UPDATE: Check out this excellent January 5 Wall Street Journal article about AASCEND, penned by AASCEND board member Michael Bernick.
On January 5 David Platzer led a lively discussion of autism employment, with the room filled to overflowing. A main theme was the need to broaden employer perceptions of autism beyond the “computer whiz” stereotype, and to highlight the benefits autistic employees have to offer in other areas. There is also a need to show that accommodations for autistic employees need not be onerous legal burdens but rather are investmentments in success that often cost very little to implement.
Join us at the AASCEND Job Club on Saturday, January 5, as Job Club force David Platzer returns from the East Coast, bringing fresh insights.
David Platzer, PhD, is a recent graduate of the anthropology program at Johns Hopkins University. His dissertation research explored employment for adults on the autism spectrum, with a focus on the tech industry. While completing his dissertation, David spent nearly two years working as an experience researcher with Adobe’s Design Research and Strategy group in San Francisco. This role included work on Adobe’s recently launched Inclusive Design initiative, a program which seeks to make the full suite of Adobe creative tools accessible to diversely disabled creatives. Starting in January 2019, David will be a Research Fellow with the Berggruen Institute’s Transformations of the Human program, under whose auspices he will begin a new research project on the human ramifications of artificial intelligence in society.
David will speak about his recent and upcoming endeavors related to autism employment.
As always, attendees on the spectrum will offer their experience and perspectives throughout the program.
Special thanks to the Autism Studies Department at SFSU for volunteers!
Who: Adults on the autism spectrum, families, mentors and professionals all welcome. For more information, please contact: info@aascend.org
When: Sat Jan 5, 10am – 1pm
Where: The Arc of SF 1500 Howard St. @ 11th St. SF, CA 94103 map
For more information about employment on the autism spectrum, join us at:
Spectrum Employment Community by AASCEND on LinkedIn
Parking is usually available in the garage at 255 12th Street, with a reasonable flat rate for Saturdays. There is also metered street parking for $2.25/hr.
ALSO:
Check out autism advocate Paul Nussbaum‘s concluding reflections on his 4 1/2 – month epic trek on the Pacific Crest Trail here. Paul’s journey was a spectacular and moving demonstration of autistic ability.