On April 25 (NOT the usual 3rd Saturday!) AASCEND will host its general meeting online via Zoom. At the meeting longtime AASCEND friend Liz McDonough, a clinician and drama therapist working with autistic teens and young adults at the Helix School, will lead us as we talk about healthy ways we are coping with the challenges of life during the Covid19 pandemic. An email telling you how to join the meeting will be sent in the morning before the meeting starts.

If you have not used Zoom all you will have to do is click the link in that email and follow the prompts. If it asks you to download Zoom software, then go ahead and do that, following the prompts. Zoom makes this all pretty easy because that’s how they stay in business! Naturally, attendees on the spectrum will offer their experience and perspectives throughout the program.

Who: Adults on the autism spectrum, families, mentors and professionals all welcome. For more information, please contact: info@aascend.org
When: Sat Apr 25, 10am – 11am (approx)
Where: Online via Zoom. URL and password will be emailed.

In an abundance of caution regarding the Covid-19 virus, AASCEND is canceling its scheduled March 21 general meeting. We’ll keep you up to date on upcoming programming as we monitor developments…and as we persevere through this challenge let’s keep each other in our thoughts, wash our hands well, and cover our mouths when we cough or sneeze. We’ll see each other before long!

Register now for the (FREE!) March 14 Stanford Neurodiversity Summit, including a Job Fair with Bay Area employers specifically interested in hiring autistic adults.
                    Conference Information and Eventbrite Registration

At AASCEND‘s February 15 general meeting Maisie Soetantyo, director of Autism Career Pathways, will talk about her groundbreaking approach to autism employment, and describe the upcoming Autism Goes to Work Career Expo to be held in early April in Redwood City. (Details below.) The free event will feature Bay Area businesses already benefiting from hiring autistic workers, as well as Q & A with autistic adults. Don’t miss this opportunity celebrating Autism Awareness Month!

UPDATE: Maisie spoke to a rapt overflow crowd February 15. Here are videos she shared at the talk: Video1 Video2 Be sure to attend Maisie’s Career Expo on April 2 (details below)!

Maisie Soetantyo is the founder of Autism Career Pathways, a new non-profit committed to removing obstacles to neurodiverse hiring. As part of this project, she created an all activity-based Career Screening Tool to better summarize strengths, interests, aptitudes and areas of needs for differently-abled individuals. During the presentation this Saturday, she will showcase a few participants’ video summary, ongoing job training and their progress today.  As always, attendees on the spectrum will offer their experience and perspectives throughout the program.

Meet Maisie at the AASCEND meeting Feb 15:
Who: Adults on the autism spectrum, families, mentors and professionals all welcome. For more information, please contact: info@aascend.org
When: Sat Feb 15, 10am – noon
Where: The Arc of SF 1500 Howard St. @ 11th St. SF, CA 94103 map

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.

Redwood City event details:

News at the bottom:

AASCEND received a request for participants in a research study about Societal Attitudes About Disability. It looks legit, pays a bit, and you might want to participate.

Mark your calendars for the Stanford Neurodiversity Summit, emphasizing employment, to be held at Stanford University March 14. Attendance is free and registration will be required. Details will be posted here as they become available.

This month the usual first-Saturday Job Club will be combined with the AASCEND General meeting January 18, when veteran and erstwhile conference speaker Thomas Iland will be discussing his experiences from numerous jobs, his changes in career over the course of his journey to permanent, gainful employment, and what he does today to help people find their niche and become productive and happy members of society.

Thomas Iland (pronounced like “island”) was diagnosed with autism at 13 years old. Thomas left his career as a certified public accountant in 2015 to become an author, keynote speaker, diversity & inclusion consultant, and certified human potential coach.

Thomas is the author of the award-winning, best-selling book, “Come to Life! Your Guide to Self-Discovery” and recently became the only Toastmasters International Accredited Speaker with autism in the world.

Thomas has spoken at the United Nations twice in the past year, once on World Autism Awareness Day in April, to share his knowledge and firsthand experience about assistive technology and successful law enforcement interactions for people on the autism spectrum…and again in December for the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, where he discussed practicing diversity and inclusion in employment.

You can also see him on the TEDx stage in his talk titled, “How To Come To Life.”

Thomas currently lives in Santa Clarita, California, with his dog, Bridget, and, having run two marathons, is currently training to run his first half-Ironman triathlon.

As always, attendees on the spectrum will offer their experience and perspectives throughout the program.

Who: Adults on the autism spectrum, families, mentors and professionals all welcome. For more information, please contact: info@aascend.org
When: Sat Jan 18, 10am – noon
Where: The Arc of SF 1500 Howard St. @ 11th St. SF, CA 94103 map

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.

Next up for AASCEND is the December 7 Holiday Potluck Party! (following a Job Club presentation by the Autistry. ALSO check out the neurodiversity CONTEST—details below). Come join our community for food, conversation, music and good cheer. There will be Entertainment, Music, Games, Santa D.J., food, an available low-sensory space, and a selfie booth. It’s a potluck, so bring food to share if you can — but if you can’t, show up anyway!

Be there and be cool like the reindude!

AASCEND‘s November 16 general meeting has been canceled to give members a chance to attend concurrent local events featuring adults on the autism spectrum—the SF Autism Society adult autism conference at Stanford and the Autistic Women’s Panel at the Marin Office of Education in Terra Linda. Both events feature AASCEND members and friends. See you there!

Advice from a Veteran of Electronic Arts and Zynga

On November 9 the AASCEND  Job Club hosts Serena Lam, General Manager for Endless Mobile Inc, a STEM-based product that inspires kids to code. In her current role, she oversees product management, design, engineering, and operations. 

Serena is a 16-year gaming veteran creating fun experiences for millions and millions of users. As a pre-IPO member of the social gaming pioneer, Zynga, she worked on multi-million revenue games such as Words with Friends and Farmville. She’s also an alumnus of the game giant, Electronic Arts, working with the legendary Will Wright on Spore and the ever-popular James Bond franchise.   

Serena holds a Masters in Entertainment Technology and Bachelors in Business from Carnegie Mellon University. In her spare time, she loves to exercise, hike, cook, and research about interior design. Come get an inside look at work in this fascinating field. Bring your questions, and needless to say, attendees on the spectrum will offer their experience and perspectives throughout the program. 

Who: Adults on the autism spectrum, families, mentors and professionals all welcome. For more information, please contact: info@aascend.org
When: Sat Nov 9, 10am – noon
Where: The Arc of SF 1500 Howard St. @ 11th St. SF, CA 94103 map

Parking is sometimes 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.