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Different, Not Worse
What would you say are qualities that make someone a good friend? What are the qualities that make someone a great date? What qualities should a professional look for in a new colleague? When I draw up a list of the qualities my peers and I look for in others, here are some answers: a sense of...
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Becoming the Techie of Tomorrow: Students with ASD Learn Technology
There’s a lot of talk about why teaching kids technology, in particular programming, in today’s educational landscape is good for students. Nearly every other week there seems to be some major news announcement around STEM (science, technology, engineering, math), STEAM (science, technology,...
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Autism and Technology: A Great Benefit and a Double-Edged Sword
Individuals with autism have long had great affinity for and been involved with technology, so it is only fitting that modern technology is becoming of greater value and significance to the autism community. I am able to appreciate this both as an adult on the autism spectrum and as a long-time...
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Direct Access Application Revolutionizes Service Delivery for People with Disabilities
You need a job. You need a home that provides support. You want to be involved in your community. You want all of these things yet the system that is in place before you is arduous to navigate and often leaves you feeling discouraged. TOUCH (Therapeutic Outreach Uniting Community Health) was...
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Awake Challenged, Punctually Challenged, and Underground Thursday Challenged
One of the biggest hurdles that adolescents and young adults on the ASD or LD Spectrum face is having a reversed sleep schedule where they stay awake at night (often playing video games or surfing the internet) and sleeping during the day. This is especially so if students are living independently...
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Aspies in the City: Building a More Inclusive Community, One Person at a Time
Since I was very young, I had a fascination with people who had Autism. Although in some ways they seemed different than me, in others there were a lot of similarities. Later as an adult, it was suggested that I might have a lot in common with people who have Asperger’s Syndrome. So, one...
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Green Goods and Services: A New Niche in the Economy for Individuals on the Autism Spectrum
What is the Green Goods and Services (GGS) Industry? If you guessed it has something to do with recycling you are partially correct. Green Goods and Services is a broad category of our economy defined by the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). “The BLS definition of green...
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SAP and Autism at Work
Autism has been very much in the news recently, especially since the report indicating that the level of autism has now been estimated at one in sixty-eight children. And Laura Princiotta, who serves as the CEO of SpArc Philadelphia, a family of organizations which deal with intellectual and...
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Creating a Win-Win When Hiring People with Autism: How One Small Company Made it Work
A wave of high school and college graduates with talent, ability, and a tremendous capacity to contribute are hitting the job market but they are not getting hired. Recent statistics show that 75% of people with autism spectrum disorders are either unemployed or under employed. Many of those that...
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Cut Out for Him: A Father on His Son’s Employment Future
My 15-year-old son Alex (diagnosed PDD-NOS) goes to a special-needs school where some students are old enough to work. A few years ago Alex’s teacher told me about when she approached a local thrift shop about students volunteering there. “We don’t hire the handicapped,” the clerk...
