The floodgates have just opened and there are thousands of capable young adults, many with 2- or 4-year degrees from a technical school or college, who want to enter the workforce.  Employers need to become educated about autism in order to provide a supportive workplace and hire qualified people on the autistic spectrum.  Their numbers continue to swell, with diagnoses increasing exponentially, and the people in the 20-30 year old age group are just the tip of the iceberg.  They want and need to find meaningful employment.  There is no government funding, and I urge corporations to take the lead in education, recruitment, and employment of these individuals.  They want to pay taxes, not receive a government handout.

We the undersigned urge you to recruit and hire qualified individuals on the autistic spectrum by educating yourselves and your other employees about autism and providing a supportive work environment.  Many of these candidates have college degrees or other post-secondary training and would be loyal and productive employees given the right support.  They want to be self-supporting and there is nothing in the way of government funding to help them achieve their goal of being tax-paying workers.  Please take the lead in this matter.  You can make a world of difference and gain a reliable and productive employee who will provide a different slant on your business.  Thank you for your consideration of this petition.