Any accommodations that you ask for should work to benefit all parties involved. You don’t want to set an adversarial tone with management. The point in asking for these accommodations is so that you can help the business succeed by making sure that your performance is more than adequate.
Accommodations listed below are considered reasonable by many employers. However, use your own discretion when asking employers for certain accommodations. If you are fired for asking for certain accommodations and you think your employer might have violated the Americans with Disabilities Act please report them to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
1. Free Job Training From The State
Some states will provide people with autism training courses that specifically help them master the skills they need to excel at their current job. If your state provides this sort of training a program like this could help you perform better at yout job.
2. Interview Accommodations
Asking to have the number of interviewers in a room reduced or moving to a room with less people is a reasonable request for someone with autism. You can even ask that the first interview be done over the phone or have them send you the questions before hand.
3. Cues That Make Work Place Shifts More Obvious
Having an obvious cue can help some people with autism if there is a transition between work activities. Using a bell or an alarm to signify that it’s time to move on to another work related task can help avoid confusion.
4. Documents That Give Clear Explanations Of Workplace Goals
Breaking up large tasks into bite sized pieces in a checklist format or on a calender could help employees with autism to stay on task. This could potentially help the person with both short term and long term tasks.
5. Help With Reducing Distractions
Items that block out sounds or sound proofing the room itself could be a possible option for those with autism. Keeping work areas neat and blocking off possible visual distractions using privacy boards could help as well.
6. Memory Aids
Someone with autism might need to use a recorder, notebook, or tablet for writing down instructions. They might also need to make use of sticky pads as reminders. Training refreshers could possibly aid someone with autism if certain tasks aren’t done frequently.
7. Computer Tablets
You could ask an employer for an electronic tablet to help with your workplace activities. If that is a reasonable and necessary request they might decide to accommodate you. However, they might not give you the specific brand of tablet that you asked for. They could give you an Android or Windows Tablet instead of an Ipad. They could even deny the request entirely and give you a plain old pad of paper instead.