Colleges are now being challenged with accommodating many students with differing abilities like those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Approximately 35% of 18-year-old autistic young adults attend college; however, only 15% of those graduates are employed. This number is even lower for STEAM (science, engineering, arts, and technology) fields. This brings the unemployment rate for those with autism to 85% while that of the general population is just 4.5% regardless of the educational level. This disproportionate number comes down to a lack of accommodations not solely in the workplace but also throughout their education. While the overall educational process should help those with ASD gain and maintain employable skills that are transferable to the workplace, this has not been the case. This project will address this need by 3D printing quantitative chemical containers (QCCs) as a part of a novel measurement tool-kit to help with learning and implementing measurements. It is hypothesized that using this system can better support someone with autism in gaining important skills in measurement which can show marked improvement in the development of employable skills needed to be successful in STEAM career fields.
