Archive for October, 2018
There are many benefits to having a fulfilling job – and when we have the supports we need, disabled people can succeed at jobs that pay well and bolster our self-confidence. There are policies in place to help disabled people find and keep good jobs, like Employment First. But there are also policies that have kept us stuck in low-paying jobs away from our communities.
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It’s important for self-advocates to understand employment policy and how things could be different—so that we can effectively advocate for an end to policies that hurt us, and for the adoption of policies that help us. That’s why we’re pleased to announce our latest plain language toolkit, Real Work For Real Pay: A Self-Advocate’s Guide to Employment Policy.
This toolkit explains:
- *What Employment First is
- *What sheltered workshops are
- *What the minimum wage is
- *The law that lets some companies pay disabled workers less than minimum wage
- *How we can solve problems disabled people have with employment
- *What work requirements are, and why they are a bad idea for people with disabilities
The Employment toolkit is available in two versions: an Easy Read Edition and a Plain-Text Version. Both versions are written in easy-to-understand language and are screenreader-friendly.
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Zoe GrossDirector of OperationsAutistic Self Advocacy Network
2018 ASAN Annual Gala
Thursday November 15, 2018
6:00 pm to 9:00 pm
The Hamilton
600 14th Street NW
Washington, DC 20005
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Join us for our annual celebration and fundraising event at The Hamilton in Washington, DC. Dinner and dessert will be served and a reception will precede dinner. Proceeds will support our advocacy work and programs for the coming year, and allow us to continue working to empower disabled people across the country.
Photo by Ali Lapetina for the Open Society FoundationsÂ
DJ is an alternatively communicating autistic poet, essayist, and self-advocate and the writer and co-producer of the documentary Deej, which follows six years of his life from high school to college. Awarded a Peabody for its “inclusive filmmaking,” Deej is a groundbreaking film that demonstrates exactly why access to inclusive, literacy-based classrooms and alternative and augmentative communication (AAC) are vital for autistic people. Â
DJ is an alum of ASAN’s Autistic Scholars and Autism Campus Inclusion (ACI) programs. He is currently a Youth Fellow at Open Society Foundations/Human Rights Initiative, where he works to make literacy-based education, communication rights, and inclusive lives available to all. His poetry and essays have been published in multiple journals and books, including his recently published chapbook A Doorknob for the Eye (Unrestricted Interest Press). We look forward to hearing from DJ at our annual gala and hope that you can come celebrate with us!
More honorees and speakers will be announced in the coming weeks.
For more information about gala sponsorship opportunities, contact Jean Winegardner at jwinegardner@autisticadvocacy.org.