The Autism Job Club: The Neurodiverse Workforce in the New Normal of Employment

by Michael Bernick, Richard Holden

Overview

The Autism Job Club is a groundbreaking book for bringing adults with autism and other neuro-diverse conditions into the work world.

The book has its basis in the autism job club that the authors have been part of in the San Francisco Bay Area, the job-creation and job-placement efforts the club has undertaken, and similar efforts throughout the United States.

The authors review the high unemployment rates among adults with autism and other neuro- diverse conditions more than two decades after the ADA. National data on autism employment and unemployment with the individual employment searches of job club members.

Bernick and Holden also outline and explain six strategies that, taken together, will reshape employment for adults with autism:
*The art of the autism job coach.
*The autism advantage in technology employment.
*Autism employment and the internet economy.
*Autism employment and the practical/craft economy.
*Autism and extra-governmental job networks.
*Autism and public service employment.

The Autism Job Club will be a vital resource for adults with autism, their families, and advocates who are committed to neuro-diverse employment, not unemployment. But it will also speak to a far broader audience interested in how to carve out a place for themselves or others in an increasingly competitive job world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781632209979
Publisher:	Skyhorse
Publication date:	03/03/2015
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	2 MB

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.

Richard Holden he has been the Regional Commissioner for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in San Francisco. He served previously as Research Director of the California Labor department.

Table of Contents

Foreword ix

Introduction Creating a Place in the Emerging Job World xiii

Part I The Six Autism Employment Strategies

Chapter 1 We Come Together as the Autism Job Club: Introducing Six Autism Employment Strategies 1

Chapter 2 The Autism Job Club as Voluntary Association and Mutual Support 9

Part II The Adult Autism Community in the United States Today and Its Employment Status

Chapter 3 The Autism Explosion in Numbers and in Public Consciousness 19

Chapter 4 Autism Employment and Unemployment Today 29

Chapter 5 The Perseverative Scripter and His Employment Search 41

Chapter 6 Employment Searches of Our Job Club Members 57

Part III The Art of the Autism Job Coach

Chapter 7 The Evolving Job World Which Adults with Autism Must Navigate 69

Chapter 8 Job Search Mastery in the Internet Age 81

Chapter 9 Job Networks and Mutual Support 89

Chapter 10 The Art of the Autism job Coach 97

Part IV Autism, Technology, and the Growing Internet Economy Employment

Chapter 11 Autism and the Technology Advantage 111

Chapter 12 Autism and the Internet Economy 121

Part V Autism and the Practical Economy

Chapter 13 The Surprising Employment Growth in the Practical Economy 131

Chapter 14 Autism-Focused Businesses and Hiring Initiatives in the Practical Economy 139

Chapter 15 Autism, Craft, and Calling 149

Chapter 16 Autism and the Movement to Improve Wages in the Practical Economy 157

Part VI Autism and Employment for the More Severely Impacted

Chapter 17 Autism and Supported Work 165

Part VII Lifelong Learning, Workplace Culture, and the Future of the Autism Job Club

Chapter 18 Autism, Retraining, and Lifelong Learning 177

Chapter 19 Autism and Workplace Culture 187

Chapter 20 The Future of the Autism Job Club 193

Afterword Recent Developments in Autism Employment 205

Notes 221

Acknowledgments 239

About the Authors 240

Index 241

Editorial Reviews

"In this book, Michael Bernick and Richard Holden shed light on an important issue and offer valuable strategies to improve employment for adults with autism in the modern workforce. On a broader level, the book speaks to all audiences about the difficult task of finding a role in the increasingly competitive job world."
—Senator Dianne Feinstein

"The Autism Job Club takes a frank look at the trends that are reshaping the nature of work, and rightly points out that neurodiverse individuals have an important role to play as we transition to this new world. The book recognizes and celebrates the value of gainful employment for all individuals, that each of us has a unique contribution to make."
—Gavin Newsom, Lieutenant Governor of California

“[T]he autism community’s move toward a better strategy for autism employment is just getting off the ground, and this book provides a road map to guide them forward. Those working in vocational rehabilitation fields and career professions and those supporting adults with autism will benefit from the information presented here.” –-Library Journal

“This book is rooted in the job placement experiences of AASCEND, a group of adults with autism in the San Francisco Bay Area. It builds on these experiences to draw together the main autism employment initiatives throughout the United States in recent years, and point us to better employment strategies, individually and collectively.”
—Alex Plank, Founder, WrongPlanet autism community

"The Autism Job Club is the most extensive informational book about adults on the autistic spectrum in the workforce today. This book is a must have for parents, professionals, and employers who are looking to provide employment opportunities. The six strategies in this book will reinvent future employment for adults on the autistic spectrum."
—Alisa Wolf, Ed.D, Founder, Actors for Autism

“The Autism Job Club a (terrific) new book by Michael Bernick and Richard Holden, gives an extensive background of the autism/neurodiverse employment picture and shares strategies (they say six, I found more) to help people with autism and other neurological differences find employment.”
—Laura Shumaker, SFGate.com

"In this book, Michael Bernick and Richard Holden shed light on an important issue and offer valuable strategies to improve employment for adults with autism in the modern workforce. On a broader level, the book speaks to all audiences about the difficult task of finding a role in the increasingly competitive job world."
—Senator Dianne Feinstein

"The Autism Job Club takes a frank look at the trends that are reshaping the nature of work, and rightly points out that neurodiverse individuals have an important role to play as we transition to this new world. The book recognizes and celebrates the value of gainful employment for all individuals, that each of us has a unique contribution to make."
—Gavin Newsom, Lieutenant Governor of California

“[T]he autism community’s move toward a better strategy for autism employment is just getting off the ground, and this book provides a road map to guide them forward. Those working in vocational rehabilitation fields and career professions and those supporting adults with autism will benefit from the information presented here.” –-Library Journal

“This book is rooted in the job placement experiences of AASCEND, a group of adults with autism in the San Francisco Bay Area. It builds on these experiences to draw together the main autism employment initiatives throughout the United States in recent years, and point us to better employment strategies, individually and collectively.”
—Alex Plank, Founder, WrongPlanet autism community

"The Autism Job Club is the most extensive informational book about adults on the autistic spectrum in the workforce today. This book is a must have for parents, professionals, and employers who are looking to provide employment opportunities. The six strategies in this book will reinvent future employment for adults on the autistic spectrum."
—Alisa Wolf, Ed.D, Founder, Actors for Autism

“The Autism Job Club a (terrific) new book by Michael Bernick and Richard Holden, gives an extensive background of the autism/neurodiverse employment picture and shares strategies (they say six, I found more) to help people with autism and other neurological differences find employment.”
—Laura Shumaker, SFGate.com

From the Publisher