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Making room for autism at work
Finding and keeping a job is challenging when you are on the autism spectrum: daily work routines and interpersonal communication result in misalignment between yourself and the workplace. How the built work environment affects this misalignment is rarely considered. In the project ‘Making room for autism at work’, we are trying to understand what role the built environment plays in how employees on the spectrum experience and manage work conditions: What are differences and similarities in how autistic and comparison employees experience the built work environment? How do different spatial aspects (e.g., indoor environment and its sensory qualities, spatial layout, location) support or hinder autistic employees’ work activities and social interactions? And how do they deal with environmental (dis)comfort and (un)supportive spatial aspects?
This research is conducted by Jasmien Kinnaer, Maria Lackovicova, and Phuong Lan Nguyen, guided by Ann Heylighen, Andrea Jelić, and Dirk Saelens, in collaboration with LAVA vzw.
It is supported by a C1-project of the KU Leuven Research Fund, supervised by Andrea and Ann, and by Phuong’s postdoctoral research fellowship of the Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO).
publications
Jelic, A., Nguyen, L.P., Kinnaer, J., Lackovicova, M., Saelens, D., Heylighen, A. (2026). Designing a participatory research project on autism and the built work environment. Journal of Corporate Real Estate, 1-20. doi: 10.1108/JCRE-03-2025-0026.
Jelic, A., Kinnaer, J., Nguyen, L.P., Denys, H., Lackovicova, M., Saelens, D., Heylighen, A. (2025). Environmental crafting at work: Learning from autistic individuals in diverse contexts. In: Proceedings of the 24th EuroFM Research Symposium 2025 (142-152), doi: 10.5281/zenodo.17847262.
Lackovicova, M., Saelens, D., Jelic, A. (2025). Thermal preferences of autistic people and coworkers in the workplace: Preliminary insights from a pilot study. In: Healthy Buildings Europe 2025: Proceedings of an ISIAQ International conference, (439-445).
Nguyen, L.P., Jelic, A., Heylighen, A. (2025). Environmental Crafting at Work: Learning from Two Autistic Volunteers and Their Allies. In: J. Goodman-Deane, E. Zitkus, A. Brock, J. Clarkson, H. Dong, A. Heylighen, J. Lazar (Eds.), New Frontiers for Inclusion, (203-213). Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-84681-6_18.
Jelic, A., Nguyen, L.P., Kinnaer, J., Lackovicova, M., Saelens, D., Heylighen, A. (2024). Making room for autism at work: Designing a participatory research project. In: TWR 2024: 4th Transdisciplinary Workplace Research conference.
presentations & posters
Kinnaer, J., Jelic, A., Heylighen, A. (2026). Making Space for Bubbling: Everyday Design Practices of Autistic People in the Workplace. Presented at the INSAR 2026 - Annual Meeting of the International Society for Autism Research, Prague, CZ, 22-25 Apr 2026.
Lackovicova, M., Saelens, D., Jelic, A. (2026). A mixed-methods exploration of thermal and acoustic comfort among autistic employees in diverse office environments. Presented at the 29th International Association for People-Environment Studies (IAPS) Conference, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK, 29 Jun-03 Jul 2026.
Lackovicova, M., Saelens, D., Jelic, A., Kinnaer, J. (contr.) (2026). Navigating workplace discomfort: Adaptive strategies of autistic employees in open-plan and enclosed shared offices. Presented at the INSAR 2026 - Annual Meeting of the International Society for Autism Research, Prague.
Nguyen, L.P., d'Auria, V., Jelic, A., Heylighen, A. (2026). Exploring Participant Drawing as a Method: Accessing Autistic Adults’ Perspectives on Housing and Work Environments. Presented at the INSAR 2026 - Annual Meeting of the International Society for Autism Research, Prague, CZ, 22-25 Apr 2026.
Kinnaer, J., Heylighen, A., et al. (2025). Ruimte maken voor autisme op het werk. Invited by LAVA - Lees- en Adviesgroep Volwassenen met Autisme. Leuven.
Lackovicova, M. et al. (contr.) (2025). Experiences of autistic people: Thermal preferences and environment crafting (for (day)light). Presented at The NLITED Summer School 2025, Pieve Tesino, 23-29 Aug 2025.
Heylighen, A., Kinnaer, J. (2024). Inclusive design and autism in the physical workplace. Invited by VIB. Autism in the Worlplace Webinar. Online.
Jelic, A. (2024). Making room for autism at work. Invited by LAuRes. Presented at the LAuRes seminar, Leuven.
Kinnaer, J., Lackovicova, M., Nguyen, L.P., Saelens, D., Heylighen, A., Jelic, A.(2024). Voicing Autistic People’s Experiences with the Built (Work) Environment: Early Insights from a Participatory Research Project, Current Directions in Autism Research, Brussels, Nov 21-23 2024.
