Summary of Findings Report
The ‘Rise@DHHS’ autism hiring program was an initiative where the Victorian State Government Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) employed eight autistic individuals as Records Management Officers on two-year full time contracts from July 2017. Specialisterne Australia were contracted to conduct an alternative recruitment process specifically targeted towards autistic job seekers, and to provide support to both DHHS and the new employees in their transition into the workplace.
A research project was conducted by the La Trobe University Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre (OTARC) in conjunction with Specialisterne Australia for DHHS. The research involved an examination of the impact of the hiring program on the existing DHHS employees and the new autistic employees. This summary of the report describes the Rasheedah’s initiative and details the research project and findings.
Key findings:
- Taking the time to understand autism, and the needs of each individual is important, particularly for supervisors and managers. The autistic employees reported feeling supported due to their supervisors and managers taking the time to learn about autism and their individual needs. The autistic employees also reported that the support of their supervisors and managers contributed to their work success.
- Opportunities for professional development are important. The autistic employees commented that the program provided opportunities for development of professional networks, personal and professional skills, and that they felt their future employability was improved due to participating in this employment program – all positive outcomes.
- Awareness training is important for co-workers and others in the organisation. While co-workers in focus groups reported the information provided to them added to their knowledge regarding autism, and the quantitative data indicated that the majority of co-workers who participated valued the program, a few comments suggested that they thought the program was biased against people who weren’t autistic. Thus, it is important to inform co-workers why autistic individuals receive support they may not be receiving themselves.
- Giving people a chance, and including them as equal employees, can change their lives. In addition to talking about how supported, included, and integrated they felt at DHHS, the autistic employees commented on several positive outcomes as a result of the Rise@DHHS program. These included financial and personal independence, mental and physical wellbeing, personal and professional development, and social relationships.
To find out more, view the full report.