Transportation Use and Barriers for Employed and Unemployed Autistic Adults

Area of Science:

• Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
• Transportation Accessibility Studies
• Employment and Disability

Background:

• Autistic adults face significant unemployment and underemployment.
• Transportation barriers are a key environmental factor limiting employment opportunities for autistic individuals.
• Employment is a critical social determinant influencing health-related quality of life.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between transportation use and employment status in autistic adults.
• To compare transportation methods utilized by employed versus unemployed autistic adults.
• To identify specific barriers to public transit faced by autistic adults in relation to their employment status.

Main Methods:

• Data collected from the Pennsylvania Autism Needs Assessment (PANA) survey (May 2017-June 2018).
• Sample included 1120 autistic adults residing in Pennsylvania.
• Analysis focused on self-reported transportation use and barriers to public transit, correlated with employment status.

Main Results:

• Employed autistic adults were more likely to drive themselves (45%) compared to unemployed individuals (21%).
• Unemployed autistic adults were more likely to rely on rides from others (75%) or use service transportation (18%).
• Employed autistic adults reported fewer barriers to public transportation than their unemployed counterparts.

Conclusions:

• Employed autistic adults demonstrate greater transportation independence.
• Unemployed autistic adults experience more significant barriers to participation and independent public transit use.
• Further research on transportation and employment for autistic adults is warranted.