Showing posts with label Employment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Employment. Show all posts
Improving Accessibility
Amazing piece by @PDSoros fellow and @TheOpEdProject fellow @HariSri108 on the importance of flexible work and improving accessibility
Access to Meaningful Work
Excellent article Hari Srinivasan. This makes sense. Grateful for you and the Frist Center Vanderbilt for promoting access to meaningful work for all.
Important Points
These are important points Hari Srinivasan made in the article. This one included:
"More importantly....."
My Op-Ed in Fortune on Hybrid as Accommodation
Feedback on this article
Well said! I think you bring up important factor of hybrid work environments. I think that due to the pandemic and the proof that hybrid works and happens. I think a strong argument could be made for hybrid a ‘reasonable’ accommodation.
Hari! Great article highlighting an important issue that is impacting workplaces and activities like conferences nationwide. I will share with colleagues who are working on this issue.
Well done, again!
Wonderful article, Hari! Thank you! I shared it with my husband, who is a business owner and has chosen to keep the company remote post-pandemic. And I shared it with my son, who is a neurodiverse activist who has many friends with a range of neurodiversities. Really appreciate you publishing your perspective.
Hari! Great article highlighting an important issue that is impacting workplaces and activities like conferences nationwide. I will share with colleagues who are working on this issue.
Well done, again!
Wonderful article, Hari! Thank you! I shared it with my husband, who is a business owner and has chosen to keep the company remote post-pandemic. And I shared it with my son, who is a neurodiverse activist who has many friends with a range of neurodiversities. Really appreciate you publishing your perspective.
Love it
This is great Hari! We'll add this to our social media queue.
Congrats on this outstanding, informative op-ed!
Great article, congratulations!
Congrats on this compelling piece of advocacy! I've just tweeted about it.
Fantastic piece, Hari. I love your openness—I learn so much from your writing.
Hi Hari, Great article on an important topic that’s very relevant to all of us nowadays!!
Great Op-Ed Hari! It’s super interesting and compelling!
Congratulations, Hari! -- your piece raises so many important issues
So helpful to reframe return to inperson as part of lost opportunity to consider accommodations for autistic and disabled plus many vulnerable groups (parents!)
Congrats Hari! Great perspective and what a fantastic platform to share it in.
Congrats and great to see this piece published!
Hari, Bravo! What an honest op-ed that not only highlights the hybrid versus remote debate but also voices the predicament that academics/researchers with disabilities experience with travel and dissemination of their work.
This is GREAT. Bravo.
Great article!'
Thanks so much for sharing Hari - an important article
Hi Hari!. Congrats on this compelling piece of advocacy! I've just tweeted about it.
Hi Hari, Congrats on this outstanding, informative op-ed! All the best,
Thanks for sharing this good paper.I love it
Love it
Thanks so much, for sharing this, Hari! Great article highlighting an important issue that is impacting workplaces and activities like conferences nationwide. I will share with colleagues who are working on this issue.
Great article!'
Thanks so much for sharing Hari - an important article
Hi Hari!. Congrats on this compelling piece of advocacy! I've just tweeted about it.
Hi Hari, Congrats on this outstanding, informative op-ed! All the best,
Thanks for sharing this good paper.I love it
Love it
Thanks so much, for sharing this, Hari! Great article highlighting an important issue that is impacting workplaces and activities like conferences nationwide. I will share with colleagues who are working on this issue.
Thank you so much for writing this, Hari
Hybrid is an easy accommodation
To give context to the above post, Sascha was one of the students in my Autism DeCal Class at UC Berkeley. I was happy to be able to accommodate her request of attending the class remotely that semester and extending that hybrid option to all the students in the class as well. Hybrid is such a simple and basic accommodation really, especially in a post pandemic world where zoom became a very viable option of attendance.
=====
And to hark back to another teacher who paved this way for me was Instructor Martha Oral (English 1B) in my community college when I was about to drop my fall semester as I would be unable to attend due to health reasons. Martha on her own initiative talked to the Tech support and organized Cisco Webex on her laptop which one student monitored during her class so that i could attend that class remotely. This was before the pandemic made Zoom an everyday word.
Autism after 21 Day
Does Autism Magic away in adulthood?
Where are there pediatric Autism Clinics in all hospitals but no Adult Autism Clinics?
Why is there a Services Cliff at Age 21, when any services (even if they are inadequate) received during childhood comes to an abrupt end with no replacement or continuation of supports and services.
IDEA protection end, with no equivalent replacements and supports
There is URGENT NEED for translatable solutions and supports for the ever increasing numbers of autistic adults.
End of IDEA protection afforded during the Ed years. The yellow school bus stops coming.
- Approx 1/3 of autistics who got access to mainstream ed are put on a diploma track in high school and have the opportunity to make their way to 2/ 4 college, at age 18. They join the swelling ranks of other late-dx autistics and face challenges and barriers that come with adulthood.
- Almost 2/3 of autistics who are dx in childhood remain in the special education all through their ed years.
- At age 18, they get another 4 years of what is called Post Secondary Program; located either in segregated facilities/schools, in the school district itself or more recently as programs run on university campuses so they happen in the same space as college-aged peers; though the programming may be different. At the end of the programming, they receive a Certification of Completion.
- IDEA protections end at this point. This is also the services cliff where all previous services.
- Their options are a series of adult day programs, upto age 50 and then 50+ years. These day programs again have a range of quality - from real job coaching to mere babysitting but there is far less state oversight of quality. There is a shortage of good programs. And as usual, much like special education itself, programs only want the "easy autistics". So where do the rest go?
- This is a HUGE problem, as families are suddenly handed back their adult child and told to go figure out what to do, from caretaking to daytime programming to housing and staffing, funding to figuring out pretty much everything. Many YA autistics have signifiant medical and other communication needs which can get aggravated with age with no real supports. The onus pretty much falls to the family to figure out what to do.
- The challenges faced compound for autistics who have higher support needs yet had somehow managed to access mainstream education and even make it to college. Its like straddling two world, as they face barriers in both world - neither of which knows how to support you or wants to include you. Its almost assumed you must be in one of the other other. I have to question this assumption. Instead why can we find solutions?
- Some of these barriers and challenges are unique to each space while others are common across the spectrum. The point being that adulthood in autism is not easy and we need to be thinking of solutions that helps each group and across the board.
April 13 is Autism Adolescence Day
Recognizing the transitions that come with adolescence in autism, along with the current inadequacy of needed supports, care and services. Translatable solutions are needed now.
April 13 is Autism Adolescence Day
Because being a teenager isn't hard enough already
Compared to Neurotypical Teens, Autistic teens face greater challenges in
Social Front.
- Social Isolation/Loneliness, Social Difficulties, fewer friendships/social contacts, lesser time spent on social activities (1,2,3)
- Mental health, suicide ideation and NSSI
- Bullying and victimization
- Navigating educational system & workplace due to social and communication difficulties
Health Issues.
- Seizure onset 15% (compared to 0.5 - 1% in general population) (4).
- Higher prevalence of atypical or non-convulsive seizures in autistic teens compared to non-autistic (5).
- Increased prevalence of epilepsy in autistic teens (11.4%) compared to 0.5% in general population (6).
- Sleep disturbance at 50-80%- insomnia, nightmares, and irregular sleep-wake cycles (7).
- Sensory sensitivities at 88% (non-autistic teens 58%) (8).
- GI symptoms in autistic kids compared to non-autistic kids. In a 2014 study (9) figures are 43.5% compared to 18.1%. In a 2010 study (10), figures are 46-85% compared to 9-10%). Which means the prevalence is higher in autistic teens as well. 'Autistic teenagers at increased risk for anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions.
- Co-occuring condition in 70% of autistics - anxiety disorders 41%, ADHD 31% & mood disorders 16% (11).
- Nuero-inflammatory markers in autistic teens
- Obesity 22.4% (general population 15.6%) (14)
- Asthma 22.2% (general population 12.8%) (15)
- Allergies 23.9% (general population 18.4%) (16)
Troubling Ableism in Neurodiversity
Written Oct 13 22. Still ironically relevant.
===========
Troubling Ableism in Neurodiversity
Is Neurodiversity an Exclusion Club?
JUST HEARTBREAKING AND DISAPPOINTING
The Thursday morning Plenary Session of the College Autism Summit was an employer panel of companies hiring neurodiverse employees. The dictionary (dictionary.com) defines "plenary" as the most important session of the day "attended by all participants in a conference." ie: some impactful words of wisdom were expected. But...
These are remarks by a neurodivergent panelist who works for one of these large hiring companies.
What was disillusioning - the comment was by a neurodiverse panelist on this employer panel.
The irony in the choice of profession mentioned by the panelist is not lost on me. It's not that janitorial jobs have less dignity (all professions deserve dignity and respect) - but it's the idea of furthering the invisibility of this 'other' group . For instance, don't many cleaning crews usually work after the offices close for the day - out of sight of the public eye; a reminder of the UGLY LAWS (1867-1974) where disabled were fined/arrested for being seen in public as they were “visual disturbances.” (I remember being absolutely shocked and horrified when I had first learned of the existence of these laws in my first Disability Studies class at UC Berkeley with Prof Victor Pineda. Even cities were planned, such that “institutions” housing the disabled, were placed at the very outskirts of the city)
As it is, many many of the autistics peers I have grown up with (in the 'other' group) in my special education classrooms are disappearing into the black hole of day care programs/ group homes /institutions as adults, where they can be out of sight for the majority of society, even as families are struggling to support those individuals. Out of sight, out of mind, is a clean solution for society, as nothing more need to be done. In the meantime, they struggle in systems that trap them in the cycle of dependency, neglect and poverty due to inadequate services, supports and opportunities.
In the meantime, neurodiversity employment per this person is essentially an exclusive club where 'club members' will ask for rights derived from the long-fought-for Disability Rights Movement - that there must be employer cultural change where "low-no" are accepted, accommodated, advanced, given access to higher paying jobs, a chance at upward mobility, given a voice; even as they shut that avenue to other fellow disabled with a dismissive wave of - you are not good enough to join us, fit only for low wage jobs. A throwback to how disabled were viewed before the Disability Rights Movement.
Isn't this imposing the very ABLEISM you are fighting the neurotypical world for?
Duplicity. Shame on you!'
With all sarcasm intended, the suggestion of "companies have their janitorial vendors hire," these 'other' autistics would be a neatly packaged solution - corporate social responsibility accomplished as all autistics are now employed!!
The new employment solution given for these 'other' autistics during this National Disability Employment month, apparently is not just LOW-WAGE but also preferably rendered INVISIBLE.
If this is what the neurodiversity movement amounts to, then the whole idea of neurodiversity is a disillusioning sham. It's promoting exclusion, not inclusion. It's not upholding the disability rights mantra of "Nothing about us without us" or the Sins Valid Disability Justice principle of "Leadership of the Most Impacted" ie: there is no Disability Justice unless there is justice for the most marginalized.
JUST DISILLUSIONING AND DISAPPOINTING
MINDSET CHANGES, HAS TO START WITHIN THE NEURODIVERSE COMMUNITY FIRST
No wonder service organizations like the Department of Rehabilitation are reluctant to support the college aspirations of these "other” autistics; why encourage college if the end goal for them is a minimum wage job at best. And even before that in the special education pipeline, a majority of 'other' autistics in special education are pushed towards the non-diploma track at the middle school age itself (never mind their personal goals that may be otherwise).
Acceptance and inclusion to education and well-paying jobs is not just the right of some autistics/ neurodiverse, it must be for ALL. This is not why 8-year old Jennifer Keelan along with many others pulled themselves up the steps of Capitol Hill before the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed in 1990. This is not why 150 disabled people occupied the HHS offices at a San Francisco federal building for 28 days (the longest sit-in in US history) to get Section 504 passed.
If the "remaining autistics" (the ones without privilege) don't get acceptance from our own autistic/neurodiverse community in the spaces they want to be in, how can we begin to expect acceptance and inclusion and belonging from the wider neurotypical community?
MINDSET CHANGES, HAS TO START WITHIN THE NEURODIVERSE COMMUNITY FIRST
Regarding the first points 1 and 2, I can still take it as a work in progress. We are still figuring out the how's
Tech jobs are a START and I saw awareness of the need at various sessions of the conference to push autistic employment into non-tech fields. At least people are thinking about this.
The fact that companies are starting with autistics perceived to be easier to support, can again be thought of as a START that we can build on - but by no means does it end with one subgroup.
It's ok to say we don't have all the solutions now. At least leave this door open so that we can continue to think on the hows.
I will draw a parallel to scientific research to illustrate. We don't have all the explanations currently but we keep chipping away and will slowly unearth solutions. At times it's about arriving at the correct question and also the methods and evolution of available technology. But science and tech has kept pushing those frontiers.
Likewise in autism research, most current research/tech looks at testable autistics - which at least gives us a broad overview of issues. But we cannot stop there - for the next step we need to dig deeper at physiological level so we get to what's going on so we can find ways to better support everyone including these "other" autistics.
Please be part of the solution and not part of the problem.
For instance if we make headway in
Sensory areas (understanding at a physiological level to better support with tech or other solutions)
Communication piece (think BCI that can bypass motor and sensory systems, more affordable intuitive AAC…)
Technology supports, that simplifies motor tasks/ executive planning around daily living skills (think robot helpers, self-driving cars, hybrid employment, more intuitive tech…)
Translational precision medicine for underlying health issues and co-occurring conditions (in place of current diagnostic overshadowing).
Development of better meds to help with mental health needs, self-injurious behaviors, obsessive compulsive behaviors etc. Instead all we have is Big Pharma recycling/ rebranding drugs dating back to the 1950s. I was shocked to learn in my undergrad "Drugs and the Brain" class at UC Berkeley that even a minor tweak in just one branch of a drug's chemical structure allows for re-patenting which means continuation of the exorbitant high prices/profits. Did you know that ~30-40% of autistics are on medication for behaviors (Logan et al., 2012)? I once also heard Dr Antonio Hardan of Stanford mention at the Stanford Autism Conference that these behavior drugs don't work the same way in autistics as in the general population - so why are we still over medicated with these same drugs.
empathic equitable policies
... more
Think then (with just this far-from-exhaustive list) of the incredible inclusion we can have of the entire spectrum of autistics in society, in higher education and in the workplace. What a huge improvement in quality of life that would be, not just for the autistics, but also for the world.
I see policy, legislation, research, healthcare and societal mindsets as varying angles of the very same disability rights movement.
I also have to wonder how much of a role negative media representation of these ‘other’ autistics plays in exclusionary practices by both society and segments of the neurodiverse community itself, especially if media continually shows you mainly in the context of meltdowns, or in other words as “visual disturbances” (Ugly Laws) that better be tucked out of sight.
Worth does not have to be defined by how productive you are seen to be or how much you can contribute to the economy. But I am hopeful ALL AUTISTICS (the ones who aspire to higher education and aspire to work) will get to higher education and WORK at the job they want to work at. That some don't have to "settle" or be "steered" towards minimum-wage type work because society (which apparently also includes a segment of fellow neurodiverse individuals) think your life has less worth than theirs.
Though we may not have all the solutions and are still working on the "How",
the message I want to send to ALL autistics is:
ALL does not mean SOME.
ALL autistics have the right to any benefits/policies derived from the hard-won-struggles of the disability rights movement.
ALL autistics have the right to access supports, and to spaces and opportunities you aspire to
ALL autistics have the right to Belong.
ALL autistics have Worth.
(PS: The better parts of the CAN conf are in this post.)
Historic gains in disabled employment during the pandemic.
"The increase in work-from-home arrangements and greater flexibility in work hours seen during the height of the pandemic may have permanently opened new employment opportunities for people with disabilities"
The question is how do we sustain the gain in employment seen during the pandemic due to hybrid work.
Takeaways from CAN conference
The three day College Autism Network concluded today in Nashville TN.
I managed to attend some of the sessions, I was especially interested in the sessions around employment.
Other than some very disquieting, very disappointing and very disheartening remarks at the Plenary session in this post, there were some great suggestions around focus on the rocky road to employment.
NOW FOR THE BETTER PARTS of the CAN conference
The Thu morning session by Helen Rottier was my favorite, followed by Coaching the Coach and Peer mentoring. I also attended the Thu plenary session by employers, and the World Cafe on Friday. Blending ideas from all these sessions. Missed Eric's Garcia's opening remarks on Wed (tornado alert got in the way).
What can colleges do to help the rocky road to employment (often due to perceived lack of experience)
- encourage internships and campus employment.
- get students in front of employers as career fairs don't often work (crowded/sensory overwhelming), smaller networking events to increase student confidence.
- its not just about knowing the door (resource) and getting to the door, its also giving the confidence to walk into that door and staying inside. For example in a college context, not enough to let the college student know there is a student writing center, need to encourage (gentle bump) to go in there, maybe make a few introductions and get them comfortable with that resource. Else it will just remain a theoretical unused resource.
At the employer end - I think these are good starting points.
- Better job descriptions by employers
- Matching interview to actual job skills.
- Augment traditional interview. Applicant first consideration. (Look at the amazing tech being developed by Frist Center @ Vandy on this)
- Joining a large company can feel like being tossed to the wind. Assign a buddy and career coach for each new hire.
- On a path of Awareness acceptance advancement
- Virtual safe space to get support.
- training managers "to be a human being". How to manage diff forms of communication.
- sustaining employment by understanding what it entails eg: transportation, time taken to wash uniforms
- self regulation in the workplace with OTs etc.....
Helen had us all start by stating something that should be taught to middle schoolers. such a relevant question as really a lot of ideas gets shaped at the school level itself.
I feel its teaching middle schoolers self-esteem so they don't "settle."
It really starts with elementary and middle school itself. For instance a majority of special ed kids are pushed into the non-diploma track in middle school IEPs (deemed not capable of being on the diploma track - the actual wish of the child be dammed). That in itself closes the college track for you - that is a choice the autistic should get to make well into high school, that choice should not be taken away from you by "well-meaning" educators, which ties into coaching the coaches.
I think school educators need to be taught to get out of unconscious bias mindset of the end goal of special education being to create a good patient. That outcome is a dead end for the autistic. At the same time college guidance counselors struggle with motivation in autistic students. How can a good patient be motivated if their life is one of compliance. There needs to be wholesale mindset shift of educators.
A student who likes himself, is liked for who is he --> self-esteem and self-confidence --> he can think about what he is passionate about which in turn may drive his motivation --> that is the student who will succeed in life and in college.
Maybe college is not for everyone. A good trial I feel is junior college, a smaller environment where you can get your feet wet and try out college expectations and it also gives you space to think and explore what you really want to do. What junior colleges lack in resources they seem to make up in terms of support and encouragement. Junior colleges are a very under appreciated resource for autistics.
Helen also brought up accommodations. My experience has been that accommodations is only the beginning. Accommodations are like a very necessary but not at all sufficient for actual success. You can get all the accommodations in the world on paper but that alone will not make you successful. Ultimately, it's the people around you which make those accommodations translate into success. In college it's the empathy of faculty and peers and disability counselors. It's those little tweaks and workarounds.
Another point Helen brought up was around planning for any gap year. So true. Else your gap year will turn out to be a year long daze in front of the TV and you waking up bewildered and frustrated. I know I would not do well with gap year without a clear structure of its beginning, in-progress and end - it would like derailing a running train and it would be hard to get the train back on track.
I was curious about what peer-to-peer mentoring entailed and how it was being implemented so went for that session, I think this slide below captured my attention the most, with many of the issues facing college students.
For instance - At Vandy, I have weekly check in's with Dave Caudel (ND) at Frist Center which I find very valuable. For instance, Dave gave me valuable tips on how to read a scientific paper quickly which was like yay.
The first 2 boxes, I will eventually will get down, the last two will be the continued challenge especially box 3.
There was also discussion on whether the peers would be NT or ND, I think there is value in both. The latter would definitely lend to more empathy. What helps even more is if peers are trained in all the campus resources so can at least point you to resources.
What I was not so certain about was about peers getting paid a hourly rate for their "peer-ship" as in my mind it turns them into a sort of therapist vs a friend. I have been surrounded by "paid" therapists/staff/respite_workers/aides pretty much all my life and part of me longs for people who are there not because they are paid to be, but simply want to spend time with me (my definition of friendship). I don't to be a job for someone - paid people last a year or two and leave for the better paying job. I want connections with actual peer friends.
At the World Cafe small group discussion on employment during the Friday session, I was able to reference back to this slide as really these "soft skills" is often the more challenging part for the autistic even in the employment arena. They may have all the skills in the world for the actual job but it's managing these other "fluff" around the job that makes the difference in job retention and job satisfaction.
College Autism Summit 2022
College Autism.Summit 2022 hosted By Frist Center for Autism and Innovation at Vanderbilt University.
Headed there in a bit. Looking forward. https://collegeautismnetwork.org/
Headed there in a bit. Looking forward. https://collegeautismnetwork.org/
National Disability Employment Awareness Month
First DSP (Disabled Students Program) in the country started by Ed Roberts.
Speaker and Panelist at Stanford Neurodiversity Summit
I was a speaker and Panelist at this year's Stanford Neurodiversity Summit.
College Track Session on Oct 20, 2020
Link to my Powerpoint is at https://youtu.be/usyoXWV73QA
All days are on youtube
Celebrating (Dis)abilities in the Workplace
Celebrating (Dis)abilities in the Workplace
My article for the Daily Cal after a series of interviews with the Disabled Staff and Faculty at UC Berkeley
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)