Two Extraordinary Organizations Moving the Needle on Inclusion

New Brunswick, NJ—April is widely known as Autism Awareness month. Many advocates for persons with autism would rather see April declared as Autism Acceptance month. Regardless of your leaning, autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), refers to a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication. According to the Centers for Disease Control, autism affects an estimated 1 in 54 children in the United States today.

In New Jersey there are two extraordinary organizations moving the needle on acceptance and inclusion of persons with autism. At the Rutgers Center for Adult Autism Services located at 100 Dudley Road in New Brunswick, New Jersey, Dr. Christopher J. Manente commented “this center at the Rutgers Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology offers adults on the autism spectrum a one-of-a-kind experience to lead as independent and fulfilling life as possible. The current absence of support and funding for most adults on the autism spectrum and their families is not acceptable. Our program and facility exists to stand for those adults on the autism spectrum who are not always able to stand up for themselves, and whenever possible, to amplify the voices of those who can.”

Rutgers Center for Adult Autism Services has four distinct yet collaborative offerings serving persons and families with ASD. All are interrelated and contribute to their success of serving this demographic as holistically as possible. The programs are:

1.) The Supporting Community Access through Leisure and Employment-A work and day services program for adults age 21+ that provides an array of support needs ranging from vocational training and social support, to academic and clinical services.
2.) The College Support Program - This program supports matriculated Rutgers students on the autism spectrum through weekly Coordinator meetings, collaboration with key campus partners and more. Students accepted to Rutgers University can apply to this program to receive crucial academic and social support during their undergraduate years.
3.) The Psychological Services Clinic - A training center that provides both psychological and assessment services for autistic adults or those seeking a diagnostic evaluation for autism. These services are provided by doctoral students and trainees who are supervised by a licensed clinical psychologist.
4.) The Intensive Outpatient Clinic - Designed as a community-based resource for adults with autism who have complex, crisis-level support needs beyond what can be met at other existing treatment settings throughout the state.

Drive south about an hour from the Rutgers campus and in Pennington, New Jersey, We Make, Autism At Work has flipped the government service model for young adults with autism and is providing an inclusionary employment program and career path for persons with ASD. As a nonprofit agency with no reliance on governmental funding, We Make is able to operate nimbly and pivot as necessary, especially during a global pandemic. “We learned that our workforce, which exists primarily of persons with ASD or a related diagnosis, wanted to keep coming to work, even in the early days of the COVID pandemic, and knew the products we assembled, packaged, collated, and prepared for shipping were needed in the world,” stated Moe Siddiqu, We Make’s Executive Director and emerging entrepreneurial rainmaker. He has helped grow the We Make vendor production list by 30% in 2020, ultimately ushering in more job opportunities for persons with ASD.

Each staff member at We Make knows that their role is essential for the business to stay on track as each employee is supported in their quest to find the right match for their skill set and/or receive mentorship to develop any additional skills needed to succeed. Moe states, “We say the word ‘yes’ a lot here at We Make. We know anything is possible, and we see magical personal progress occurring on a regular basis."

Earlier this month, We Make provided an outdoor pizza making party and invited some food trucks in order to celebrate a phenomenal first quarter for 2021, and also to acknowledge April as Autism Acceptance and Awareness month. “I am glad that we have the ability to hire people, show them a good place to work and join our team but it’s more like a family!” declared Joseph, a staff member at We Make who quickly assimilated into the ambassador role when he was hired in 2017. “I love the people that I get to work with, and we help each other out and treat each other with respect."

To find out more about We Make visit the We Make website or the We Make Facebook Page.
To schedule a tour of the Rutgers Center for Adult Autism Services please contact Dr. Christopher J. Manente at 848-445-3973 or visit the Rutgers Center for Adult Autism Services Facebook page.