Having autism may have been a barrier for many people looking to enter the job market, but no more!

According to Integrate Autism Employment Advisors, over eighty-five percent of college graduates with autism are out of work. While popular television shows such as the Good Doctor may paint a much brighter picture of autism and employment, the real truth is much harder to bear.

You’re probably thinking that isn’t such a big deal, how many people have autism? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in fifty-nine children in the U.S is diagnosed with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder). If only there were a film crew and Hollywood studio standing behind every child to give them that Hollywood is ending.

Autism Spectrum Disorder has a broad range of symptoms. What one person deals with on a daily basis may not be a problem for another person, or the effects could be much worse. One of the big issues facing educational institutions around the world right now is preparing people with autism for the employment sector. Giving them the skills required to compete in a shrinking job market is their number one priority.

“I do think it takes leaders in the corporate community and the business community to recognize the value of having diversity on their staff,” said Ilana Hoffer Skoff the executive director and co-founder of Milestones Autism Resources. “To recognize that individuals with autism – like so many other people – have strengths that they can bring to the workplace, and that recognition shifts it away from ‘Well, let’s just do the nice thing to hire someone with a disability or with a difference,’ and moving it into the conversation of this is good for business.”

One company is looking to change how people value those with autism. German software company, SAP, has been an industry leader for its Autism At Work Program. This program aims to encourage those with autism to enter the job market. They changed their interview process to get applicants to demonstrate strength, rather than talk about it.

Companies across the country and around the world are leveling the playing field. The pressure of applying for work and entering the job market for those with autism could soon be a thing of the past.