Assisting People with Autism in Employment: Guidance for Line Managers and HR Professionals
The purpose of this guide is to assist those who are working as line managers, or in a HR role, to better understand autism and to effectively recruit, work with and support staff with autism in the workplace. Autism can be described as a hidden disability and line managers or colleagues may not have awareness of the condition itself or the supports that may be required for an autistic employee.
The 'Assisting People with Autism in Employment' guidance will assist line managers and HR professionals in ensuring that staff with disabilities, including autism, are supported to deliver on the objectives of their role.
Retaining Employees who Acquire a Disability: A Guide for Employers
The 'Retaining Employees who Acquire a Disability' guide provides employers with information about how to help employees who have acquired a disability to stay in work or return to work after a period of recovery. This guidance is based on what research has shown to be effective. It is good practice for employers to develop a formal return to work policy that is specific to their own business.
This guide was informed by a literature review on good practice guidance in relation to retaining people in employment after the onset of a disability.
We also provided advice to the Health and Safety Authority as they prepared the second edition of their publication 'Employees with Disabilities: An employers guide to implementing inclusive health and safety practices for employees with disabilities'.
Reasonable Accommodations for People with Autism Spectrum Disorder
The 'Reasonable Accommodations for People with Autism Spectrum Disorder' paper, published in 2015, presents information on good practice in supporting people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to obtain employment. The paper draws on a number of sources of information including learning from an NDA seminar on autism and employment held in 2012.
We note that the term ‘Autistic People’ is preferred to ‘People with Autism Spectrum Disorder’ by many people with autism. When this report is updated this language issue will be addressed.