SESSION 6: 2.25-3.35pm (Part B)
Room LK203/204
The Autism Employment Puzzle
About this session:
This group will focus on employment for adults on the spectrum. Through the efforts of the Danish social enterprise Specialisterne and its partnerships with tech conglomerates like Microsoft and SAP, recent media reports have heralded a bold new wave of autistic employment.
While programs at corporations like SAP have, in some cases, been a true boon for autistic adults, most adults on the spectrum remain unemployed. In large measure, this can be ascribed to problems with the very concept of autism itself and the fact that a disproportionate amount of attention is given to those on the so-called "high end."
While corporate initiatives can be great for "Aspies," what about those whose disabilities are far more severe? Is employment a real solution to long term care? If so, how?
This workshop aims to shift attention away from the autism=jobs in software towards a more holistic and encompassing understanding of job across the spectrum. Participants are encouraged to share their (or their children's) employment experiences and experiences coordinating with the both regional centers and the Department of Rehab.
The intention is to build a network of providers, parents, and employers and to brainstorm creative solutions that address the whole spectrum and not just those at the very "high" end of this increasingly diverse disorder.
David Platzer is a PhD candidate in medical anthropology at Johns Hopkins. He has spent the past two years conducting ethnography on the autism community, with a focus on adulthood and employment. For the past year, he has been a facilitator of AASCEND's autism job club and have worked with adults on the spectrum to find and secure work. Through this research David interacted with hundreds of parents, educators, employers, and those on the spectrum, and has come to the conclusion that media hyperbole about the very real value of autism (or the brilliant skills of some on the spectrum) have had the unintended effect of marginalizing those who are severely disabled.
Room LK203/204
The Autism Employment Puzzle
About this session:
This group will focus on employment for adults on the spectrum. Through the efforts of the Danish social enterprise Specialisterne and its partnerships with tech conglomerates like Microsoft and SAP, recent media reports have heralded a bold new wave of autistic employment.
While programs at corporations like SAP have, in some cases, been a true boon for autistic adults, most adults on the spectrum remain unemployed. In large measure, this can be ascribed to problems with the very concept of autism itself and the fact that a disproportionate amount of attention is given to those on the so-called "high end."
While corporate initiatives can be great for "Aspies," what about those whose disabilities are far more severe? Is employment a real solution to long term care? If so, how?
This workshop aims to shift attention away from the autism=jobs in software towards a more holistic and encompassing understanding of job across the spectrum. Participants are encouraged to share their (or their children's) employment experiences and experiences coordinating with the both regional centers and the Department of Rehab.
The intention is to build a network of providers, parents, and employers and to brainstorm creative solutions that address the whole spectrum and not just those at the very "high" end of this increasingly diverse disorder.
David Platzer is a PhD candidate in medical anthropology at Johns Hopkins. He has spent the past two years conducting ethnography on the autism community, with a focus on adulthood and employment. For the past year, he has been a facilitator of AASCEND's autism job club and have worked with adults on the spectrum to find and secure work. Through this research David interacted with hundreds of parents, educators, employers, and those on the spectrum, and has come to the conclusion that media hyperbole about the very real value of autism (or the brilliant skills of some on the spectrum) have had the unintended effect of marginalizing those who are severely disabled.