Autism Initiative in the Industrial Sector: A Case Study

As employers increasingly view disability as a form of diversity that can enrich the workplace and improve performance, a company in the industrial sector in the Midwest created an innovative initiative for employing an individual with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A case study methodology was utilized to gain a better understanding of effective employer practices in hiring and integrating employees with ASD. The case study was framed by Yang and Konrad’s (2011) model of diversity in the workplace as well the Interactional Model of Cultural Diversity (IMCD; Cox, 1993), with specific focus on the four organizational contexts of the model, namely, organizational culture and acculturation processes, structural integration, informal integration, and institutional bias. Results indicate that the autism initiative had an overall positive impact on the company, with reports of stronger company performance and improved company climate. These results as well as others aligned with tenets of the theoretical framework implemented. Rehabilitation counselors can support employers looking to increase the disability diversity in their company through the theoretically supported insights of this case study. Doing so may help to address the current shortage of skilled workers in the workforce.