Chapter 9. The Odd One Out: Encouraging Autistic Employee Acceptance and Accommodation in the Academic Library

Employment statistics bear out the difficulties faced by disabled people in any career field. Autistic workers in particular face a myriad of obstacles. This is no less true in the realm of academic librarianship, with its warrens of social and professional tunnels that prove continuously difficult to navigate. Lack of awareness and acceptance of the autistic academic librarian exacerbates the issues. However, there are ways to begin addressing these problems and pave a way forward toward the goal of autistic employee acceptance in the academic library workplace. As understanding grows and librarians with autism share their experiences, a shift is underway. Everyone involved can help improve academic librarianship employment outcomes for people with autism and encourage acceptance. This chapter will provide a necessary background to help the non-autistic reader better understand the barriers autistic academic librarians may face. It will then offer practical short- and long-term suggestions for non-autistic library leadership and staff.