Employment Support for Autistic People
If you are seeking employment, there are a number of Government bodies and other organisations who can support you through this process.
Work and Access Programme
Work and Access is a set of seven specific supports to help people with a disability to get a job, or to help those already employed to stay in work. The supports are aimed at jobseekers, employees, the self-employed, and employers.
Information for Employers
If you are an employer, there are a number of resources available to you to help you best support your Autistic colleagues.
Employment Support for Autistic People
EmployAbility
EmployAbility services offered by the Department of Social Protection provide an employment support service for people with a health condition, injury, illness or disability. Your local EmployAbility service offers employment help and also gives employers access to a pool of potential employees. Providers deliver employment support for both the employer and the employee, a professional job-matching service to help ensure successful recruitment, and advice and information on additional employment supports and grants. You can engage with this service via your local Intreo Office. For further information, see – https://www.gov.ie/en/service/8578c4-access-the-employability-service/
HSE Disabilities Occupational Guidance Service
The HSE offers an Occupational Guidance Service through their local disability offices. The service provides information, advice, support and direction to people with a disability who wish to access rehabilitative training and sheltered services.
The services offered include:
- Information on rehabilitative training and sheltered services
- Advice and guidance on identifying individual interests, skills and abilities in developing a profile of rehabilitative and sheltered needs
- Referral to rehabilitative training and sheltered services
- Linking to other services, such as supported employment, further training, and SOLAS
- Annual Profiling of school leavers who may require a HSE funded Training or Day Service
For further information, contact your local Disability Office.
AHEAD
AHEAD is an independent non-profit organisation working to create inclusive environments in education and employment for people with disabilities. Ahead run a project called the WAM Programme – Willing Able Mentoring (WAM). WAM is a work placement programme which aims to promote access to the labour market for graduates with disabilities and build the capacity of employers to integrate disability into the mainstream workplace. The WAM Programme offers graduates with disabilities the chance to undertake a minimum 6 month, paid, mentored work placements with high profile Irish employers.
For further information, please see – https://www.ahead.ie/wam
Specialisterne Ireland
Specialisterne Ireland is a specialist consultancy that recruits and supports talented Autistic people and those with similar neurodiverse challenges in gaining employment. They support job seekers by:
- Supporting them to apply for jobs
- Working with them at their pace to prepare them for the interview process
- Provide mock interviews to help people perform at their best
- Discuss disclosure and reasonable accommodations
- Support people throughout the interview process
- Search for employment opportunities in their partner companies
- Support people to find their own employment
- Provide ongoing support to candidates employed in their partner companies
For more information see – https://www.specialisterne.ie/
Not so Different
Not so Different is a Social Enterprise in Dublin 15 promoting equality and inclusion for people who are neurodiverse, such as those on the Autism Spectrum, and their families. They support people to realise their full potential through education and employment, and to live a good life in Community. See – https://www.notsodifferent.ie/
The Walkinstown Association (Walk)
WALK provide employment support and training to Autistic individuals. They believe that everyone who wants to work, have a job and a career, can do so given the right supports. Their role is to facilitate individuals to fulfil their career and employment ambitions in life by supporting them to realise their potential, access opportunities and build their own natural supports. For further information see – https://www.walk.ie/
Ability @ Work – Cope Foundation, Cork
Ability@Work is a dedicated supported employment service which aims to bring young people with intellectual disabilities and /or autism closer to the labour market. The programme assists jobseekers at key transition points between education, training and employment and is available to young people 18-29 years.
For further information, see – https://www.cope-foundation.ie/AbilityWork
Work and Access Supports
Work and Access is a set of seven specific supports to help people with a disability to get a job, or to help those already employed to stay in work. The supports are aimed at jobseekers, employees, the self-employed, and employers. The supports aim to remove or reduce barriers in the workplace for people with a disability.
The seven supports include:
- Workplace Needs Assessment Grants of up to €2,500 are available to enable people with a disability or health condition to identify the supports they need in their workplace to do their job.
- Workplace Adaptations Grants of up to €25,000 are available to support employers with funding to adapt their business premises for an employee or future employee with a disability.
- Work Equipment Grants of up to €12,000 are available towards personalised assistive equipment or technology for people with disabilities working in the business premises or working remotely.
- Personal Reader funding is available to assist people who are blind or visually impaired with work-related reading.
- Communication support which funds help with job interviews, job inductions, in-work meetings or performance reviews.
- In-Work Support funding is available towards a work coach or specialist support to help a person with a disability to do their job or re-train if they move to another position.
- Disability Equality and Inclusion Training funding is available for employers with a paid workforce to train all their staff on disability and inclusion.
For further information and eligibility criteria, please see – https://www.gov.ie/en/service/47db8-work-and-access-supports/.
Information for Employers
The Employer Disability Information Service
The Employer Disability Information Service aims to make it quick and easy to help employers empower their employees with disabilities. For information regarding how you can get in touch for support, see – https://www.employerdisabilityinfo.ie/
Employers for Change
The aim of Employers for Change is to provide an employer with a disability information service. The service empowers employers with all the information and advice needed to hire, employ, manage and retain staff with disabilities. For further information see – https://www.employersforchange.ie/index
