Careers advisers play a crucial role in helping graduates navigate the transition from university into employment. Yet for many autistic graduates, this transition remains challenging. A new study by Marc Fabri and Priscila Beni evaluated the IMAGE Employability Toolkit, which was co-designed with autistic students and graduates. The evaulation provides some useful pointers for careers advisors.
The IMAGE toolkit is a free online resource, providing practical guidance, graduate stories, examples of good support practices, and a range of interactive tools that help users reflect on their strengths, preferences, and support needs. It is a core output from the EU-funded IMAGE project (see www.imageautism.com).
Fabri and Beni surveyed 11 users of the toolkit in depth and analysed their patterns of use. Participants did not use the toolkit continuously. Instead, they returned to it at key moments: preparing for interviews, considering disclosure, applying for jobs, or starting a new role. The research suggests that autistic graduates often need targeted, just-in-time support rather than generic employability advice.
The toolkit’s most valued features were its interactive profile and reasonable-adjustments builders. These tools helped users identify their needs and prepare for support meetings with careers advisors as well as for conversations with employers. They helped advocate for specific support, be it at university or in the worplace.
For careers advisers, the message is clear: effective support for autistic graduates should combine practical career guidance with tools that promote reflection, self-advocacy, confidence and wellbeing. The IMAGE Toolkit demonstrates how inclusive digital resources can help autistic graduates navigate important career milestones and move towards meaningful employment.
Read the full paper: Fabri and Beni (2026) Evaluating the IMAGE Employability Toolkit for autistic university graduates through an HCI Lens