Three years ago I put on my entrepreneurial hat and went to work. I’m the parent of a young adult son with autism, and Chris’ path to employment was not a smooth one. In fact, it was circuitous, bumpy, and strewn with obstacles. Finding work can be a challenge for most of us, but for people with autism there’s the equivalent of an immovable boulder that prevents them from accessing jobs. A staggering 90% of young adults with autism confront employment because of the social challenges they face in the workplace. We’ve seen that it’s very hard for employers to look past those challenges and realize the amazing skills people with autism could contribute if given a chance.
We confronted this problem firsthand three years ago. For Chris, each stage of his education was something to celebrate. With the help of dedicated professionals in our community and much effort of his own, he grew to learn more of the social skills that ordinary life requires of us. There were still many challenges, yet…