While the month of April is designated as Autism Awareness Month, the needs of Wisconsin’s individuals who have Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are a part of a larger issue.  

Receiving a high school diploma or any college degree can be seen as successful and valid, but that still sets a low bar for individuals capable of much more than what society has boxed them into. 

While education topics on ASD are always needed to further the development of the growing number of autistic children. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) 1 out of 36 have autism, along with 5,437,988 adults.  

The government but also businesses in the private and nonprofit sectors need to address the fact that employing individuals with ASD is not just a morally right thing to do, but also a financially and economically smart move. 

This type of move with employers will not just benefit individuals with ASD but also communities the businesses operate by doing a better job working with sustainable careers for adults with ASD.  

The issues individuals with ASD often face when finding a sustainable career is that there are still preconceived beliefs on what individuals with ASD can handle, with employers believing they are too high of a risk to hire. It also doesn’t help that many industries that pay well are still not autism friendly. 

Being able to attend a community college or a university for a degree program is not enough when employers are not willing to meet applicants halfway. 

The Autism Society of America cites the CDC that individuals with disabilities who are unemployed but ready and willing to work are typically twice that of the non-disabled individuals.  

This speaks volumes to how society’s most under-utilized minority is being treated. 

While some businesses such as Ford Motor Company, Microsoft and Walgreens are already hiring individuals with autism because of the traits businesses have deemed an asset to the workforce, other industries have been slow to catch on to the concept. 

Many of those on the autism spectrum believe that all levels of government are failing those with autism, as the bar set to finding and being employed is typically much higher than those who don’t have autism or any sort of disability.  

An easy way to understand a person with autism is to be open minded when it comes to the variety of skills that many on the autism spectrum have. Engage their interest, you might learn something new in the process, then teach them how to approach the skills they are missing a bit at a time pushing them out of their comfort zones a little bit more each day.  

The results are worth it.