There exist many job-searching tools allowing us to look for jobs online, get training, and apply for them. However, all these technologies do not support the needs of underserved job seekers, such as people in the neurodivergent spectrum (ND). We aim to see the collaborative aspects of NDs’ job-seeking process that connects NDs, their surroundings such as family and friends, and experienced experts who know “how it works” and support NDs in job seeking. ND’s employment searching process highly differs from the NTs (people in the neurotypical spectrum). Therefore, designing an interactive system for this group of stakeholders needs special considerations, and most of the existing interface/research has not touched this aspect.
The purpose of the study is to understand the current practice of job-seeking experience for people in the neurodivergent spectrum. We want to learn about the challenges people with autism face when they seek jobs. We plan to explore new design opportunities that can yield a better tool/system than its current form to help this community. The stakeholders can be categorized into two groups- 1) Experts: who help ND’s job-searching process in their practice, 2) NDs themselves and/or NDs’ family/friends: who have experience being involved in ND’s job-seeking process.
Survey and Interview Questions link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tfvI36qbzFhTpSvtm8x9Y4BidyPsYoMW4vxRpB4_mVo/edit?usp=sharing
email: zara@gmu.edu