BALTIMORE — Scott Wolfe had just lost his job in 2022 and seemed to be in a never-ending loop. He would apply to jobs, and employers would reach out and conduct interviews. But then silence.
“It was a pretty humiliating experience,” the Germantown resident said.
Wolfe, who has autism, now says that the lack of opportunities had to do with how he was presenting himself to employers. In early 2023, Wolfe joined the Autism Society’s cohort for the Autism Hiring Program, a 10-week course of soft-skills building and networking.
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After completing the program, Wolfe said he feels more confident and has learned how to better sell himself and his skills. He eventually landed a job as a service coordinator at Siemens Smart Infrastructure.
“I’m more aware of what I have to offer,” Wolfe said. “There’s so much untapped talent everywhere, and we don’t always see it. Programs like these — they help employers find that.”
The Autism Society of Maryland is a nonprofit organization aimed at supporting and advocating for people with autism and their families.
Its hiring program addresses a nationwide problem of high unemployment for those with autism. The overall rate of unemployment for people with autism is higher than that of those with other disabilities, according to data from the Autism Society; 85% of college graduates with autism are unemployed or underemployed.
The program helps people with autism transition successfully into employment, said program manager Linda Hoyt. Created in 2021, the course has had 150 graduates and reaches into Howard, Anne Arundel and Montgomery counties, as well as Towson University. Funded through grants and donations, it comes at no cost to participants, Hoyt said.
The Autism Society does not directly place graduates into employment, she added. The program coordinators can help facilitate introductions and connections, but the focus is on helping participants build skills and experience the job search themselves.
In the course, participants undergo workshops on subjects such as communication, networking, professionalism, critical thinking and problem-solving.
“We have a planned curriculum, support from a counselor to address anxiety, which is often coexisting with the autism in the workplace, and really working on refining those skills so that they can utilize the many talents and bring those successfully into the employment world,” Hoyt said.
Employers can also receive training and no-cost education to better understand working with people with autism, Hoyt said. Managers and staff can undergo training on autism, neurodiversity, Americans with Disabilities Act compliance and inclusivity to create “a sustainable system through which they can hire and retain great candidates,” according to the Autism Society website.
The Autism Society makes sure to have a person with autism look over all training materials before a presentation to make sure “their voice is always represented,” Hoyt said.
Luis Cunningham, a manager at Mary’s Land Farm, a participating employer, said the Autism Society has been a big help in facilitating communication. The 160-acre Ellicott City farm employs two people with autism who help process eggs from the farm’s 400 chickens.
“We found two employees that we’re very happy to be working with,” Cunningham said. “Having the Autism Society to help with that employee-employer relation has been really good.”
For Kaleo Ngo, of Columbia, one of the biggest benefits of the program was the consistent communication and access to resources after the fact. After finishing the program, he went back to school to get additional certifications. He currently works in IT as a network administrator.
The 27-year-old values the network he’s gained through the program — specifically a mentor who has helped him refine his resume and hone his interview skills.
“Anytime I think about the autism program, the main pillar I’d say that comes to mind is just the backbone of support,” Ngo said. “Once you go through the program, you have somebody to stand behind you.”
Toby Pate, 23, said his participation in the program was “vital” to him securing his job with the Maryland Service Corps. He was able to improve his resume and interviewing skills, he said; the group meetings were also a “cathartic experience” because he was around other participants he could relate to.
“I only had worked one job before, so I wasn’t the most experienced in job seeking,” Pate said. “This was helpful for me to get the ball rolling.”
Workplaces are not free of stigma, and disclosing disabilities continues to be a personal and “very vulnerable” choice many with autism have to wrestle with, Hoyt said. Just because a participant chooses to reveal they have autism in one setting does not mean they are comfortable in all spaces, she added.
One participant in the program is torn about whether to let employers know of her diagnosis and asked not to be named in this article. Another requested to remain anonymous because of what the information could mean for a job in the future.
Participants in the Autism Hiring Program can opt to disclose their autism diagnosis to their employers. Whether they choose to disclose is a topic of one of the courses.
“Regardless of whether they have an intellectual disability or not, people want to be meaningful contributors,” Hoyt said. “They want to earn their way and be a part of the working world.”
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