Below is a collection of examples of good practice we identified from across Europe after speaking to young people, employers, careers advisors and autism support organisations. Each case study offers some tips and creative ideas that you can adopt.
University College Cork is Ireland’s leading research institute. After observing poor post-graduate outcomes for disabled graduates, UCC’s careers service and disability support service joined up to develop a mutual mentoring programme for autistic students and employers. The one-to-one programme turned out to be a great success, providing a win-win for everyone involved.
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Universities found that autistic students and graduates often struggled in gaining employment or work placements. This led to the development of the ‘Aspie-Friendly Company Charter’, developed by 20 French universities. The charter works with both public and private sector employers and has so far been joined by more than ten companies, including Microsoft France.
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In conversation with Auticon founder Dirk Mueller-Remus, we were able to uncover examples of good support practice for autistic students and graduates. Auticon promotes a neurodiverse workplace, employing specifically autistic adults for a range of IT based roles. After having worked with several large IT companies, Auticon has shown what a neurodiverse workforce can offer companies.
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The Dutch Fontys University of Applied Sciences offers talent-oriented education to anyone interested in technology, entrepreneurship and creativity. Student+ is a service that offers support in developing the talents of students with ADHD, autism, anxiety and dyslexia as well as those who just need support with planning and organising their studies, or have physical or psychological impairments.
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University College Cork is Ireland’s leading research institute, with excellent support systems and countless opportunities to develop both academically and personally. After observing poor post-graduate outcomes for disabled UCC graduates, UCC’s careers service and disability support service joined up to develop an Employability Skills Programme for autistic students.
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Studeren en Werken op Maat (Individualised Study and Work; SWOM) is a Dutch organisation that provides coaching for disabled young professionals. They partner with universities and other organisations to support students and graduates to complete their courses, find work, and deal with other life dilemmas. About 70% of their clients have an autism diagnosis. We spoke with experienced SWOM coach Irene Stortenbeek to find out more about how they achieve success.
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Julien is a French job coach who supports autistic people in finding work placements, internships and employment. Julien found that there was a great lack of training and awareness amongst companies who showed little interest in recruiting autistic people. There was also a lack of services available to autistic people, and those that were available were fragmented, meaning autistic people had to liase with a number of people or organisations in order to gain support. This is when Julien decided that a single point of access for different aspects of their lives would be beneficial, and he could provide this.
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In 2018, UCC started the three-year ‘Autism Friendly University Initiative’, aiming to make the physical, social and academic spaces of the University more inclusive for autistic students. This includes the development of an autism-friendly and accessible Calm Zone, outdoor sensory spaces and the adaptation of an online toolkit designed to support autistic students with the transition to university (created by the Autism&Uni Project).
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