Dec 23rd 10 Posted by Barbara

California Aspie Lady Speaks – an Asperger Job Story

In a comment to a previous post, Aspie Lady shared a bit of her personal experience with employment. It was so insightful I felt it should be shared in its own a post so more might read it: “… I have realized myself that the biggest stumbling block for me to being reinstated in the workforce is not necessarily that I have been home raising my kids for the past 15 years, but the fact that... read more

Dec 15th 10 Posted by Barbara

Transition to Adulthood Program – an Autism Resource

“To improve the lives of adults with autism by providing job skills training, and the supports needed to obtain and sustain meaningful employment.” That’s the mission of the Transition to Adulthood Program, created thanks to a grant awarded to St. Michael’s Harbor, Inc., a not-for-profit organization, and funded by Pennsylvania’s Bureau of Autism Services. According to... read more

Dec 3rd 10 Posted by Barbara

Poppin Joe’s Kettle Korn – an Autism Job Success Story

Joe Steffy is a nonverbal young man with Down Syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorder. In 2000 his family began exploring the concept of Poppin Joe’s Kettle Korn as an opportunity for Joe to operate and manage his own business after coming across kettle korn on a trip to Alaska and thinking all that popping, scooping, and serving was right up Joe’s alley. According to an article by Nancy... read more

Nov 29th 10 Posted by Barbara

Autism Works – an Autism Employment Conference and Guide

Autism Works, a national conference on autism and employment sponsored by the University of Missouri’s Disability Policy & Studies department, will be Thursday & Friday, March 3 & 4, 2011, at the Sheraton Westport Hotel in St. Louis, MO.  The conference will bring together the disability employment services community (vocational rehabilitation) and autism community to learn... read more

Nov 23rd 10 Posted by Barbara

What Works for Walgreens – an Autism Business Model

It was worry over his son Austin’s future that motivated Walgreens senior vice president of supply chain and logistics Randy Lewis to create a way to give new job opportunities to people with disabilities. Austin has autism. It was 2002 and Walgreens was developing a foundation of new systems, machines, and processes to apply to its distribution centers. The new center in Anderson, South Carolina... read more

Nov 5th 10 Posted by tdomf_7a1de

Should You Disclose to an Employer? – Asperger’s Employment Advice

People who come to me for career coaching often ask my opinion about whether they should disclose their Asperger’s Syndrome to an employer. My reply is, “It depends.” Disclosure is a personal decision. Whether it is the right option for you depends on the nature of your job, your overall performance, specific challenges that you face, whether you have had a disciplinary action, and your comfort... read more