FCAI Honored with Prestigious Community Service Award
It was announced Sept. 15 that Vanderbilt University’s Frist Center for Autism and Innovation (FCAI) was selected as the recipient of the 2021 Edward M. Kennedy Community Service Award, presented by the American Association for Access, Equity, and Diversity (AAAED).
Named after U.S. Senator Edward M. Kennedy—whose decades long political career championed for the healthcare and employment rights of marginalized Americans, including people with disabilities—the Community Service Award is given to organizations who demonstrate excellence in advancing equity and access.
FCAI’s recent work bridging the gap between Autistic job seekers and disabilities-friendly employers has not gone unnoticed.
According to AAAED President Richard Anthony Baker, FCAI was selected for the 2021 award “for its contributions to innovative engineering research on the neuroscience related to autism and the opportunities created by having a neurodiverse workforce.”
For more information on FCAI’s mission to ensure equal access to employment for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder, please visit vanderbilt.edu/autismandinnovation/nashville-model