Detour to: segregation for well designed work environments where Autistics can thrive
A young man with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder once put it well:
“People with Asperger’s Syndrome are like salt-water fish who are forced to live in fresh water. We’re fine if you just put us into the right environment. When the person with AS and the environment match, the problem goes away and we even thrive. When they don’t match, we seem disabled.”
The environment may match via an inclusive approach or via a more segregated approach…
An inclusive approach
Specialisterne (‘the Specialists’ in Danish) seeks to harness strengths that many people with Autism Spectrum Disorders possess - good attention to fine details, precision, and high tolerance for repetitive tasks. Specialisterne’s founder, Thorkil Sonne, views the ideal outcome of the perceptual shift that his social enterprise is trying to promote to be: that there will be no need for ‘specialist’ companies in the future, and inclusive hiring practices will simply be a hallmark of successful businesses. Similarly, James Emmett preferred a fully inclusive model when the ‘Fruits of Employment’ program was being established by TIAA-CREF - where people with Autism would work within established work teams throughout the orchard.
(sources: The Autistic Revolution | Jobpostings.ca; http://muconf.missouri.edu/AIC2011/AutismHandouts/9.pdf)
A more segregated approach
The alternative to a fully inclusive model is a more segregated one - where people with Autism work in separate teams and in specific locations, and mix very little with other parts of a workforce. One area where a more segregated model may be useful would be in terms of having employees with Autism Spectrum Disorders located in architecturally-designed workplaces that are specifically suited around their needs.
At the moment, these kind of environments are restricted to some schools for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders as well as certain research centres. However, in the future, there may be more employers like the nonPareil Institute in Plano, Texas - whose founders created a model in which work is brought to individuals who work in an environment suited to their needs rather than forcing them to adapt to environments more suited for those without Autism.
Maria Luigia Assirelli is a partner at London-based GA Architects, specialists in designing new builds and refurbishments for people with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Her experience in this area includes designing schools, residential buildings and respite centres. She is committed to the concept that well designed environments have a significant influence on behaviour. Here is a link to the slides for Assirelli’s November 2010 presentation in Reading, England on ‘Colour and Best Practice in Autism Design’: Autism & SEN Architects - GA Architects
Here is part of the blurb on her presentation (proxemics is defined as how much space is needed around an individual to feel comfortable):
(sources: nonPareil.Institute - Practical Autism Solutions; Event page - Autism Education Trust; Designing Environments for Children and Adults with Autism - Autism Events and Asperger Syndrome Conferences and Exhibitions - Arventa Healthcare - Arventa Healthcare; GA Architects - Autism Learning Difficulties Architecture)