Aug 6th 10 Posted by Barbara

Emory Autism Center – Helping Adults with Autism “Get a Life”

Social nuances that many of us take for granted are a challenge for adults with autism and can be barriers to employment and even friendship. Many, such as Andrew Grimes, develop solitary hobbies like drawing, journaling and solving puzzles. Emory Autism Center Adult Services Program has a simple goal: to help adults with an autism spectrum disorder like Andrew “get a life.” As part of... read more

Jul 30th 10 Posted by Barbara

JJ’s List – An Autism Resource

“Where people with disabilities review businesses and services.”  That, in a nutshell, is JJ’s List. The mother of a teenage son with autism, it was while documentary producer JJ Hanley was  working on “Refrigerator Mothers”, an award-winner about mothers of children with autism, that she became aware of the difficulties and barriers people with disabilities face upon... read more

Jul 23rd 10 Posted by Barbara

Adult Autism & Employment – a guide and a conference from MU

Although the University of Missouri’s Disability Policy & Studies office doesn’t provide direct services to persons with disabilities, its many projects provide advice, training, and support to agencies and groups that do. Mostly they provide advice and continuing education to counselors and service providers at agencies in Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas, but thanks to a new... read more

Jul 6th 10 Posted by Barbara

Autism Job Placement: An Autism Resource

Natural Learning Concepts manufactures materials for autism, speech and cognitive delays.  Founders Jene Aviram and Joselyn Blum say the company’s goal is “to increase language and communication skills of children who fall on the autistic spectrum or have development delays while showing them how much fun it is to do so.” All of the illustrators they employ are on the autism spectrum,... read more

Feb 12th 10 Posted by Barbara

PathPoint – Adding Independence to Autism

Individuals with disabilities are just that – individuals, with different needs, interests, talents and abilities. Without proper services and programs available to them, they are at high-risk for poverty, homelessness, neglect, and abuse. PathPoint,  a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in California in 1964, is dedicated to helping people with disabilities or disadvantages reach... read more

Jan 8th 10 Posted by Barbara

When Autism is an Employment Asset

In 2001 Ron Brix was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome,  a form of autism often marked by intense attention to detail, single-minded focus and a willingness to work on something repetitively until perfect. Not coincidentally, Brix is a retired computer systems developer, a job that requires those same traits. “My career would not have existed at all without the autism,” says Brix. Now Brix... read more