Frist Center for Autism and Innovation announced
Nov. 8, 2018—We are excited to announce that Jennifer and Billy Frist have endowed our work with a $10 million gift, officially announced today in Vanderbilt News. AIW will be renamed the “Frist Center for Autism and Innovation,” and our headquarters will be located in the Wond’ry at a future date. Stay tuned for more news as...
Temple Grandin keynote at our upcoming Conference Nov. 29
Oct. 29, 2018—Dr. Temple Grandin, a celebrated autism self-advocate, will be our keynote speaker at our event on Nov. 29, Envisioning the Future of Human-Technology Partnerships Conference 2018. This conference will showcase technologies and innovations aligned with assisting autistic individuals in the workplace. If you’ve not yet registered to attend, we encourage people to follow the link...
AIW host autism film screening at Franklin Theater Oct. 8, 2018
Oct. 5, 2018—We’re hosting a private screening of “Extraordinary People,” a half-hour documentary on autism, community, and meaningful work, after which we’ll have a panel discussion on the challenges and solutions highlighted in the documentary. The screening will take place at Franklin Theater Oct. 8, 2018, at 6:30 p.m. Though this is a “private” event, registration to attend...
Videos now included on our website
Oct. 1, 2018—From time to time, we obtain videos related to our efforts. If you mouse over our “Home” button on the menu, a drop-down list will display these videos. Moving forward, as more videos are collected, we’ll add them to our site.
Autistic individuals and families sought for non-invasive study
Sep. 19, 2018—Led by Vanderbilt Kennedy Center’s Zachary Warren, Ph.D., the SPARK for Autism study is looking for individuals of all ages with a professional diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to become part of the largest autism study ever undertaken in the United States. Biological parents and full biological siblings (with and without ASD) are invited...
New student-led organization at Vanderbilt for neurodiversity
Sep. 19, 2018—A new student-led organization was created on campus, called the Vanderbilt Autism & Neurodiversity Alliance, or VANA. This group welcomes undergraduates, graduate students, staff, faculty, and others of the Vanderbilt community who may be on the spectrum or be a part of neurodiversity. The group will meet once a month at the Wond’ry, to support...
Our Partners the Precisionists win award
Jul. 25, 2018—The Precisionists, Inc., a company that specializes in finding meaningful employment for people with disabilities (including autism), has won the Autism Society of America 2018 Adam Heavner National Award. Congratulations! Bethesda, MD (July 11, 2018) – The Autism Society of America (ASA) has bestowed its top business award to The Precisionists, Inc. (TPI), a Wilmington, Delaware-based...
First WRaP camp finishes at Currey Ingram Academy
Jul. 3, 2018—Our first four-week, pre-employment camp for teens on the spectrum, called the Workforce Readiness and Preparation camp, or simply WRaP, finished at the end of June. This WRaP was held at Currey Ingram Academy, with two of their teachers, Scott Field and Trevor McKey, serving as coaches, under the direction of Jane Hannah and Joy...
Spectrum Pathways joins AIW team
Jun. 27, 2018—Dr. Beth Malow and Dr. T A McDonald, the director and co-investigator, respectively, of Spectrum Pathways officially joined us as team members this month. For a brief bio and contact information, they’re now visible on our Team page. To read more about their work, view our page on Spectrum Pathways.
New editorial on strategies to bring autism into the workplace
Jun. 1, 2018—Our team members July Taylor and Timothy Vogus published an editorial (May 28, 2018) in SAGE journals that explores the challenges people in the spectrum face at work, and what some businesses are doing to address it. You can read the article with the link below. Flipping the script: Bringing an organizational perspective to the...