Position Papers Toolkit

Many neurodivergent persons are unemployed and even when in situations where they are able to get a job in many situations they lose their job after a while.

Experiences with supported employment have shown that possibilities can realised for getting and keeping a job on the open labour market.
 

Supported employment is developed in the United States of America at the beginning of the 1980’s, as a means of providing practical on –the- job training to persons with intellectual disabilities based on their individual wishes and preferences. The method was designed for persons with a disability who were not seen as capable of “real work”. The systematic instruction and support they received in the workplace enabled them to build their skills, enter the labour market and succeed in jobs on the open labour market.

Since then, the method of supported employment has been introduced to assist persons with intellectual disabilities with employment.  The focus on the individual and his/ her abilities has opened options for more persons with disabilities to enter the open labour market. Based on individual support needs, persons with different types of disabilities can be included when they receive individually tailored support. Over time, learning from provision of the type of support opened the application of supported employment to persons with a broader range of disabilities, such as individual with mental illness, physical disabilities, traumatic brain injury and autism.
 

The focus on individual support needs has resulted in an increased awareness that work options could en should become a reality for all persons with disabilities, including those with severe and complex disabilities.

The experiences and the knowledge, gained by working and supporting persons with different types of disabilities learned that specific support and guidance is needed related to the individual situation of the person involved.
 

Special programs related to supported employment are for example developed for persons with autism.
 

In those programs the individual situation of the persons involved is taken into account. The type of support and guidance is  different from person to person.

The situation in general with realising options and possibilities for participation and inclusion is that existing barriers need to b broken down.

Supported employment has showed that there are possibilities related to paid work on the open labour market.
 

Participation and inclusion in society goes further than only employment. It includes all aspects of life. To realise full inclusion and participation society has a responsibility to make this possible.

Many neurodivergent persons don’t want to be labelled as disabled, but are facing barriers coming from the medical model and the labelling as disabled. In this approach it was the expectation that they were not able to participate e.g. in work.  
 

The shift in thinking that the focus need to be on what the person can do instead of what a person cannot do is opening the situation for neurodivergent persons to develop their talents.

Employers are getting more aware of the talents neurodivergent persons have ,that they are needed in the company and that they can help support productivity and performance.
 

The skills and talents of neurodivergent persons may include:

• Innovation and creativity;

• Technical design and creative strengths;

• New ways of looking at and solving problems;

• High level of concentration;

• Keen accuracy and ability to detect errors;

• Strong recall of information and detailed factual knowledge;

• Reliability and persistence;

• Ability to excel at work that is routine or repetitive in nature.

• Work motivation

• Result orientation and sense of responsibility
   

The learning from supported employment experiences with employment of persons with autism has proven that many persons who are excluded from employment can join the workforce on the open labour market when we focus on their abilities and individual support needs.

The role of employers has changed through a growing awareness of and experiences with supported employment. Employers who have experienced diversity in their workforce are more open to employ neurodivergent persons. Further in many countries employers are facing an aging of their workforce.

The growing attention on disability management has also impacted employer’s roles. Managing disability is a responsibility of employers whether it be on the return to work of injured employees, or the provision of adapted work for employees who become disabled and the requirements to provide reasonable accommodation.
 

All these developments will increasingly lead to a more active role for employers to deal with a diverse workforce. The ageing of the population and fewer young people entering the labour market will also influence these developments.