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OARacle Newsletter

Autism in the Workplace Webinars Available for Viewing

OAR’s fall 2023 webinar series, Autism in the Workplace, focused on practical strategies, tools, and accommodations for supporting autistic employees. If you weren’t able to make it to the live events, you can access the archived webinars on OAR’s website:  Autism, Disclosure, and Workplace Accommodations: Melanie Whetzel from the Job Accommodation Network (JAN) discussed workplace…

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OAR Awards 55 Scholarships to Autistic College Students

OAR has awarded 55 students with scholarships for 2023, bringing the scholarship total to $1,717,500 provided to 558 autistic students since 2007. This year, 1,112 students applied for one of three OAR scholarships: the Lisa Higgins Hussman Scholarship, the Schwallie Family Scholarship, and the Synchrony Scholarship for Autistic Students of Color. All three scholarships provide one-time $3,000 awards…

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Finding a Summer Job or Internship in College

Maybe you’re looking for experience in your desired career field. Or maybe your parents said it’s time for you to pay for some things on your own. Or maybe you just want to make some money over the summer to open a savings account. Whatever the reason, searching for a job or internship can be…

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Synchrony Pledges $200,000 for New Scholarships

OAR is excited to announce that Synchrony has pledged $200,000 over the next two years to support the Synchrony Scholarship for Autistic Students of Color and the Synchrony Tech Careers Scholarship. These two new scholarships will receive $50,000 each for their initial scholarships to be awarded in 2022. The Synchrony Scholarship for Autistic Students of…

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Jobtimize Pilot Extended Through End of 2020

Due to the changes COVID-19 has wrought on the employment market, OAR has extended our Jobtimize pilot through the end of the 2020 in order to continue supporting job seekers during this challenging time. Job seekers can use the Jobtimize interest and skills assessment for free through Hire Autism. The Jobtimize assessment highlights a job…

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Mentors Help Young Adults Find Ideal Jobs

Adults with autism often face high levels of unemployment because of their social and communication challenges. OAR created a new program that aims to help close the gap with virtual support from trained volunteers. C. Murphy, a college student from southeastern Virginia, recently landed the perfect part-time job thanks to the help of a Hire…

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Set Goals As A Self-Employed Artist

Many people with autism find comfort in structure, lists, and routines. Not me. I’m one of those people who absolutely cannot operate within such constraints. It’s one of the reasons I became a self-employed artist to begin with. However, some degree of goal setting and measurement is necessary to turn a talent into a successful…

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OAR Awards $1 Million in Scholarships Since 2007

OAR takes great pleasure in announcing the 2019 recipients of the Lisa Higgins Hussman Scholarship and Schwallie Family Scholarship. The two scholarships attracted over 700 applicants and the 38 awards total $114,000. With these additional scholarships, OAR has surpassed the $1 million mark, awarding a total financial contribution of more than $1,068,000 to 356 students…

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Trains: How My Special Interest Became My Career

Many children are born with two natural fears: the fear of falling and the fear of loud noise. For me, it all started at a railroad crossing. It was night: the sun had gone down and I was sitting between my mom and dad in the family car. We came to a stop and, all…

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Quiz: Test Your Interview Skills

Interviews can be far from easy, but there are lots of tips and tricks to perform well. Take this quiz to see if you know everything you need to know about your next interview!   

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