Autistic File Clerk Credits His Photographic Memory with Success at His Law Firm Job
Doctors offered a poor prognosis after Kevin Gibson was diagnosed with autism at the age of 18 months.
Doctors told Gibson’s parents that he would never be able to live independently, the Washington Post reports. Today Gibson is 26, lives in his own condo, and is employed at an intellectual property law firm in Fairfax, Va., the story says.
Muncy, Geissler, Olds & Lowe hired Gibson as a full-time law clerk after the youth received help from a Washington, D.C., nonprofit called ServiceSource. A job coach with ServiceSource accompanied Gibson to the interview and worked with him at the law firm to help him learn the ropes.
Law firm founding member Martin Geissler told the Post he started thinking about hiring someone with disabilities after growing disenchanted with high school interns. He noticed his local grocery store had hired people with disabilities, and he thought it could be a good idea.
Gibson told the Post his photographic memory helps him know where to place the files.
