Access to Autism Friendly Companies and Competitive Employment Opportunities

Autism NOW webinar January 31, 2012

Jennifer Repella, Autism Society VP Programs

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.

Autism Society s Guiding Principles

 Meaningful 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.

Philosophy of Empowerment
 The Autism Society s growing membership base encompasses a broad, diverse group of parents, family members and professionals.  Recognizing and respecting 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 decisionmaking are more highly regarded at the Autism Society than is advocating for one particular theory or philosophy.

Five Core Competencies

 Proactive Advocacy in collaboration with the greater disability community  Community outreach and Education with accessible and accurate information that supports stakeholder ability to make informed choices  Encouraging and fostering a strong grassroots network that provides Support as an integral part of a larger community  Creating local connections  Building capacity within local communities for delivery of affective Services delivery to individuals and their families  Translating Research results into applied practice that provides real impact in everyday lives

Autism Society Mission and Vision

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

So What s 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 ASD has opportunities to seek jobs of their choosing and have a chance (and the support required) to achieve the highest quality of life.

Long-Term Strategic Goals

 National delivery system that provides every person access to successful lifespan responses that maximize autonomy  Advance the discussion regarding autism to include societal issues impacting a person on the spectrum and their 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 the future. Measure success through tangible improvements based on criteria set by the community.

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 each quality 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?

Current Environment
 Individuals with disabilities are often not properly prepared for competitive employment opportunities.  Education must build required skills and social behaviors that promote success in the work place.  Corporations are often hesitant of the Americans with Disabilities 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 moral imperative to hire people with disabilities with little knowledge or consideration of the corporate perspective.

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 with ASD and their 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

AMC Theatres and Autism Society

Considering the Needs of Families

In April 2008 the Autism Society of America and AMC Theatres began offering Sensory Friendly films  Offered one Saturday each month  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

Autism Society Employment Goal

To successfully employ individuals with ASD in a variety of positions to create a more diverse and inclusive workplace Educate employers on the benefits of hiring individuals with disabilities Work with Vocational Rehabilitation, School Transition Programs, 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

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 Asperger s Syndrome

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 less than $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

Going Beyond Compliance

April 2010: Autism Society of America and AMC Theatres launched a 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 AMC s business needs and performance standards

From the Employee:

From the Family:

From the Employer:

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

FOCUS on Collaboration
For sustainability, both sides must understand each other s 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?

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 much more difficult to replicate
GuestConnections principles APSH (Attendance Per Staff Hour) alignment Unable to job carve

Breaking Down Barriers

Theatre Survey of Managers Experiences  Opportunities  Successes
Job Coach was cited as the #1 concern of field management

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.

FOCUS Interview Process

 General Manager is the direct contact and owns FOCUS program at the theatre level  Travelling Interview developed Provides exposure to all areas of the theatre/ working environment Points out sensory/ physical environment concerns (bright lights, slick floors, hot/ cold areas, etc.) Allows for candidate self de-selection during interview

Expectations of Associate
 GuestConnections  Multiple job responsibilities  Held to same standards of performance  Skills and abilities must be demonstrated  Praise effort, reward results

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 be employed 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 be employed, for high school students that means after school.

AMC Educational Takeaways

Never underestimate the desire of people with ASD or other disabilities to work in competitive employment. Independence is goal Don t start out making exceptions It s okay to maintain your standards and set high expectations

Roles of Job Coach

 Job Coach Requirements developed for job coaches within AMC environment  Rules of Engagement to promote success, maximize independence and cultivate natural sustainable supports

Employer/Environment Specific Training

 Mandatory training for all theatre supervisors  Training was tailored to the industry and used their lingo and acronyms  Training was not Autism 101 but when you have an employee with autism

Theatre Training & Communication

 Modified training schedule  Expectation to progress to higher volume periods  Flexible communication tactics  Scheduled touch points  60 day probation period

What does success look like?

 Not defined by conventional business metrics  Defined by making a difference  Individual impact

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

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

We Can t Do It Without You

Every one of us has a role to play. We must all strive to be connected, engaged, supportive, and serve the greater autism community by being a resource, an advocate and a spokesperson within our communities.

info@autism-society.org www.autism-society.org Join us on