Adult Employment
Autism Connection of PA is interested in promoting the hiring of people with invisible disabilities. Our Executive Director spoke with Amanda R. L. Neatrour, Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives, and Employment Coordinator City of Pittsburgh Department of Personnel and Civil Service, her experience with working with an adult with autism.
*Please note his name has been changed for this article.
Q. How long have you worked together?
We have worked with Steven* since the last week of November of 2015.
Q. How did the employee (or intern?) with autism find out about the job?
We were connected to Steven through his work with Goodwill. Steven was a part of Goodwill of Southwestern PA's job training program where he learned Microsoft Excel, Word, Access, and typing. He also worked on soft skills. After completion of his job training program, Steven was placed with The City of Pittsburgh as part of Goodwill's Externship program. This program is for people who have completed the job training program, who then go on to work between one or three months to gain job experience, and have some thing for their resume.
Q. What was the interview process like - same or different than others?
The interview process was a bit different because Goodwill selected a candidate they felt was a good match based on their skill level, and the type of work they wanted to do. Goodwill has employer liaisons that work with businesses to assist them in the process. It is almost a double sided interview. We were meeting Steven to see if he was a good fit for us, and he wanted to see if we were a group he wanted to work with.