-
What I’d Like to See Change in the Disability World Over the Next 50 Years – Part 3: REAL Culture Change
In 2003, I was about to say “no” to the offer to start what would become GRASP. I had been a minor-league diplomat who, throughout the ten years of working for my organization (if you can believe this…), they had gone through five Executive Directors in one six-year period. Twice, I was...
-
Autism Gets an Update: A National Autism Strategy for Canadians
Note: While there are many areas of inequity, this article will focus on diagnosis and support services as seen by the Autistic writer living in Ontario, Canada. Autism in Canada One in 66 Canadians is autistic. Collectively, we face numerous challenges to accessing services and supports,...
-
What I’d Like to See Change in the Disability World Over the Next 50 Years – Part 1: Let’s Change How We Define “Disability”
Note: Autism Spectrum News has allowed me to herein adapt an old piece of mine into a three-part series. I jumped at the chance as the piece needed an update. Frequent readers of mine know the following statement: “Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature….Life is...
-
The Autism Society of America Awards the Cast and Crew of “How to Dance in Ohio” with the 2023 Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation Leader in Adult Autism Award
On December 1, 2023, The Autism Society of America’s CEO Chris Banks and Linda J. Walder, Founder and Executive Director of The Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation, honored the cast and crew of the new Broadway musical How to Dance in Ohio with The Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation Leader in Adult...
-
Autism Advocacy: Inclusion, Empowerment, and Human Rights
“Autism isn’t this strange alien thing, it’s just a different way of thinking and experiencing the world. Some of us will find ourselves more or less compatible with modern living than others, we will all have different needs…but autism is not terrifying or awful, nor is it marvellous and...
-
Building a Better Future: A Blueprint for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Autism Service Providers
In these times of significant staffing challenges, autism service providers across the country are re-examining their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices. DEI are central HR issues that foster organizational well-being and improve recruitment and retention. Research has proven that DEI...
-
An Interview with the New York State OASAS, OMH, and OPWDD Commissioners to Address Critical Healthcare Issues
In a rare opportunity, Mental Health News Education, publisher of Autism Spectrum News and Behavioral Health News, has brought together the Commissioners of the NYS Office of Mental Health (OMH), The NYS Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS), and The NYS Office for People with...
-
Autism @ Work: Insights From a World-First Global Study on Employing Autistic Adults
Since the emergence of Specialisterne, a growing number of multi-national organizations have implemented neurodiversity hiring programs including SAP, JP Morgan, Microsoft, IBM, and several others. Alongside them are the innovative pioneers within the social enterprise and...
-
Identity Language: In Service of a More Inclusive Workplace
As diversity and inclusion initiatives grow in popularity, it is important to consider how they contribute to shaping workplace attitudes. Programs that do not take current developments happening in the communities being serviced into account will come across as outdated at best, and harmful at...
-
Neurodiversity Hiring Programs – A Path to Employment?
Standard recruiting and interviewing processes are designed for the ways neurotypical candidates think. Unfortunately, these practices often obscure the talents neurodivergent candidates can bring to an organization. While some autistic individuals do obtain employment through an employer’s...
