingdom. Autism, 13623613221145376. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613221145377
Kenny, L., Hattersley, C., Molins, B., Buckley, C., Povey, C., & Pellicano, E. (2015). Which terms should be used to describe autism? Perspectives from the UK autism community. Autism, 20(4), 442–462. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361315588200
Remington, A., Heasman, B., Romualdez, A. M., & Pellicano, E. (2022). Experiences of autistic and non-autistic individuals participating in a corporate internship scheme. Autism, 26(1), 201–216. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613211025115
Remington, D. A., & Pellicano, L. (n.d.). An Internship Programme for Autistic Graduates at Deutsche Bank, UK.
Romualdez, A. M., Heasman, B., Walker, Z., Davies, J., & Remington, A. (2021). “People Might Understand Me Better”: Diagnostic Disclosure Experiences of Autistic Individuals in the Workplace. Autism in Adulthood, 3(2), 157–167. https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2020.0063