When OAR launches its employment Web site later this year, it will offer job seekers with autism in the Northern Virginia/Tyson’s Corner area a place to find meaningful employment opportunities and the supports necessary to succeed long term. The Web site will be tailored to meet the needs of both job seekers and employers. The…
In my coaching practice, I work with clients who are bright, skilled, and college educated. Yet many struggle to find and maintain employment. Some individuals have no idea of what kind of job to pursue. Others have an inaccurate picture of what certain occupations involve and/or their abilities. Still others find themselves with college degrees…
For this month’s Profile, OAR asked Kathy Martinez, assistant secretary of labor for disability employment policy who leads the Labor Department’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), to answer some questions about the office and how it can help people with autism spectrum disorders who are seeking employment. Q: What is your office’s vision for…
What should you expect for your child with autism after high school? In short, a life that provides as much independence as possible. Expectations for the adult lives of people with disabilities have changed greatly in a relatively short period of time. Until very recently, the norm for people with disabilities after they finished secondary…
More recent research indicates that the outlook is still relatively bleak: 35 percent of individuals with autism do not participate in any work or school activities in the first six years after high school, slightly more than half of adults with autism had ever worked for pay outside the home, and just over 20 percent…
Aaron Greene is a senior at Beachwood High School in Beachwood, Ohio. He is active in the marching band and enjoys playing music in his free time. Aaron participates in many community activities and enjoys spending time in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, where he hopes to live as an adult. He aspires to work in the…
Last Halloween, I helped to supervise a sleepover party for the children at the Unitarian-Universalist church my family attends. I had been wrapped in toilet paper by the kids during the “make a mummy” contest, guided numerous kids through the dark to the hallway where the bathroom was lit up, and finally watched the movie…
While the philosophy of community based employment is to promote community integration and the social skills of persons with disabilities, studies suggest that there is minimal interaction between persons with disabilities in the workplace and their non-disabled co-workers and that when interaction does occur it may be limited and non-social in nature (Belcher & Smith,…
This month’s Perspective columnist is Dr. Temple Grandin. Dr. Grandin is a designer of livestock handling facilities and an Associate Professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University. Facilities she has designed are located in the United States, Canada, Europe, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, and other countries. In North America, almost half of the cattle…
Note to readers: In each issue of The OARacle, we provide a helpful resource on a topic of interest within the autism community. This month’s article focuses on how to plan for your child’s transition to employment. Special thanks to OAR Scientific Council Chairman Peter Gerhardt for his contribution. As adults, many of us define…
