Page 8 - Mar-Apr19 Vol36 No7

STATEWIDE
Recognizing Wasted Talent
Had a fortune teller pulled out a crystal
ball and announced that in 2018 I would
be the Executive Director of Electronics
Recycling Solutions, I would have told
them their ball was broken. After all,
my passion has always been Special
Education; what possible ties could there
be between electronics recycling and
adults with disabilities? As it turns out,
there are many.
I am the parent of an adult child with
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and I
can tell you that from the time he could
crawl, he was fascinated by technology. I
was the Headmaster of a private school
for children with learning differences,
and my students (mostly boys) would
choose to work for “computer time” over
any other reward. Various companies
would donate old laptop computers to the
school and my students would rejoice in
taking them apart and then putting them
back together. And yet, I did not have
the foresight to see how these skills could
translate into jobs.
It wasn’t until I began doing research
as part of my doctoral degree that I came
upon a social enterprise that created
jobs for adults with autism through the
ethical recycling of electronic waste. I
wasn’t surprised that the adult employees
with ASDs were skilled at breaking down
electronics. I wasn’t surprised by their
loyalty to the job, their ability to stay
on-task for long periods of time, or the
lack of injuries on the job (individuals
with autism are big on following rules). I
was surprised by the joy they expressed at
working with their peers; coming to work
to see their friends was the biggest reason
they enjoyed working at this particular
social enterprise. I was also surprised by
the high levels of fulfillment they felt by
the company’s mission to keep electronics
out of the landfills. It was clear that being and symptoms of depression will abate.
part of a world-wide mission to reduce,
reuse and recycle was inspiring these
young people.
I have often said that I am concerned
with how we are currently marketing the
merits of hiring adults with ASDs. I have
literally squirmed in my seat while well-
meaning employers say things like “we
hired Jim and Jim is amazing. Jim focuses
on his job. Jim doesn’t socialize with his
8 TPW March/April 2019
co-workers. Jim can work for long periods
of time without taking a break.” Perhaps
it’s the “mom” in me but that sort of talk is work in the warehouse. The point is, not
a huge turn-off. When I hear these types
of speeches a vision from The Matrix
comes to mind: autism worker bees
plugged in to the big machine. Personally,
I would like for Jim to socialize. In fact,
I would like for Jim to have a group
of friends at work who he chooses to
socialize with after work and on the
weekends. I would like for Jim to self-
monitor and know that he needs to take
breaks. Ultimately, I found that the sort
of teamwork required by an electronics
recycling production line was the type of
employment opportunity I could whole-
heartedly support.
There is something incredibly satisfying
about matching specific skill sets with
jobs that will not only benefit adults with
autism, but all of humanity. Hiring adults
with autism is crucial for the success of
our planet—just as crucial as properly
disposing of electronics. The Center for
Disease Control in Atlanta announced
in 2018 that 1 in 59 is now diagnosed
with autism. Four out of five of those
diagnosed with autism are boys. Over the
next eight years, 500,000 individuals with
autism will enter the workforce and less
than 20 percent of those individuals will
be employed. Tax payers will ultimately
end up shouldering the burden of all
these unemployed adults and yet we fail
to create jobs that will employ the least
employed disabilities group.
There has been a great deal of research
done on how meaningful employment
helps to decrease symptoms of depression,
anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive
disorder in adults with autism. It makes
sense; find a purpose in life and a place
to socialize where your skills are valued,
The various tasks involved in the recycling
of electronics allow for many different
types of jobs. Some individuals prefer
to be out on the open road driving the
trucks that pick up electronics. Other
individuals enjoy working at the drop off
center open to the public. The production
line works at a fast pace and looks for
individuals who enjoy teamwork and the
type of precision involved in breaking
By Rebeckah Dopp
down electronics. And then there are
the shipping and packing strategists who
all individuals on the spectrum enjoy
working on computers.
When I started ERS, I noticed that
many of my employees had not been
physically active prior to working for ERS.
As a special education teacher, I can tell
you that once our young people graduate
from high school, we stop pushing them
to go to the gym. We do not encourage
adults with ASDs to participate in group
or individual sports. I am a 57-year-old
woman and I can work circles around
most of my 20-something employees
because they have not been encouraged
to stay in shape. Working in a warehouse
environment encourages physical activity
and my employees love the challenge.
My message to all recyclers would be
to consider hiring adults with autism
and other disabilities. One of the best
resources to find potential employees
is by connecting with organizations
formed to meet the needs of special
needs individuals who have aged out
of the system. For those of you who are
unfamiliar with the term “falling off the
cliff,” this refers to the end of services
provided to our young people with
disabilities once they turn 22. Many
parents have banded together to form
groups that provide resources for families
and opportunities to socialize after their
adult children age out of the system.
In Sumner County we have Project 22.
There is also a wonderful day program
called Peer Place in Hendersonville that
provides individuals ongoing education
and socialization opportunities. Lipscomb
University offers the IDEAL program
which provides opportunities to attend
classes on campus while providing job
training and supervised internships.
Vanderbilt University has a similar
program called NEXT STEPS. These
programs are full of young people with
varying disabilities who are ready and
willing to work. My best advice would
be to reach out to one of these programs
or a similar program in your area and
get ready to be impressed by the quality
of work and professionalism adults with
ASDs bring to their jobs.