Your Guide To
Becoming An Autism
Inclusive Employer
U Can Employ™ (UCE) serves as a guide for
businesses, large and small, to embrace
autism inclusion in their workforce.
Schedule an Appointment
Businesses are already reaping the benefits
Companies actively employing people with disabilities report:
89%
higher retention rates*72%
increase in employee productivity*29%
increase in profitability*About U Can Employ
UCE was founded to ensure that adults with autism are given the same employment opportunities as any other individual in the workforce - no matter where they live or who’s doing the hiring. Our program was born from a family's painful experience: after their autistic son worked successfully for seven years at a national retail chain, he was denied even an interview at a new location when the family relocated. Despite his strong track record and a reference from his previous employer, he faced discrimination that would not typically happen to a neurotypical applicant. This injustice highlighted a deeper systemic issue - one where inclusion was left to the discretion of individual managers rather than built into the culture of a company.
That moment sparked a movement.
UCE was created to help companies build truly inclusive systems so that fairness, accessibility, and opportunity aren’t dependent on who’s in the room. We provide the training, tools, and guidance organizations need to recruit, hire, onboard, and retain autistic employees successfully and consistently. Our goal is to transform not just policies, but mindsets - ensuring every individual with autism has a fair
and equal shot at meaningful employment.
This isn’t just the right thing to do. With 1 in 31 eight-year-olds now diagnosed with autism, it’s the
future of the workforce and a business opportunity too important to ignore.
To achieve your business goals, you depend on a strong workforce
But that’s complicated by ...
- Labor shortages
- Unmotivated employees
- Higher turnover
- Employee burnout
- Compensation pressures that outpace revenue growth
- Unwillingness to return from remote and hybrid work
UCE can help! Leverage our experience and expertise to become an autism inclusive employer and to build a better workforce. We will support you in how to best:
Recruit
More than 5.4 million adults in the United States have autism, representing a highly capable and underutilized segment of the workforce. Despite this, autistic adults face unemployment rates that are double those of their neurotypical peers. At UCE, we help local, national, and international employers turn this challenge into opportunity. By partnering with trusted agencies that specialize in inclusive talent, we connect you with qualified and ready candidates. Employing autistic individuals is about building stronger, more innovative teams. With the right supports in place, these employees often exceed expectations in retention, performance, and loyalty. Let us help you expand your talent pipeline in a way that delivers both social impact and measurable business value.
Hire
Hiring autistic employees requires updating your approach. UCE guides employers through best practices for job applications, interviews, and processes to ensure a fair, inclusive, and effective hiring process. Our strategies are designed to help you uncover the true potential of each candidate that you recruit or an autistic adult who may be looking at your job boards. By incorporating alternative methods for candidates to demonstrate their skills—such as job trials, visual tasks, or structured / working interviews—you open the door to a wider range of qualified talent. These approaches not only support autistic candidates but also foster innovation for all. We make it easy for your team to implement these strategies with confidence, so you can make smart hiring decisions.
Onboard
A strong onboarding process is critical to any employee’s success. It is also an opportunity to boost performance, retention, and team cohesion from day one. UCE equips your organization with the tools and strategies to confidently support your new hires, current staff, and leadership/managers. We provide guidance on reasonable accommodations, communication preferences, and workflow adjustments that require minimal effort from the company but that yield long-term results. Our experts also walk you through available tax incentives and financial benefits that can offset onboarding costs. We can also alter your onboarding processes for you. With the right framework in place, your onboarding process becomes a launchpad—not a hurdle.
Retain
Retention is where inclusion efforts truly pay off. UCE supports you in developing structured mentoring programs and workplace systems that promote confidence, communication, and long-term success for current and future autistic employees. By fostering a culture of consistency, support, and inclusion, you not only increase retention and morale—you also build a workplace that attracts loyal talent and earns the trust of customers. The most inclusive companies aren’t just doing the right thing; they’re creating environments where employees are proud to work, and customers are proud to engage. With our team’s guidance, your retention strategy becomes a competitive advantage that strengthens your brand from the inside out and saves you money on growing turnover costs.
How It Works
1
Contact Us
Let’s talk about what’s right for your business. Whether you’re just getting started with autism inclusion or looking to enhance existing efforts, we’re here to help. Contact us to explore the best options for your team—from one-time services to ongoing support through a membership plan. Email us at ucanemploy@elsforautism.org or fill out the Schedule an Appointment form to set up time with the team for personalized guidance.
2
Select your plan or service
The UCE team offers flexible support to meet your organization’s unique needs. Choose from a wide range of a la carte services—like consultancy, staff training, job site assessments, or HR policy reviews—or opt for a membership plan that provides ongoing guidance and bundled offerings across time. We understand that every organization is different. These flexible, affordable options are designed to meet businesses where they are—regardless of size, budget, or industry—on their journey to becoming more inclusive. For more information and options visit the How it Works page or contact us at ucanemploy@elsforautism.org.
3
Adopt autism inclusion in your workplace
Adopting autism inclusion in your workplace is easier than you might expect. We provide clear, practical strategies to help you recruit, hire, onboard, and retain autistic employees, ensuring they succeed and thrive in your organization. Beyond benefiting your workforce, inclusive practices also strengthen your ability to support autistic customers and the employees who care for them. Working with our team allows you to have access to experts who are there to support in the space.