Our history

Employment Autism was the vision of Geoffrey Maddrell, a remarkable man who had 30 years’ service as a charity trustee and 20 years as a chair.

The wellbeing of the autism community was a personal matter for Geoffrey and close to his heart. He recognised that employment, and fulfilment in employment, is a contributory factor in maintaining self-esteem and mental health.

It is estimated that there over 400,000 autistic adults in the UK, and the majority are keen to work. Unfortunately work environments and employment practices frequently add to stress and anxiety.

We know that employers benefit from having a neurodiverse workforce – a workforce which by its very diversity contributes to success.

Our website:

  • encourages employers and other providers of work to create truly inclusive environments where differences are respected for the value they bring, and
  • supports the autistic and neurodivergent community to find meaningful work and be successful.

Everybody benefits from open-mindedness and inclusion in both recruitment and working practices.

Sadly Geoffrey died before completing his work. We are proud to continue what he started and are committed to delivering Employment Autism’s mission.

In December 2023 Employment Autism joined forces with CareTrade

CareTrade and Employment Autism are both passionate about supporting autistic and neurodivergent people towards, into and to sustain, employment; and to support employers in improving the equity and diversity of the workplace.  The two charities have worked closely together over the past few years, including delivering joint training programmes, launching Job Coach Café in 2022 (a peer support network for professionals), and running Conferences on autism and employment in partnership with London South Bank University.

‘Bringing the two charities together seemed a natural extension of the work we have done together to date, and one which we are very excited about.   We believe that by joining forces with Employment Autism that we will reach an even wider audience and have a far greater impact than if we continue to operate independently.’ Karen Edwards, CEO, CareTrade

Combining Employment Autism with CareTrade is a genuinely exciting step for us and for our autistic communities.  Our shared values have helped accelerate our reach over recent years, and CareTrade is the natural partner to amplify the impact of Employment Autism’s carefully curated and academically valid advice and guidance.  Together, we will help improve employment outcomes for more autistic people and for more employers for the long term.” Craig Walker, Co-chair, Employment Autism

If you have any comments or suggestions for us, please contact us