On a cold, foggy afternoon, The No Boundaries team took a trip out to Downers Grove to visit AutonomyWorks.  AutonomyWorks is a company that employs people with autism to do data entry work.

At AutonomyWorks we taught the associates 1 + 1 communication skills. 1 + 1 communication is something we practice at No Boundaries, it’s a way of breaking down “small talk” in social situations. It outlines three tips you can use to keep the conversation going. You can ask a question, add information or change the subject.  During our visit, we broke off into small groups and practiced using 1+1 communication at a mock networking event. I enjoyed networking with the other employees there.

One thing I really liked at AutonomyWorks was the data entry. I enjoyed following the step-by-step instructions. I was able to finish the data entry work fast, in fact, I finished the task,  first before my other colleagues could. One interesting thing about AutonomyWorks is the fact that their employees with autism work together.

One of my colleagues at No Boundaries, Alex, said “I really liked meeting the people at AutonomyWorks.”

I agree, It was really cool to see the associates there and a chance to try the work they do everyday.

I liked that there was an employee at AutonomyWorks with autism and was also hard of hearing. I was inspired by his ability to communicate with everyone at the same level we were communicating at. I thought it was surprising because the people I have seen who are hard of hearing have a very difficult time communicating with other people in general.

While it was an especially cold day, I found the trip to AutonomyWorks to be very nice because of the many people I saw with autism and how they interact with each other in the work place. It shows that people with autism have the chance to find and do the job they really want. I hope other businesses will see AutonomyWorks as a standard for the future, that hiring people with disabilities will be an essential part of their business – hopefully leading to this practice as the norm for all businesses.

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About The Author

This article was written by Robert, one of our No Boundaries participants. NO BOUNDARIES – Train for Work, Train for Life, a Search, Inc. enterprise, is a “first-of-its-kind” experiential on-land and on-line workplace training center for individuals with disabilities.