Hiring people with Autism turned out to be “a smart thing to do” for bakery owner Jean Kroll. In this 2015 story, the bakery owner from Evanston, near Chicago, hired three autistic adults after their unpaid internship, giving them a 20-hour-a-week job paying $8.25 an hour.
Kroll was at first unsure about hiring people with disabilities, but she soon found that her autistic employees were more productive than a typical bakery worker. Have Dreams, an organisation that supports people with disabilities, had asked Kroll if she had any opportunities for autistic men and women.
An Adult with Autism employed at the bakery owned by Jean Kroll
At that point, Kroll could only offer a job building and labelling cookie boxes. Soon, she and Have Dreams started a job training program, which received a $125,000 grant from the Chicago-based Coleman Foundation.
The grant came with one condition: an MBA student would collect data on the productivity of the interns at the bakery.
According to Kroll, the program helped the interns build “soft skills” that many people take for granted, the skills that make teamwork and workplace communication easier. Through the program, the autistic interns could practise these skills in a real job, learn the unwritten rules of a workplace and see how communication and teamwork fit into everyday work. Just as importantly, the bakery learned how to communicate clearly with its new team members.
Their training included measuring baking ingredients, and packaging and labelling shortbread cookies, which are sold under the ILOVESWEETS label. The proceeds from sales go back into the program.
The program aimed to prepare the participants for the unexpected changes that can happen in a workplace, and to show employers that hiring people with autism for a range of roles can be a smart business plan.
The data analysis showed that people with autism were 80% more efficient in their work than a typical bakery worker. This is an important finding, as small business owners are always looking for a skilled workforce, and the right training could help ensure steady employment for people with autism. As a result, Kroll offered jobs to the three interns.
This is great news, as many autistic adults face barriers to finding work. A job matters to everyone, not only for income but also for connection, purpose and independence, and it can ease a great deal of worry for families.
The news came at a time when Temple Grandin, a professor of Animal Science and an autism advocate, said while speaking in Portland that children with Autism should learn “working skills”. She said we should focus on what autistic children can achieve, and that there is much more to pursue than academics alone. Today there are many paths that can offer autistic children and adults income, work, connection and friendship.
Kroll agrees that the process was not easy and was a big cultural change for the bakery and its staff. Over time, though, friendships have formed, and the team now has “Friday team lunches”.
To learn about employment options, check out our Autism development tools for employment.
I am Ash and I celebrate Neurodiversity! Growing up with an elder brother with severe Autism was tough – but it has also taught me essential life lessons. I don’t believe that people with Autism are necessarily or have any disorder (except in extreme cases). They are just different! And that is something to be proud of! I am passionate about helping other families who may have Autism conditions in their family. So please reach out and drop me a note. I will be glad to help 🙂
