Parents and professionals often contact me looking for help with a young adult with autism who is out of school, looking for work, and ill-prepared to do so. As a parent, I feel their pain. My son, Jeremy, severely impacted by autism, is working towards becoming a happy taxpayer. He isn’t there yet, but he is…
Autism employment initiatives are all around us. And though they are all putting forth tremendous efforts, my two favorites—New York Collaborates for Autism (NYC4A), and the new “Hire Autism” job portal from OAR—are pulling together large amounts of resources to resolve the 75 to 85 percent unemployment rate for adults on the spectrum. But when…
In 1959, a group of parents of high school students with disabilities in Northern Virginia created a nonprofit organization devoted to helping those young people find meaningful employment. In its first year, it employed 26 people. Today, Linden Resources employs and provides job placement for nearly 400 people with intellectual, physical, or mental health disabilities…
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 school was to enter sheltered workshops or other limiting programs. More and more today, however, we see youth with disabilities engaged in curricula…
Kristen Essex joined OAR at the beginning of October as business manager. She looks forward to working with OAR in “most aspects of the day-to-day management of the organization,” including helping out with grant writing and other fundraising initiatives. She is already at work on ideas for the annual campaign. Essex was previously the publisher…
On the recent anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Labor Secretary Tom Perez said, “People with disabilities want to work. They want to be independent and self-sufficient. They even want to pay taxes. They want the feeling of pride and purpose that comes with waking up every morning, performing a job, and earning…
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal law that prohibits discrimination of individuals with disabilities. It requires employers to make modifications (which are called reasonable accommodations) that enable a person to participate in the interviewing process or to perform his or her work. In my coaching practice, I have seen many cases where…
The Doug Flutie, Jr. Foundation for Autism was established in 1998 by former NFL quarterback Doug Flutie and his wife, Laurie, in honor of their son, Doug, Jr. who was diagnosed with autism at the age of three. Today, he is 23 and, like many of his peers, faced with new challenges that come with…
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…
