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Access to Autism FriendlyCompanies and Competitive
Employment Opportunities
Autism NOW webinar
January 31, 2012
Jennifer Repella, Autism Society VP Programs
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Who is the Autism Society?Founded in 1965 by psychologist (& father) Dr. Bernard Rimland
Oldest and largest membership organization dedicated to
Autism Spectrum Disorders
Comprised of 200,000+ members and supporters connected
through 130 chapters across the United State and Puerto Rico.
The Autism Society is dedicated to increasing awareness about
autism and the day-to-day issues faced by individuals with
autism, their families and the professionals with whom they
interact.We advocate for programs and services that people
need TODAY.
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Autism Societys Guiding PrinciplesMeaningful participation and self-determination in all aspects of
life for individuals on the autism spectrum.
Individual, parental and guardian choice to assure that people
on the autism spectrum are treated with dignity and respect.
Systemic change via federal, state and local public policy that
benefit of the autism community.
Honest broker of reliable information that is timely, frequent,
relevant and professional.
Multi-disciplined approaches to autism research focused on the
whole-body and whole life that improves quality of life.
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Philosophy of Empowerment
The Autism Societys growing membership base encompasses
a broad, diverse group of parents, family members and
professionals.
Recognizing andrespecting the diverse range of opinions,needs and desires of this group, the Autism Society embraces
an overall philosophy that chooses to empower individuals
living with autism to make choices best suited to their needs.
Providing information and education to help in decision-
making are more highly regarded at the Autism Society than is
advocating for one particular theory or philosophy.
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Five Core CompetenciesProactive Advocacy in collaboration with the greater disability
community
Community outreach and Education with accessible and
accurate information that supports stakeholder ability to
make informed ch
oicesEncouraging and fostering a strong grassroots network that
provides Supportas an integral part of a larger community
Creating local connections
Building capacity wit
hin local communities for delivery ofaffective Services delivery to individuals and their families
Translating Research results into applied practice that
provides real impact in everyday lives
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Autism Society Mission and Vision
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Focus on programs that improve the quality of life for people on
the autism spectrum and reflect the following desired outcomes :
Respect and Dignity
Inclusion
Communication
Health/Wellbeing/Safety
Academic Success
Friendship/Support Network/Social Connection
Independent Living (to the maximum extent possible)
Meaningful Employment with Fair Wages
Financial Stability Recreation/Leisure
Subjective Wellbeing/Self Identity & Acceptance
Autonomy, Self-Sufficiency & Pursuit of Dreams
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SoWhats It All About?
The Autism Society works to ensure that every child
and adult living on the autism spectrum has the
opportunity to be happy and be treated with dignity;
they should be able to pursue independence,fulfillment and lead a productive life.
The Autism Society works to ensure that every adult
with
ASDh
as opportunities to seek jobs of th
eirchoosing and have a chance (and the support required)
to achieve the highest quality of life.
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Long-Term Strategic Goals
National delivery system that provides every personaccess to successful lifespan responses that maximize
autonomy
Advance the discussion regarding autism to include
societal issues impacting a person on the spectrum andtheir family (poverty, unemployment, aging issues, civil
rights, etc.).
Local/state delivery entities have a measurable impact on
the lives all people living with autism today and in thefuture. Measure success through tangible improvements
based on criteria set by the community.
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Long-Term Strategic Goals cont.
Promote a lifespan approach to autism with special emphasis on:
Define the best practices, approaches and obstacles to early
identification so that proper diagnosis can occur by age 3.
Transition young adults leaving school systems prepared for
employment, advanced education, and independent living.Identify gaps in services and work with delivery systems so
individuals with ASD can expect the same access and adequate
response from social service agencies.
Refine our approach and define specific outcomes for eachquality of life indicator. In other words, how do we know when
independent living or subjective well-being has been achieved to
the maximum extent possible?
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Current Environment Individuals with disabilities are often not properly prepared for
competitive employment opportunities.
Education must build required skills andsocial behaviors that
promote success in the work place.
Corporations are often hesitant of the Americans withDisabilities Act (ADA) and related laws and are concerned with
doing something wrong when their intention is to do the
right thing
Service providers and families approach businesses with a moralimperative to hire people with disabilities with little knowledge
or consideration of the corporate perspective.
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Autism Society Environment Goal
Increase the number of public places that have an awareness of
ASD and have taken steps to meet the needs of this growing
population by:
Individuals wit
hASD and t
heir families are viewed as paying,respected customers and guests
Autism Interaction Training so that employees are prepared to
interact successfully and appropriately with individuals on the
autism spectrum and other disabilities
Site evaluations to assist in developing autism friendly
environments
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AMC Theatres and Autism Society
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Considering the Needs of Families
In April 2008 the Autism Society of America and AMC
Theatres began offering Sensory Friendly films
Offered one Saturday eachmonth
Features a new release film
Lights in the theatre are kept a little bit up, the sound
is turned a little bit down, and movie goers are able to
get up and move around if needed. Silence is golden goes out the window
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Autism Society Employment GoalTo successfully employ individuals with ASD in a variety ofpositions to create a more diverse and inclusive workplace
Educate employers on the benefits ofhiring individuals with
disabilities
Work with Vocational Rehabilitation, School TransitionPrograms, and Service Providers to improve job readiness and
job matching
Human Resource training for hiring and training employees on
the autism spectrum
Manager training for supervisors of employees with ASD
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Making a Difference and a Business Case
Estimates of the portion of adults with
disabilities who are unemployed range
from 16-80%
Many more are underemployed
Estimates of unemployment rates for
adults with autism are 90% and as high
as 98% for adults with AspergersSyndrome
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Here is the Business Case
One in five Americans has a disability
26 million with disabilities are of working age
90% estimated unemployment rate
50% of accommodations cost less than $50 and 88% cost lessthan $1,000
Instills Guest Loyalty
92% of Americans view companies that hire people with
disabilities more favorably than those that do not
People with disabilities and their network represent $1 trillion
dollars of buying power
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Going Beyond ComplianceApril 2010: Autism Society of America and AMC Theatres launcheda pilot employment program
Going beyond compliance to doing the right thing
Leverage Autism Society chapter network and AMC theatre
locations nationwide
Create a level playing field identify and eliminate barriers to
employment
Provide equal access to competitive employment
Replicable and sustainable in a variety of business settings
Align with AMCs business needs and performance standards
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From the Employee:
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From the Family:
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From the Employer:
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Quality Community Partners
Autism Society of America and chapters
AMC Theatres and local theatres
University Program employment expert
Self Advocate
Public School Transition Program or Vocational Rehabilitation
Instructional Support Provider
Employment Specialist/Job Coach
Assessment Tools
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FOCUS on Collaboration
For sustainability, both sides must understand each
others point of view
What is important?
Who are the decision makers?
Business needs
Value proposition
What are the barriers? What needs to be done to overcome the barrier?
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FOCUS on Sustainability
Instead of expecting to make exception and job
modifications, the organizations started out by focusing
on how to work within the AMC corporate model.
Exceptions would serve to make it that muchmore
difficult to replicate
GuestConnections principles
APSH (Attendance Per Staff Hour) alignment
Unable to job carve
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Breaking Down Barriers
Theatre Survey of
Managers Experiences
Opportunities
Successes
Job Coach was cited as the
#1 concern of field
management
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FOCUS Candidates
Qualified candidates were not defined by level of
functioning or movie-related interests, but rather if
they were a good match for the job and the culture
of the theatre.Expectations were stated clearly from the beginning
There were hard skills (physical elements) but also
soft skills (making eye contact, decisions and
appropriate actions in various situations) that are
required.
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FOCUS Interview Process
General Manager is the direct contact and owns FOCUS
program at the theatre level
Travelling Interviewdeveloped
Provides exposure to all areas of the theatre/ workingenvironment
Points out sensory/ physical environment concerns (bright
lights, slick floors, hot/ cold areas, etc.)
Allows for candidate self de-selection during interview
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Expectations of Associate
GuestConnections
Multiple job responsibilities
Held to same standards of performanceSkills and abilities must be demonstrated
Praise effort, reward results
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Autism Society Educational Takeaways
We must consider all factors (corporate model, supports
provided, etc.) to set people up for success
Job readiness and a good job match are critical
The #1 indicator of being employed after school is to beemployed during school.
Supporting person with disabilities IS NOT something
that can be done between 8 a.m.- 3 p.m., we need to
provide support when the individual is likely to beemployed, for high school students that means after
school.
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AMC Educational Takeaways
Never underestimate the desire of people with ASD
or other disabilities to work in competitive
employment.
Independence is goal
Dont start out making exceptions
Its okay to maintain your standards and set high
expectations
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Roles of Job Coach
Job Coach Requirements developed for job coacheswithin AMC environment
Rules of Engagement to promote success,
maximize independence and cultivate natural
sustainable supports
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Mandatory training for all
theatre supervisors
Training was tailored to the
industry and used theirlingo and acronyms
Training was not Autism
101 but when you have
an employee with
autism
Employer/Environment Specific Training
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Theatre Training & Communication
Modified training schedule
Expectation to progress to
higher volume periods
Flexible communication tactics
Scheduled touch points
60 day probation period
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What does success look like?
Not defined by conventional business metrics
Defined by making a difference
Individual impact
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Moving from Pilot to Practice
Went from concept to pilot in less than 60 days
The single-site pilot lasted for 1 year.
At the end of April 2011 AMC Theatres launched the FOCUS
program to their theatres across the country. Companywide webinar
Toolkit
Specific directions regarding employment
Job coach requirements
Traveling Interview
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Benefits to an Organization
Increase potential of new customers and guests
Increase sales, attendance and ultimately revenue
Build brand identity and loyalty
Differentiate from competitors
Positively impact morale, retention and corporate
culture
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We Cant Do ItWithout You
Every one of us has a role to play. We
must all strive to be connected,
engaged, supportive, and serve thegreater autism community by being a
resource, an advocate and a
spokesperson within our
communities.
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www.autism-society.orgJoin us on
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