The Autism Full Employment Act: The Next Stage of Jobs for Adults with Autism, ADHD, and Other Learning and Mental Health Differences

by Michael Bernick, Louis A. Vismara MD

Overview

Impactful and integral to our economic recovery after the pandemic, The Autism Full Employment Act will rebuild and improve autism employment programs.
 
 Employment remains the issue today for many adults with autism. During the pandemic of 2020, authors Michael Bernick and Dr. Lou Vismara, along with other adults with autism, practitioners, and advocates, set out to develop an Autism Full Employment Act. At the time, the national economy was decimated, and it was clear that it would need to be rebuilt, starting in 2021 and beyond. The Act is an attempt not only to rebuild autism employment programs, but also to address the limitations and shortcomings of the current system.
 
The Autism Full Employment Act shows how there can be a place in the job world for the wide range of adults with autism, ADHD, and other learning and mental health differences—many of whom are not employed today. Bernick and Dr. Vismara review the autism employment initiatives in recent years among major employers, state and local governments, autism-focused businesses, and autism transition programs, and present strategies to build on these initiatives. They set out more fully the meanings of “autism talent advantage,” “autism friendly workplace,” and “employment for the more severely impacted.”
 
Six broad strategy areas are explored. Interspersed with these six strategy areas are notes on related issues of “professionalizing the direct support workforce,” “transitions,” and “comorbidities.” Bernick and Dr. Vismara end by considering why no government action or program can replace the employment journey of each adult with autism, but how instead the Act can hasten these journeys.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781510767324
Publisher:	Skyhorse
Publication date:	06/08/2021
Pages:	216
Sales rank:	1,089,065
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

MICHAEL BERNICK is a former director of the California State Labor Department, with over forty years in the employment field. He currently is an employment attorney with the international law firm of Duane Morris LLP, fellow with the Milken Institute, and adjunct professor at Stanford University. He is a graduate of Harvard College, Oxford University (Balliol College), and the University of California, Berkeley School of Law.

LOUIS A. VISMARA, MD, is a founding member of the UC Davis MIND Institute, the state of California’s First 5 Commission, and the California Legislative Blue Ribbon Commission on Autism. He received his BA from Stanford University and his MD from Baylor College of Medicine. He is currently an adjunct professor of medicine at Stanford University.

Table of Contents

Introduction: How We Came to This Act ix

Chapter 1 The Autism Full Employment Act: An Overview 1

Chapter 2 The Act and Employment in the Lives of Adults with Autism 11

Chapter 3 Autism Employment Initiatives among Private Sector Employers: Large and Small 21

Chapter 4 Autism "Talent Advantage" 39

Chapter 5 Arthur Miller's Son 47

Chapter 6 The Autism Job Clubs and Mutual Support 51

Chapter 7 "Autism Friendly" Workplace Culture 59

Chapter 8 Autism Employment in State and Local Governments 67

Chapter 9 Professionalizing the Direct Support Workforce 79

Chapter 10 Autism-Foe used Businesses 89

Chapter 11 Employment for the More Severely Impacted in the Autism Community 103

Chapter 12 "Falling Off the Cliff" and Transition 115

Chapter 13 Lessons Learned From Mark: A Personal Story 127

Chapter 14 Comorbidities and Mental Health Conditions 139

Chapter 15 Oliver Sacks' Lost Brother 153

Chapter 16 What of Adults with Autism without Support Networks? 157

Chapter 17 Our Individual job Journeys in 2021 and Beyond 161

Epilogue: Your Role in Autism Employment 171

About the Authors 175

Acknowledgments 177

Index 179

Other Books Michael Bernick 189

Editorial Reviews

This book envisions a place in the workforce for all adults with autism and other developmental differences. It sets out innovative strategies to achieve this vision, building on the efforts of the past two decades.”
—ELENI KOUNALAKIS, lieutenant governor of California

"The authors' knowledge on the topic of employment and their personal experiences make this book incredibly valuable." 
—LYNN KERN KOEGEL, clinical professor, Stanford School of Medicine
 
“This work is most timely—as American business and government leaders wrestle with the future implications of this pandemic. Authors Bernick and Vismara target a previously underutilized pool of talent that is growing in prevalence—neurodiverse talent, especially those with autism.”
—SUSANNE BRUYERE, professor, Cornell University, director of the K. Lisa Yang and Hock E. Tan Institute on Employment and Disability

“The authors bring years of practical experience in autism employment. This book sets out how we can build on current employment strategies, and move to the next stages of jobs for adults with autism and other learning and mental health differences.”
—ANDREW STERN, president emeritus, Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
 
“This is a must work book for business, rehabilitation, teachers, parents, and families to have on their desk or in their library. It is the first of its kind that I am aware of and highly endorse it.”
—PAUL WEHMAN, PhD, director, Rehabilitation Research and Training Center, Virginia Commonwealth University
 
“The volume is full of facts and figures but the material is presented in a way that personalizes the issues and conveys their urgency. This is an important book.”
—LEONARD ABBEDUTO, PhD, director, UC Davis MIND Institute, professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

From the Publisher