Presentation by Donata Vivanti (Vice-President, European Disability Forum) on the occasion of the EESC LMO conference on 'Excluded or included' in Brussels on 6 November 2012.

1. Inclusion in the labour
market of persons with
Autism Spectrum Disorders
Donata Vivanti - Autism-Europe - Vice-president EDF
www.autismeurope.org www.edf-feph.org

2. SUMMARY
• EU context: challenges and opportunities
• The particular challenges of ASD
• Barriers to inclusion of persons with ASD
in the workforce
• Policies for the inclusion of persons with
ASD in the workforce
• Measures for the inclusion of persons with
asd in the workforce
• Good practice for the inclusion of persons
with asd in the workforce
• 10 good reasons to hire persons with ASD

3. EU CONTEXT:
THE CHALLENGES
• Economic crisis and austerity measures
• Increasing unemployment rates
• State aids to promote the inclusion of
persons with disabilities are claimed to
have been contributing to the economic
crisis
• Financial restriction are invoked to deny
rights

4. EU CONTEXT:
THE OPPORTUNITIES
• Council Directive 78/2000 ?
• Ratification of the UN CRPD
• EU disability strategy 2010-2020

5. DIRECTIVE 2000/78/EC
• “in order to guarantee compliance with
the principle of Equal treatment in relation
to persons with disabilities, reasonable
accommodation shall be provided”
(Art. 5)
• "This Directive does not require the
recruitment, promotion, maintenance in
employment or training of an individual
who is not competent, capable and
available to perform the essential
functions of the post concerned …”

6. UNCRPD
• Combating discrimination of persons with
disabilities is a question of human rights
• For all persons with disabilities including
those who need a more intense support
(Preamble, (J))
• Art. 27 (Right to the opportunity to gain a living by work
freely chosen or accepted in a labour market and work
environment that is open, inclusive and accessible to
persons with disabilities)

7. THE PARTICULAR CHALLENGE
OF AUTISM
• Employment rate:
– Non-disabled workers 65.9%
– persons with disabilities 44%
– persons with ASD < 10%

8. THE PARTICULAR CHALLENGE
OF AUTISM
The “inner” barriers:
the core features of ASD
• Primary Social Impairment
• Primary Global Communication
Impairment
• Secondary non-adaptive behaviours

9. BARRIERS TO INCLUSION AT WORK
OF PERSONS WITH AUTISM
Barriers in society:
• Prejudice:
– Incapability : unable to work
– Unreliability : fear of problems in the workplace
– Cost : fear of need for expensive accommodation
• Neglect: lack of social habilitation and vocational
training opportunities
– Preventing development of potential and skills
– Leading to further disability (ID 80% vs 50% with extensive &
intensive support programmes)
• Exclusion from society : a significant proportion of
200.000 PwD living in institutions have autism

10. POLICIES FOR INCLUSION OF PWA :
DISABILITY STRATEGY 2020
Area 3 - Equality • Providing persons with
ASD equal opportunities for
• review of the
developing social
Employment Equality communication and work
Directive skills
• Defining and ensuring
reasonable accommodation
for persons with ASD in
vocational training &
workplace

11. POLICIES FOR INCLUSION OF PWA :
DISABILITY STRATEGY 2020
Area 4. • Improving knowledge of
public employment
Employment: services in
• Improving – Matching jobs with individual
knowledge strengths and interests
– Assessing the social
• jobs and growth environment of workplaces
policies to people – Providing assistance with
interview skills
with autism
• Defining and ensuring
• compliance of the reasonable
EU legislation with accommodation of
the UNCRPD workplaces and labour
conditions

12. POLICIES FOR INCLUSION OF PWA :
DISABILITY STRATEGY 2020
• Understanding the
Area 4. meaning of quality of jobs
Employment: for persons with ASD: a
quality job is the most
• quality of jobs adapted to the individual
skills, interests and
wishes
• integrating
persons with • Flexibility of work
partial work conditions in the labour
capacity market

13. POLICIES FOR INCLUSION OF PWA :
DISABILITY STRATEGY 2020
• Improving the skills of
• Area 6 - Education:
teachers and vocational
inclusive & quality
trainers on autism
education and educational needs and
training teaching strategies
• Establishing quality
• Area 7 - Health
standards of habilitation
improve quality of services in terms of
(re)habilitation outcomes for users
(including access to
work opportunities)

14. MEASURES FOR INCLUSION AT WORK
OF PERSONS WITH AUTISM
• Specialised guidance and counselling services for people
with autism (job counselling and job coaching )
• Education and training programmes in the
mainstream and in special services to persons with
ASD in need for more intense support
• Job-placement initiatives and opportunities (supported
apprenticeships)
• Adopting adequate methodology (IPS) for providing
ongoing support and advice at the workplace to
workers with ASD, employers and colleagues

15. GOOD PRACTICES FOR
INCLUSION OF PEOPLE
WITH ASD IN THE WORKFORCE
TIPS (Training on Individual Placement
Support)
• funded by the Emilia Romagna region, Italy
• Based on IPS methodology
• Pre-service training for staff of the employment
services/jo centres, vocational training and mental
health services
• Regular in-service monitoring to support the staff
• Applied so far to persons with mental health
problems but
• suitable to high functioning persons with ASD

16. 10 GOOD REASONS
TO HIRE PERSONS WITH ASD
A. Moral imperatives
1. Persons with ASD deserve a dignified and
productive life as anyone else’s
2. Employment contributes to social inclusion by
providing opportunities for social participation
(especially important for ASD)
3. Employment enhances self-esteem and
contributes to quality of life (in particular to
persons with ASD, who have difficulties in
managing free time)

17. 10 GOOD REASONS
TO HIRE PERSONS WITH ASD
B. Sustainable development
4. Increasing number of persons with ASD (1/80
newborn)
5. Employment provides income (less benefits are to
be provided)
6. Recognising and investing on potential of persons
with ASD: no persons is so severely disabled not
to have strengths, no context is so poor not to
have resources

18. 10 GOOD REASONS
TO HIRE PERSONS WITH ASD
C. The extreme diversity and particular talents of
persons with ASD
7. Diverse workers may develop better
solutions to business challenges
8. Lower absenteeism
9. Accuracy, good eye for detail, reliability and
meticulous application of routine tasks

19. 10 GOOD REASONS
TO HIRE PERSONS WITH ASD
D. Legal obligation under the
UNCRPD
10. No distinction or exception
is acceptable in a rights-based
perspective

20. FOR MORE INFORMATION