People with autism have so much potential, but far too many are overlooked by employers. Barriers like outdated hiring practices are part of why only 20 percent of people with disabilities, including those with autism, are employed.

Thanks to donors like you, cafeteria staff in Georgia’s Cobb County School District are on a mission to change that. The district’s Food & Nutrition Services Department piloted our Workplace Inclusion Now (WIN) program ahead of the 2023-24 school year in an effort to attract talented autistic candidates.

Staff received extensive training to learn about autism and strategies to make their workplaces more welcoming and hiring practices more accessible. With this expertise, they were able to fill several critical vacancies in time for the new school year with talented people with autism, like Johnny* and Sophie.*

This Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, create more opportunities for people with autism by making a 2X-MATCHED gift today. Your contribution fuels programs like WIN and other resources that can help everyone in the autism community realize their full potential.

Johnny and Sophie were some of the first new hires to come on board following the school district’s adoption of autism-friendly hiring and retention strategies. They have since become essential team members, earning high praise from their managers — a trend that has remained consistent across all new hires with autism.

As a result of the pilot’s overwhelming success, Cobb County enrolled all 110 of their schools into the WIN program. To date, over 800 Cobb County cafeteria workers have received training on building welcoming workplaces — opening the door to meaningful employment for countless more people with autism.

WIN’s success in Cobb County is just one of many examples of how your gift to Autism Speaks — now MATCHED for a limited time — creates opportunities for people with autism across the country to unlock their potential. Give now to support this work and see your contribution DOUBLED!

Warm regards,

Arianna Esposito
Vice President Services & Supports
Autism Speaks

^*Names changed for privacy protection.