Here is the bio Karen sent me. Having known her for a number of years I can assure you it is very modest compared to the contributions she has made and the people she has helped. In our chat we cover some of the other things Karen has done which are not reflected in the below bio. In 1998, Karen Simmons a mother of seven, founded Autism Today, the first online global autism resource center, winning the Internet Entrepreneur of the Year in 2001 from Multiple Streams of Income. Featured on PBS, ABC & Woman’s World, she is a “Chicken Soup for the Soul, Children with Special Needs” Co-Author ..read more

Peter and I had a great time talking. I am convinced I would have a great time handing out with him! Below is his formal bio. Peter Mann is the CEO & Founder of Virginia-based Oransi, a leading air purification company known for its efficient, intuitive and reliable products for consumers, schools, organizations and businesses. He also is the Chair of the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers’ Air Cleaner Council. In 2021, Oransi merged with Aviemore Technologies and is now a motor technology company with a clean energy mission. Oransi’s new manufacturing facility in Radford, Virgin ..read more

Peter and I had a great time talking. I am convinced I would have a great time handing out with him! Below is his formal bio. Peter Mann is the CEO & Founder of Virginia-based Oransi, a leading air purification company known for its efficient, intuitive and reliable products for consumers, schools, organizations and businesses. He also is the Chair of the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers’ Air Cleaner Council. In 2021, Oransi merged with Aviemore Technologies and is now a motor technology company with a clean energy mission. Oransi’s new manufacturing facility in Radford, Virgin ..read more

Theo Smith is the co-author of the Business Book Awards Winner for best book in DE&I ‘Neurodiversity At Work: Drive innovation, performance and productivity with a neurodiverse workforce’. He’s worked in the recruitment and employment sector as a leader for over 15 years. He brings plenty of lived experience to ND at work, as someone who associates with being ND, Dyslexic, ADHD, Autistic and… He is also the Dad of a neurologically diverse family. I had a great time chatting with Theo. Besides being a bright guy to chat with on a range of topics, Theo brings the understanding of needing t ..read more

I think Rebecca Beam is one of the most knowledgeable people around when it comes to neurodistinct and particularly autistic employment. Starting before it became a "thing" with global tech companies Rebecca was a co-founder of Mindspark which trained and employed autistic individuals to do QA work for major companies. When Mindspark was sold to Auticon https://smmirror.com/2018/06/santa-monica-company-acquired-by-leading-employer-of-people-with-autism/ Rebecca became the president and CEO of Auticon USA. She has again founded a new company Zavikon https://www.zavikon.net/ to help individuals ..read more

With employment for autistic and other neurodistinct individuals now a very hot topic many different approaches are being tried. There is the Autism, now labeled Neurodiversity, at work efforts of some of the largest companies in the world to small mom & pops. From the other direction there are programs springing up trying to figure out how to train and prepare these individuals to join the workforce or move up to a job that meets their skills. Stacey comes from an organization that has already figured it out. nonPareil is a non profit group founded by 2 dads with autistic children in 201 ..read more

With employment for autistic and other neurodistinct individuals now a very hot topic many different approaches are being tried. There is the Autism, now labeled Neurodiversity, at work efforts of some of the largest companies in the world to small mom & pops. From the other direction there are programs springing up trying to figure out how to train and prepare these individuals to join the workforce or move up to a job that meets their skills. Stacey comes from an organization that has already figured it out. nonPareil is a non profit group founded by 2 dads with autistic children in 201 ..read more

With employment for autistic and other neurodistinct individuals now a very hot topic many different approaches are being tried. There is the Autism, now labeled Neurodiversity, at work efforts of some of the largest companies in the world to small mom & pops. From the other direction there are programs springing up trying to figure out how to train and prepare these individuals to join the workforce or move up to a job that meets their skills. Stacey comes from an organization that has already figured it out. nonPareil is a non profit group founded by 2 dads with autistic children in 201 ..read more

Dr Lutza Ireland is an Autistic/ADHD multi-award-winning social designer, psychologist and international speaker located in Australia. Her design guidelines and trainings have been integrated into national and international organizations looking to build capability for neuroinclusion and mental health. She uses design thinking and co-design methods to develop systems, services and resources for cognitive and sensory accessibility, based on universal design. Dr Lutza currently specialises in the design, implementation and consultancy on neurodiversity employment pilots; and design of neurodive ..read more

This is the second episode of my enjoyable and informative discussion with Maisie. If you missed the first episode check it out at: https://www.buzzsprout.com/451957/episodes/11618327 Maisie Soetantyo brings a unique viewpoint to the autism community. She started working with autistic individuals in college and too it up as her career. So she has an academic foundation for understanding autism and then many years of working with the autistic professionally. But when she learned her son was autistic it brought an entirely new perspective to her understanding of autism. Maisie is the founder o ..read more