The March 6 AASCEND online Job Club, presents Doug Meeker, developer of the Life Sherpa autism employment platform. Life Sherpa is an assisstive technology platform that functions as a virtual coach to help educators, service organizations and employers—including DXC Technology, Best Buddies and Stanford University—train, support and sustain neurodiverse individuals into the workforce.

The Zoom meeting URL and password will be sent as the date approaches. No registration is necessary.

Doug has been involved in disability initiatives since his son was diagnosed with Autism at age 4. As a board member, for A Place To Be, a nationally recognized music therapy venture, he has played a key role in its growth. Doug also serves on the Verizon Consumer Advisory Board and on the board of AHEDD, a disability employment organization

As usual at AASCEND meetings, attendees on the autism spectrum will offer their experience and perspectives throughout the program. Come offer yours!

Who: Adults on the autism spectrum, families, mentors and professionals all welcome. For more information, please contact: info@aascend.org
When: Sat Mar 6 10am – 11am (approx.)
Where: Online via Zoom. URL and password will be emailed.

For a list of resources from AASCEND’s February 6 program by The Spectrum Works click HERE .

The February 20 AASCEND online meeting is a double-header. (The Zoom meeting URL and password will be sent to our newsletter subscribers as the date approaches. No registration is necessary.)

Leading off will be AASCEND board member and director of the Stanford Neurodiversity Project, Dr. Lawrence Fung, reporting on the success of the recently accomplished, path-breaking Stanford Neurodiversity Job Fair & Reverse Job Fair. Hundreds participated in this event. Dr. Fung will give the details, and say what worked well and what was learned for the future. Be particularly sure to attend if you were one of the Job Fair participants.

The second part of the meeting will be a reprise of a report given at a recent International Autistic Leadership Summit, about the national autistics organization in Germany, Aspies e.V. (view in Google Chrome and turn on translate). Internet permitting, board member Rainer Döhle will join us from Germany to answer questions. The similarities and differences between autism organizations in Germany and the U.S. are fascinating and can inspire ideas about our own development at AASCEND.

As usual at AASCEND meetings, attendees on the autism spectrum will offer their experience and perspectives throughout the program. Come with your questions about the Job Fair (and your experience if you participated), and also questions for Rainer about autism in Germany.

Who: Adults on the autism spectrum, families, mentors and professionals all welcome. For more information, please contact: info@aascend.org
When: Sat Feb 20 10am – 11am (approx.)
Where: Online via Zoom. URL and password will be emailed.

For a list of resources from AASCEND’s February 6 program by The Spectrum Works click HERE .

For a list of resources from AASCEND’s January 16 program on autism-related legislative change in Washington click HERE .

The February 6 AASCEND Job Club, presents Jessica Lee, Executive Director and Co-Founder of The Spectrum Works, a non-profit organization helping gifted adults on the autism spectrum transition into meaningful talent for corporations. Through this organization, Jessica is eager to change business and society’s perceptions about autism, and to focus on integration and neurodiversity in the workplace as an impetus for societal change.

The Zoom meeting URL and password will be sent as the date approaches. No registration is necessary.

Prior to starting The Spectrum Works, Jessica was a management consultant and program manager for 8 years. Jessica earned her Bachelor’s degree in Business and International Relations at the University of Southern California and an Executive Certificate in Social Impact Strategy at the University of Pennsylvania.

As usual at AASCEND meetings, attendees on the autism spectrum will offer their experience and perspectives throughout the program. Come offer yours!

Who: Adults on the autism spectrum, families, mentors and professionals all welcome. For more information, please contact: info@aascend.org
When: Sat Feb 6 10am – 11am (approx.)
Where: Online via Zoom. URL and password will be emailed.

Change is in the air! At our January 16 Zoom meeting AASCEND asks how the change of administration in Washington may affect legislation favorable to the autistic community. Kelly Israel, policy analyst for the Autistic Self Advocacy Network has a ringside seat in Washington DC. She will share the experience of the recent years, goals for the coming session of Congress, and thoughts on how organizations like AASCEND can best engage with national policy on autism. The Zoom link will be mailed the day before the meeting. No registration is required.

As usual, attendees on the spectrum will offer their experience and perspectives throughout the program. Don’t miss this provocative program during these tumultuous times. Bring your own ideas and help make a better future!

Who: Adults on the autism spectrum, families, mentors and professionals all welcome. For more information, please contact: info@aascend.org
When: Sat Jan 16, 10am – 11am (approx) Pacific Time
Where: Online via Zoom. The link will be emailed on January 15.

The registration deadline for the Stanford Neurodiversity Job Fair & Reverse Job Fair January 21-22 has been extended through Tuesday January 12, and you can now register without submitting a video. Get to it! Details below:

A Message from the Stanford Neurodiversity Project

We have extended the registration deadline to Tuesday, January 12 for the Stanford Neurodiversity Job Fair/ Reverse Job Fair. As a reminder, the fair is scheduled to take place on Thursday, January 21 and Friday, January 22, 2021. 

If you are a neurodiverse jobseeker, please complete the following form to register for the fair. If you are a parent or job coach, you may also fill out this form only if the jobseeker is planning to attend the fair.  

Update on accessibility: The previous requirement for a video presentation for the job fair is no longer mandatory. If you want to communicate by chat or audio only, or if you want to present a pre-recorded video to employers, these are all possible options. We will be sending out a survey with accessibility features once registration has closed. 

As new positions are being added to our website, we understand that you may want to update your preferences. We ask that you resubmit the registration form only once with your new preferences. If you choose to submit a new form, please note that we will use your second submission for our matching process. We will disregard all submissions after that point.

If you are an employer interested in participating in the job fair, please complete the following registration form.

We are continuing to update our page about the Job Fair/Reverse Job Fair. Please visit our website for the latest information, including updated jobs and tip sheets for jobseekers and employers. If you have any questions about the Job Fair/Reverse Job Fair, please email stanfordneurodiversityproject@stanford.edu. 

Best,

Stanford Neurodiversity Project Team

On January 9 (not the customary 1st Saturday) the AASCEND Job Club meeting via Zoom presents Meristem, one of the leading post-secondary programs in the United States, focused on young adults with autism. Based outside of Sacramento, it emphasizes the practical arts and craft skills as a path to the job world and adulthood. Meristem will be represented by its president, Edmund Knighton. The Zoom link will be emailed a day or so before the event.

Joining Edmund Knighton will be Meristem Work Skills Manager Eric Stewart. Together they will discuss the Meristem approach, and more broadly the transition programs and approaches available to young adults with autism in Northern California. AASCEND member Clara Chao Bierhaus, currently a student at Meristem, also will join the discussion.

As usual, attendees on the spectrum will offer their experience and perspectives throughout the program. Bring your questions. The Zoom link will follow in an email a day or two before the event.

Who: Adults on the autism spectrum, families, mentors and professionals all welcome. For more information, please contact: info@aascend.org
When: Sat Jan 9, 10am – 11am (approx)
Where: Online via Zoom. URL and password will be emailed.

On Saturday December 19 at 2pm AASCEND will try something new—an online holiday party via Zoom! The Zoom link will be sent in an email to all newsletter subscribers. There is no need to register. If you don’t have Zoom installed, clicking the link in the email we send will lead you to a series of prompts so that you can install it. It’s pretty easy to do.

The party will use Zoom “breakout rooms” and to use these you need to have a recent version of Zoom. We recommend that if you already use Zoom you get the most recent version. To get it, go to Zoom.us, click on RESOURCES, and then select Download Zoom Client. (Then follow any prompts.)

We will all meet at first in the “Main Room” or “Hub”, where a Welcome Party will continue throughout the day. We’ll all start there, and do a “holiday check-in” like our usual check-ins at AASCEND meetings, but with a focus on your holiday doings.

Next, the breakout rooms will be opened, and you get to choose which one you want to go to first. To see the list of breakout rooms when you are on Zoom you need to click or tap the icon of four little squares at the bottom of your screen. (If you don’t see it, then try putting the window in Full Screen mode.) Then click near the name of the room you want to join until the word “Join” appears. Click that and in some seconds you’ll be in the room. You can move freely between breakout rooms, too. Remember, you must have the latest version of Zoom to use the breakout rooms.

The breakout rooms are:

DJ Music & Dance
Whiteboard Games
Quiet Meditation

DISCUSSION ROOMS:
Science Fiction/Fantasy
Anime
Video Game (Discussion)
Comics & Manga
Cats & Pets
Life with Autism
Movies/TV
Music
Technology
Literature

There will also be “Spare Rooms”. Using the chat feature, people can arrange to meet each other in any unoccupied Spare Room (there will be 10 of them) in order to have personal conversations.

At 3:30 in the Main Room there will be musical offerings by AASCEND members. Contact AASCEND (see below) if you want to sing or perform for 3 1/2 minutes or so at that time.

There is limited “seating capacity” at the party, so if you can’t get in, try again later.

That’s about it! This is a big experiment and we’ll just have to see how it goes. We invite you to dress up or decorate a little if you like. It should be a fun adventure however it does go, and remember that whatever happens AASCEND is very glad that you are here and wishes you the very best of holiday seasons!

Who: Adults on the autism spectrum, families, mentors and professionals all welcome. For more information, please contact: info@aascend.org
When: Sat Dec 19, 2pm – 5pm 
Where: Online via Zoom. URL and password will be emailed.

If you are autistic and serious about employment, be sure to register for the Stanford Neurodiversity Job Fair & Reverse Job Fair to be held online on January 21 & 22, 2021. Click HERE for details and registration.

(See below about the December 19 Holiday Party)

The next AASCEND Job Club, to be held December 12, will feature Byran Dai, speaking on strategies to find employment in these economically fraught times. Byran is the co-founder and CEO of Daivergent, a technology platform that that evaluates and prepares job-seekers in the autism community for employment. The company provides autistic talent with “Success Plans” that consist of evidence-based assessments, job exploration, and skills training which can be completed on the Daivergent platform. Daivergent also connects employers to job-seekers through its career matchmaking service, successfully providing work opportunities to over 500 adults across the US.

As usual at AASCEND meetings, attendees on the autism spectrum will offer their experience and perspectives throughout the program. Come offer yours!

The meeting URL and password will be sent as the date approaches. No registration is necessary.

Who: Adults on the autism spectrum, families, mentors and professionals all welcome. For more information, please contact: info@aascend.org
When: Sat Dec 12, 10am – 11am (approx.)
Where: Online via Zoom. URL and password will be emailed.

The December 19 AASCEND general meeting will be our annual Holiday Party, to be held online starting at 2pm on that Saturday. Be sure to update your Zoom app for the occasion, as we shall be using breakout rooms not supported in old versions of Zoom. (Go to Zoom.us>RESOURCES>Download Zoom Client for the update. It will overwrite your old version.) More about the party will be revealed as the date approaches…

Who: Adults on the autism spectrum, families, mentors and professionals all welcome. For more information, please contact: info@aascend.org
When: Sat Dec 19, 2pm – Details to be announced
Where: Online via Zoom. URL and password will be emailed.

If you are autistic and serious about employment, register NOW for the Stanford Neurodiversity Job Fair & Reverse Job Fair to be held online on January 21 & 22, 2021. Click HERE for details and registration.

On November 14 (NOT the usual 1st Saturday!) the AASCEND Job Club meeting via Zoom will feature AASCEND Board member Dr. Lawrence Fung, director of the recent highly successful Stanford Neurodiversity Summit at Stanford Medical School. Dr. Fung will review the main themes of the five-day online Summit, which attracted over 3100 participants from around the world, and he will talk about next steps, including the upcoming Job Fair/Reverse Job Fair for neurodiverse job seekers and the employers hoping to hire them.

Dr. Fung holds M.D. and Ph.D. degrees and is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences in the Stanford University School of Medicine, where he directs the Adult Neurodevelopment Clinic, the Stanford Neurodiversity Project, and the Fung Lab. The Stanford Neurodiversity Summit was organized with strong input from, and participation by, autistic adults, including AASCEND members. At the November 14 conference debriefing, and as usual at AASCEND meetings, attendees on the autism spectrum will offer their experience and perspectives throughout the program. Bring your questions and reflections about the Summit! The Zoom link will follow in an email a day or two before the event.

Who: Adults on the autism spectrum, families, mentors and professionals all welcome. For more information, please contact: info@aascend.org
When: Sat Nov 14, 10am – 11am (approx)
Where: Online via Zoom. URL and password will be emailed.

In place of the usual October meeting, AASCEND invites (and strongly encourages) its members to join in the FREE online Stanford Neurodiversity Summit, organized and directed by AASCEND board member Dr. Lawrence Fung, with participation from a large array of autistic adults and autism professionals. The theme of the Summit is “Scaling Up the Neurodiversity at Work Initiative“. This conference will bring together neurodivergent individuals, employers, service agencies, educators and students, parents, and professionals from all areas of the field. It may come to be considered an historic event so you won’t want to miss it. There are multiple sessions on many different topics, presented over the course of five days. You can attend one or all of them! Program information here — and most importantly, register HERE. (Don’t worry if it says Late Registration or Sales Ended: It’s still free and available to the last day of the conference. A single registration covers all days of the conference.)

Who: Adults on the autism spectrum, families, mentors and professionals all welcome. For more information, please contact: info@aascend.org
When: Oct 17 – 21
Where: Online via Zoom. Register with link above.