Employment Resources
Understanding employment rights
There are a number of important federal laws that protect individuals with disabilities from discrimination in employment and the job application process.
- The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
- Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
- Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
How employment can affect an autistic job seeker's Social Security benefits
Some autistic job seekers hesitate to look for a job because they are worried about losing their benefits, like Social Security Income (SSI). The video and information below can help you make your decision.
Autism Employment Connector Challenge Winners
In 2022, Autism Speaks launched the Autism Employment Connector Challenge, in partnership with HeroX, and invited jobseekers, employers, students, recruiters and all other innovators in the employment community to identify solutions to support autistic job seekers navigating the job search and application process.
On June 13, 2022, after careful review by a team of experts consisting of autistic people, family members of people with autism, service providers, HR professionals and corporations that prioritize inclusive hiring, the following three submissions were announced as winners:
- Zensory-Blissful Job Searching for Autistic Adults, submitted by Team Screen Queens (Beatriz Ramos, Sindhu Bhairavi Kannan and T.H.)
- JobQuest: One goal. One passion. Inclusivity! submitted by Carlotta Granholm's team (Carlotta Granholm and Wenyan Liu)
- Autism Employment Matching Engine (AEME), submitted by Rebecca Beam's team (Rebecca Beam and Hilary Kokenda)
