PDA autism in the workplace: Built-in accommodations in behind-the-scenes library work

Abstract

This presentation discusses the ways in which back-of-the-house library work often has built-in accommodations for neurodivergent library workers. According to 2023 statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor, at least 85% of autistic adults with a college education are unemployed. For PDA autistic individuals, that percentage is likely much higher. As a PDA autistic person, Bailey shares her experience of libraries as accommodating spaces for work, and continues to expand awareness around both PDA autism and ways in which libraries (and all employers) can be neuro-affirming spaces.