Ms Noreen Murphy:

The number one feature for success we find for the individuals we support throughout their jobs in a variety of areas is ongoing support. That is a service we provide, like other organisations. It is an independent connect with the person who is working and, occasionally, with the managers to make sure that lines of communication are open. We would certainly not replace a supervisor and we cannot take over their job or tell them what to do. Often, having someone external who can support the autistic individual or scaffold that communication so they can gain those skills and be successful at communicating their needs is vital. From our perspective, it is not quite assistive technology but it is a person who is there to support a person to be successful without getting in the way of them doing their job.