Date Presented 04/05/19
This qualitative-phenomenological study examines the concept of accessibility of the working environment, in the perceptions of employees with ASD and their employers. Themes that emerged include basic perceptions relating to employment; practical motivation to employ or to be employed; specific approaches facilitating or impeding accessibility in the workplace; and accessibility dimensions and their components. These served as a basis for the development of the working environment accessibility measure.
Primary Author and Speaker: Michal Waisman-Nitzan
Additional Authors and Speakers: Einat Gal, Naomi Schreuer
PURPOSE: Despite the advantages of employing qualified adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), this population experiences high rate of unemployment (Taylor & Seltzer, 2011). Most vocational interventions focus on training individuals, rather than using evidence based job accommodations and environmental adjustments, in order to facilitate successful employment of individuals with ASD level 1 (Hedley et al., 2017). There is a lack of conceptual understanding regarding the environmental accommodations and adjustments that facilitate the enrolment of this population in competitive working places and of valid tools to assess the workplace accessibility for people with ASD. Therefore the research goals were: 1. to understand what is an accessible working environment according to the perceptions of employees with ASD and their employers, and what are reasonable adjustments with regarding to the job performance; 2. to develop an assessment aiming to measure the extent of the working place accessibility for individuals with ASD.
DESIGN: The study was conducted using a qualitative-phenomenological approach. 19 employees with ASD and eight employers of people with ASD were recruited via organizations providing support employment services. Inclusion criteria: Employees group- an official diagnosis of ASD, ages 21-45, working for at least 6 months during the past year with a minimum of 10 hours per week; Employers group- experience at employing workers with ASD for at least 6 months during the past year with a minimum of 10 hours per week.
METHOD: The data was collected via in depth semi structured interviews, based on an open interview guide. The audio taped interviews were transcribed. The thematic content analysis included an open coding procedure held by four researchers, using Dedoose software for qualitative data analysis. The analytic process included the following stages: (a) Initial analysis; (b) Mapping analysis; (c) Focused analysis. Following the analysis procedure two focus groups were held including employees, employers and professionals to ensure the credibility of the findings.
RESULTS: The analysis of the interviews' contents yielded four themes relating to barriers and facilitators at work as perceived by employees with ASD and their employers: 1. Basic perceptions relating to employment; 2. Practical motivation to employ or to be employed; 3. Specific approaches facilitating or inhibiting accessibility in the workplace; 4. Accessibility dimensions (role tasks and routine; physical and sensory environment; social environment and attitudes; communication) and their components. These served as basis for the development of a new measure: "working environment accessibility measure- WEA-M".
CONCLUSIONS: The results suggests to consider perceptions towards employment of both employees and employers, their practical motivation to employment and the specific approach towards adjustments and accommodations held by the different parties, as part of the working environment accessibility. The accessibility dimensions and their components originated in the study expand the concept of accessibility.
Acknowledging the components of an inclusive and accessible environment may lead to an ongoing dialogue between the involved parties, to provide a systematic analysis of the working environment and a frame for applying relevant adjustments and accommodations. Moreover the results may impact an evidence-based policy that can be anchored in the culture of the working organization, hence promote the inclusion of the ASD population into the working world.
References
Taylor, J., & Seltzer, M. (2011). Employment and Post-Secondary Educational Activities for Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders During the Transition to Adulthood. Journal Of Autism & Developmental Disorders, 41(5), 566-574. DOI 10.1007/s10803-010-1070-3
Hedley, D., Uljarević, M., Cameron, L., Halder, S., Richdale, A., & Dissanayake, C. (2017). Employment programmes and interventions targeting adults with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review of the literature. Autism, 21(8), 929-941. DOI: 10.1177/1362361316661855
