You can read about Dr. Bauman, The Autism Research Foundation and all of its other inclusion programs on our website.

 My name is Courtney LaPorte and I am the new executive director for The Autism Research Foundation. It is my job to understand how autism is viewed in the world and then create ways to help the world understand autism better.

 I love the Jobs4Autism program because – just like The Autism Research Foundation – it promotes how a little understanding can go a long way.

 A forum like Jobs4Autism serves a dual-purpose: it helps people with autism understand the ins and outs of employment, and it helps people without autism understand some of the questions or concerns people with autism might have in the workplace. There is so much to appreciate about a diagnosis of autism that is often overlooked because people don’t understand. We need more programs like Jobs4Autism, not less.

 So, when I came across the Jobs4Autism “goodbye” message on Twitter a few weeks ago, I was sad to hear that a lack of resources was the reason such a great program was coming to a close. I reached out to the founders of Jobs4Autism, to see how The Autism Research Foundation could help sustain this thoughtful network.

 Ultimately, they chose to put Jobs4Autism in the care of The Autism Research Foundation. This means that I will now be moderating the website with a team of inspired interns who will help work behind-the-scenes on new Jobs4Autism initiatives.

 We are so thankful to the Notre Dame project team that started Jobs4Autism and then Barbara, Kay and Mike for their years of hard work and dedication to Jobs4Autism, and the opportunity they have given us to be the next step of the journey for what is sure to be an incredible resource for the autism community.

 Here’s to a beautiful 2012! I look forward to speaking with you all,

 Courtney
Autism Research Foundation

However, this will be my last post. Jobs4Autism.com is a nonprofit website and our supporters are no longer able to keep it operating.

Although I feel our site provided a much-needed service in the autism community, I know there are so many others out there fighting for awareness and solutions to the problem of employment for adults on the spectrum. Please give them your support.

Thank you for the support you gave Jobs4Autism, for helping to spread the word about us.  I wish the best of luck in whatever hurdles you face. Don’t give up! Keep asking for help and keep helping others by sharing your stories in some way, even if it’s not here.

Our Facebook page will remain open as a resource for sharing and learning. If you’re not a member already, please join at http://www.facebook.com/groups/Jobs4Autism/

Best wishes and thanks again!

Barbara

He learned Adobe  Illustrator in about 10 minutes, while my other students are still  learning how to use it! This student loves to draw and color using the  computer, and he is very good at it.

His parents and I would really like  to see if he could make this a possible career, and what direction we need  to persuade him to go.

Can you help?

Thanks for your time.
 Scott

Does anyone out there have any information or ideas for Scott? Please leave them in the comments section.

He also sent a link to this video the student created – he’s very talented!

The candle making project was so successful at creating employment opportunities for individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities that it led to the development of Humboldt Includes.

Humboldt Includes  seeks to partner with businesses of all sizes in Humboldt County in sponsoring  transitional skills development to increase “the diversity that comprises the mainstream community, the quality of life of individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities and increase independence…” and in the process,  help to make ground breaking social change.

Agencies provide support staff and as well as contracted employment circumstances to make the whole process as easy as it can be to sponsors.

To read more about Compassionate Integrations and Humboldt Includes, go here: http://www.compassionateintegrations.org

We are the only student written newspaper in the state of Wisconsin that the paper is written only by the students from the high school and some from the middle school too.

Here is my article; it took me 3-4 weeks of writing and editing and making it good. Hope you like it as much as I do.

Editor’s Note: While the “P-News Point of View” column usually features an opinion article written by a Pulaski News student, this issue, the column will feature a first-hand article about what it’s like to have autism and attend Pulaski High School.

My name is Jerrod Michael Zeitlin and I have a type of autism called Pervasive Development Disorder (PDD). No, you didn’t happen to just accidently wander into an autism anonymous meeting; this is my attempt to give you a glimpse into my world and the world of other students with autism. Everyday, my alarm goes off and around 6:15. I roll out of bed and begin preparing for school. I have to get dressed eat breakfast, take my medication, brush my teeth and put on my shoes.
While I’m on the bus, some of the kids try to bully me, but I refuse to fight them (I’m not that kind of person) so I just ignore them, the best I can, and wait until we get to school.
During first hour, I attend gym class. The biggest problem I have in gym is that I have trouble keeping up with my classmates. After recent foot surgeries, I am still limited by the pain and had to take a week off of gym. Even though I was able to rejoin my classmates a week later, I’ll still likely have to have more foot surgeries in the future.
Besides struggling because my surgeries, gym class is also hard because I don’t have any friends in this class and often I end up being paired with someone I don’t know to do activities like weight-lifting. For now, I just look at it as another obstacle I have to overcome. (Sometimes I feel that there’s an obstacle around every corner while I’m at school, but I just deal with it and keep going.)
After gym, I have business class. I like it, but it’s a bit fast-paced for me. I find the material interesting and enjoy the projects (one of our projects is to make our own business and I really like that) but sometimes I wish it was slower paced.
My next class is Pulaski News, and it’s my favorite class (and, no, I’m not just saying that because my article is in the paper) but I enjoy writing for a newspaper that is distributed throughout the public and enjoy the hands-on aspect of the class.
Passing time in-between classes is tough because there is a lot of noise and people hanging out and I wish I could join in their fun.
Fourth hour I have math class, however, I take math through an online program called Odyssey, which is nice because it reads the problems out loud. This is a big plus since sometimes reading more complicated material can be difficult for me.
I’m supposed to do my math work during fourth hour, but lately I’ve had to use that time to make up missed gym classes. I will have to be sure to catch up my math when my gym class is caught up. I worry about this a lot even though my teachers reassure me it will be okay.
During fifth hour, I have study hall, which is a nice chance to slow down and make sure I’m caught up on all of my work. At least that is how it is supposed to go. Sometimes it takes me a long time to catch up on my work so I don’t always finish my current work, so I often worry about completing everything on time.
Sixth hour I work in the school guidance office as part of my school’s work experience program. The program is designed to help students to prepare and develop skills that will help them once they’ve graduated from Pulaski High School. As part of my job description, I run passes to students and teachers, make copies and just generally help out in anyway I can.
The last hour of the day I have art class. I like the class and making the projects, but sometimes it’s a little difficult to keep up with my classmates who always seem to be a few steps ahead of me. I am trying to work through it the best I can. I know trying my best is all I can do, but it is hard to be okay with that.
Finally, at 2:48, the bell rings and I make my way to the buses to head home. I like to get on the bus first and get one of the back seats. I think I should get a back seat since I’m a senior. Sometimes the other students pick on me on the ride from school, but I just tough it out until I get home. A lot of time when I get home I need to rest and shoot hoops to help reduce stress from the school day.
While I know the education I am receiving as a student at PHS is important and necessary, I wish I had more of an opportunity to make more friends among my classmates. Often, other students are confused by my condition and do not know how to react to me.
This is especially difficult since PDD already makes it hard to meet new people and understand other people’s intentions. I think I have gotten better about it as I have gotten older, but it sometimes still bothers me.
While students with an ASD may require extra time and assistance in the classroom and a few other everyday situations, it’s important to remember that we still want to be treated normally, like everyone else; ask me about autism, I’m happy to talk about it. I want to help others understand ASD disorders.
My story is just one of the 730,000 individuals in America living with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). With no known cause, and so many variants of the disorder, it’s important to remember to treat those with ASD like “normal” people. As one of my favorite, famous individuals living with an ASD Temple Grandin says, “I am different, not less.”

That’s the logo of Paperworks Studio, a “mission-based market-driven social enterprise” that employs people with special needs to make hand-made greeting cards.  About 20% of those artists are autistic, according to an article by Alice G.  Walton in Forbes magazine, “Living Life with Autism: Has Anything Really Changed?”

Owned by Goodwill Industries and based in Traverse City, Michigan, the company has doubled in the past year and is on track to do so again this year.

Each one-of-a-kind card is made by hand from recycled materials, including recycled blue jeans.  There are cards that contain flower petals and ferns and some with coffee, small pieces of upcycled wool or even recycled beer products. They can create customized holiday cards, wedding invitations and cards with your company logo on them.

Through the production of these cards, the members of the production team learn life and work skills, grow in self-esteem and obtain more independence.

“When you give a card, it shows you care. When you give a Paperworks Studio card you are giving cards that change lives.”

The mission of Paperwork Studios is to remove some of the barriers in life of people with disabilities through job skills training and the production of these quality cards.  In their words, “Our profit is people.”

Watch the following video to learn more about Paperwork Studios and the people behind the cards.