Many people with an Autism Spectrum Disorder have been assisted to find paid competitive employment in Sarnia-Lambton through our various services. We provide professional development for our employment staff so that they can stay on the fore-front of research and successful approaches when assisting people who have autism.

1. Many people with an Autism Spectrum Disorder have been assisted to find paid competitive employment in
Sarnia-Lambton through our various services. We provide professional development for our employment
staff so that they can stay on the fore-front of research and successful approaches when assisting people who
have autism. The key to employment success is realizing that everyone is different. It’s also critical to get to
know the unique attributes of each person; this is achieved through a variety of experiences such as summer
jobs for those in school and our Award-Winning jobStart workshop for adults. These key elements allow us to
makea good match that works for both the job seeker and the employer when seeking long-term
employment.
These are just a few success stories of people who have an Autism Spectrum Disorder who we’ve been able to
assist and who have told us that we could share their story.
Ryan
Diagnosis: Asperger’s
Ryan was connected to Community Living in the summer of 2008 where he started his first summer job
throughSummer Employment Transitions. He worked the summer at Toys R’Us stocking shelves, pricing, and
cleaning. Ryan’s final evaluation showed that Ryan’s capabilities were above and beyond the required
expectations. Ryan was very detail oriented in his job and was very thorough and precise when it came to his
job duties. Although the job seemed to be very repetitive at times, Ryan did not seem to mind. The job coach
found that Ryan did not need much coaching after he was explained and shown his duties. Ryan was very
independent and had great problem solving skills.
After completing high school, Ryan was then connected to jobStart, which is an 8-week job readiness program
designed to help people with a disability find and keep a job while allowing our staff to understand the unique

2. attributes of each participant. Ryan was a great asset to the group. Ryan participated 100% in all group
activities and had some great input. During his one week work placement, Ryan did amazingly well. He was
very shy in the beginning when asking managers questions but by the end of the week, he really opened up and
had no problems discussing issues with any other employee, including management.
After completing jobStart, Ryan obtained a seasonal job with the Sarnia Police Station maintaining the grounds.
Ryan mows the lawn, weed-whips, pulls weeds, cleans up garbage, etc. Coaching was provided in the beginning
to help Ryan understand the job duties and to ease him into his new work environment. The staff at the Police
Station appreciated all of Ryan’s hard work and commitment to the job. He was asked to come back the
following summer.
Since the job at the Police Station is seasonal, Ryan decided he would like another job. Employment Transitions
was able to find him a job with the college. The duration of this job runs from September through to the end of
April, which was perfect given the fact that Ryan already has a seasonal (summer) job at the Police Station.
Ryan’s duties at the college include, dishwashing, stocking, cleaning, and set up of events. He does very well at
this job and only needed minimal coaching in the beginning.
Ryan enjoys both of his jobs and loves the freedoms that come along with working.
This link is to a short video showing Ryan at his job at the Police Station http://tinyurl.com/449zed8
Richard
Diagnosis: Asperger’s
Richard was connected to Community Living in the summer of 2001 where he started his first summer job
through Summer Employment Transitions. Richard was placed at Tim Horton’s for the summer of 2001 and

3. 2002. His first summer with Tim Horton’s was not much of a success. Richard had a hard time with the new
transition and did not like being at work. By the end of the summer though, Richard begun to enjoy the new
routine he had and was sad when his summer job was over. Richard returned the following summer and
needed little assistance from the job coach because he was familiar with his duties. Richard did however, have
trouble building relationships with his fellow employees and job coaches. He took things very literally so when
asking Richard to do something he would sometimes say no, whereas if you told him he had to, he would do it.
After graduating high school in 2002, Richard attended jobStart. At the end of the 8 weeks, jobStart staff was
able to find Richard a seasonal job at Imperial Oil as a grounds keeper. Richard excelled at this job because he
was able to work independently with no other co-workers. jobStart staffunderstood that the perfect job for
Richard would have to be one that had Richard working independently without much social interaction. Richard
was a hard worker but did not feel comfortable around a lot of people.
Richard stayed with Imperial Oil from 2003-2009. In 2009, Employment Transitions found Richard a job with the
City of Sarnia working Monday-Friday 8am-10:30am. Richard’s duties were much the same as at Imperial Oil.
He was very hesitant starting the new job because it was unfamiliar to him. Richard was provided coaching and
due to autism training provided for our staff, the coach was able to provide Richard with the needed tools to
succeed in a new job independently. The coach used Richard’s interests to help him learn his duties and become
more comfortable with his surroundings. He does work with one other person and because this made him feel a
little uncomfortable, it was decided that theyshould work on different areas independently.
Richard has been working with the City for almost 3 years now. Richard has gained confidence and has even
become more social. When our staff check in on the employment setting, Richard opens up more and feels
much more comfortable with interacting and addressing any questions or concerns he may have.
Chris
Diagnosis: Asperger’s
Chris became connected with Community Living last year (2011) when he started with the jobStart workshop.
Throughout the 8 week workshop, it became evident that Chris was very capable but lacked social skills (i.e. eye
contact, shaking hands, asking questions, etc.). A brick laying job became available with a company out of
Toronto. The job was 40-50 hours a week and Chris excelled. His boss really liked Chris’s work ethic and wished
all his employees were just as hard working. Because Chris was very quiet, he got the job done quickly and
efficiently. After the job ended, Chris was offered a job with the same company in Toronto but he was not ready
to make that move.
About a month later, Employment Transitions found Chris another temporary job building a metal roof on a new
bank in Sarnia. Chris once again excelled at this job.
Chris is now employed with a large recycling plant here in Sarnia. The employer approached Employment
Transitions looking for good reliable employees who could work shift work and 40 hour work weeks. The job
was repetitive and detail oriented; the perfect job for Chris. Chris has now been at this plant for over a month
and the employer is beyond pleased with his performance.
Chris is now living independently and saving for his first vehicle. He enjoys the independence and routine that is
now in his life.
Follow this link to learn more about jobStart and to register for an upcoming session
http://tinyurl.com/6renu4s