A mixed-methods study examining the ripple effect of inclusive employment on reducing stigma toward autistic people in South Korea.

Participants may have self-selected because they already had favorable attitudes toward autistic people or Autistar. Responses may have been shaped by social desirability, with participants overstating acceptance. The quantitative sample was 138 participants, and the authors said this limited evaluation of the social distance scale. The quantitative data were cross-sectional, so the study cannot show that contact reduced stigma rather than less-stigmatized people seeking contact. Contact measures combined organizational exposure, such as seeing products or media, with direct interaction with autistic employees, so the active ingredient is unclear. The study examined one company in South Korea, so the findings may not apply to other employment models or countries.

Funding came from the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Korea and the National Research Foundation of Korea. S.H.L. and H.S.P. served as non-executive board member and board member of Autistar, the company studied, and contributed to designing the quantitative instrument, drafting interview questions, and interpreting responses of autistic employees.

Do not read the lower stigma among people with extensive contact as proof that inclusive employment reduces stigma. The quantitative data were cross-sectional, so it is unclear whether contact reduced stigma or people with lower stigma sought more contact.