The Autism Society has a great list of suggestions for making the holidays enjoyable.

The Center for the Dissemination of Information for Children with Disabilities has published an article in Spanish,“El Espectro del Autismo” with great information for parents about the autism spectrum.

HollyRod Foundation Announcement

The HollyRod Foundation is currently taking applications for children with autism to receive an Apple iPad along with specially designed software to give these children the ability to communicate. This offer is only available to individuals on the autism spectrum that are non-verbal or minimally verbal. Applications will be reviewed in the order received and iPads will be given to verified applicants in the order in which they were received. For more information and eligibility requirements visit their website.

Dear Aascend Community,

Those who attended the last Aascend meeting heard my announcement that we are working on setting up a company tailored to employ the unique skills and talents of individuals on the spectrum in the Bay area. Here is a short summary:
This (as yet unnamed) Social Enterprise will be modeled after the Danish company Specialisterne, and Aspiritech which is in the Chicago area.

Our focus will be to provide software and product testing services to tech companies in the Bay Area. We will be operating in the city of San Francisco or a nearby community. The specific business details are still under discussion, but we are hoping to launch the enterprise early next year.
In terms of employees, we will be looking for people who:
• are on the Aspergers or High-Functioning Autism spectrum
• are over the age of 18
• be willing to work for at least 4 hours a day, 5 days a week
• have facility using computers and the internet

Prior knowledge or job experience of software programming and/or testing is not required – training will be provided. At this point, it is important for us to understand the level of interest in the Bay Area Aspergers community. If you, or someone you know, meet the above criteria, and would like further details as we progress, please respond to the short survey below:
• Contact email address:
• Relationship to potential candidate (self, parent, etc.):
• The Bay Area community in which the candidate lives:

The information below is optional, but will help to tailor the business structure of the Enterprise.
• Does the candidate have any social services like SSI, SSDI or MediCal (please state which):

If you respond to the survey, you will be put on an email list for updates on the progress of this project. Send reply to: mickey@aczel.us.

Thank you!
Andy Aczel