Tips from CSAAC’s John Solyst – Autism Job Stories
For more than 15 years, John Solyst has been locating employment positions for clients of CSAAC (Community Services for Autistic Adults and Children.) As Assistant Director for Supported Employment at CSAAC, he deals directly with employers and job coaches to match positions with job skills – what the clients are good at or what they enjoy. He won’t put a client in a job where they’ll fail.
He shared some valuable tips on how to locate a job for an adult or teenager with autism. To begin with, visit the local Chamber of Commerce to identify area businesses. Another idea is simply going door to door at potential places of employment. If an employer seems reluctant, offer to let the individual volunteer for a day or two to see how it works out.
John recommends joining an organization such as the ARC or CSAAC that provides job coaches for their clients.
For ideas on potential jobs take a look at this list of positions where John’s clients have found successful employment:
- Grocery stores: restocking items; cleaning the windows of the refrigerated units; retrieving carts from the parking lot; bagging groceries
- Salvation Army: ringing the bell for the donations
- Retail stores like TJ Maxx and Marshall’s: working in the receiving room; performing maintenance outside of the stores, such as cleaning windows
- Toys R Us: restocking diapers
- K-Mart: removing stuffing from shoes
- Pizza restaurants like Pizza Hut and Papa Johns: hanging advertisement flyers and door hangers in the delivery area; assembling pizza boxes
- Fitness Centers: cleaning and disinfecting the equipment during down hours
- Fast food restaurants: retrieving the food trays, washing them, re-stacking them; putting the cardboard “kiddy” boxes together
- Restaurants: before opening time, rolling silverware; performing maintenance such as cleaning of equipment or tables; filling salt and pepper shakers
- Home stores, like Home Depot: re-shopping; watering plants; sweeping; retrieving carts; stocking shelves
- Small newspapers: folding and stuffing into plastic bags; tossing free gazettes
- Pet retail stores like Pet Smart: walking dogs after grooming; stocking shelves
- Farms: many repetitive tasks available
- Warehouses: assembly and packaging of items such as gutters
- Landscaping: planting and weeding
- Libraries: both paid and volunteer tasks, including sorting books by symbols
- Movie theater like Loew’s: cleaning up; greeting customers
- Restaurants with outdoor eating areas, like Dairy Queen: cleaning outside benches and picking up trash
- Fabric store like Hancock’s: cleaning up things customers set down during regular hours
If you know of a successful (or unsuccessful) job experience, please post the job story here for others!
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