Autistic adults find their niche recycling electronics

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Leigh Schilling autism workersMost adults with autism don’t have jobs. And as more children are diagnosed with the condition, one looming question is how to plan for their futures.

A nonprofit in Colorado Springs is helping to answer that question. About half of the staff at Blue Star Recycling has autism. Workers disassemble electronics equipment so that the parts can be sold to companies in the United States and Europe. The company has found that people with autism have a knack for properly taking items like old computers and televisions apart.

CPR’s Andrea Dukakis visited the nonprofit organization, which plans to open a Denver office later this year.