by Lud Kozlowski

At first, being identified by others as autistic offended me, whether it was by a doctor or just someone I met in passing. I knew there were times growing up and as an adult when I obsessed over a matter, and those times were awkward, but the thought of being autistic made me think of the movie “Rain Man.” I knew I was not Rain Man.

Two turning points stand out to me when I think about my autism diagnosis. Two important women, both named Rachel, helped me become better informed about how to succeed professionally. One evening, in 2014, I was talking to Rachel No. 1 over the phone. She and I had met online, and during one of our earliest phone conversations, she asked me, “Do you have Asperger’s?” I was intrigued by her random question, and so I asked her why she asked. She said, “It takes one to know one.”

I later visited her in person, and she showed me videos and movies that featured individuals on the autism spectrum. I started connecting with the people and identifying quirks they had that I shared with them. With Rachel’s help, I became more aware and accepting of who I was. I wasn’t changing. I was just getting to know myself better.

Three years later, I completed testing and was officially diagnosed with autism and gained accommodations. I also gained a boss who understood me. I noticed in my work performance I was having some occasional trouble meeting goals. I asked my boss, Rachel No. 2, to shadow my work so she could get a tour of how I process items in order to help identify what can result in me being successful and consistently meeting and/or exceeding goals.

Rachel No. 2 recognized my desire to meet deadlines, and so she started stair-stepping my work. I was put on a path over the course of the next few weeks where the projects were not challenging enough. I voiced my concern that it was stepping back, but Rachel No. 2 asked for my trust. She set me up on projects where my eye for detail shined tremendously and my talents are helped the organization meet its goals for our stakeholders. Putting my trust in her method, resulted in being successful in my role and resulted in me having the highest scores in quality and productivity in my time there as a Senior Member Enrollment Specialist.

In my lectures, I remind others that everyone is unique. We have to find the positives in our quirks. I am not fond of groupthink, and that may annoy others or be misread. I want to understand why certain things work a certain way so I can have a better understanding. How can we improve in order to be the most productive individuals we can be?

I encourage anyone who has a developmental disability to do the following things:

• Educate yourself.

• Know you’re not alone.

• Know it is okay.

• If you don’t have a thorough understanding, get an understanding.

• Reach out to individuals in the community and through various peer & support organizations.

• Understand the positives.

• Be assertive, because the answer is always “no” if you don’t ask the question.

I always feel like there has to be middle ground. I would never tell someone to give up who they are. We should not have to give up who we are. Everyone should be themselves. Everyone is unique.

NOTE: This blog was originally submitted, accepted, and published on the Autism Society of America website on February 20, 2020 and seen worldwide by their audience.  Below is the link it was found at at the time as well as how the page main text and graphic layout appeared at the time.
https://www.autism-society.org/stories/building-relationships-and-a-career-path-through-supportive-mentors-by-lud-kozlowski

NDEAM – October 2024

October is NDEAM! National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) is an annual, month-long event which celebrates the important role people with disabilities play in a diverse and inclusive American workforce and recognizes the contributions of workers with disabilities. NDEAM also provides a time to showcase employers with supportive, inclusive employment policies and practices.

The Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy’s (ODEP) campaign theme for 2024 is “Access to Good Jobs for All.” You can visit ODEP’s NDEAM website here to learn more. You can also visit our Competitive Integrated Employment resource page to learn more.