Autism at Work Summit brings together cross-industry organizations to share inclusive hiring best practices, hosts Virtual Career Fair on April 25, 2018 for people with Autism to find jobs at Bloomberg, Deloitte, DXC technology, EY, Ford, IBM, JP Morgan Chase & Co., Microsoft and SAP.

SEATTLE, Wash. (April 24, 2018) – This week, organizations across industries will gather at the third annual Autism at Work Summit, which will take place on Microsoft’s Campus in Redmond, Washington, April 24-26, 2018. The Summit, organized by the Autism at Work Employer Roundtable, brings together employers, nonprofit groups, government agencies, HR professionals and academic leaders to discuss best practices to share their experiences and learn how other organizations are empowering people with Autism.

Speakers include, Tom D’Eri, chief operations officer and co-founder, Rising Tide Car Wash; Jenny Lay-Flurrie, chief accessibility officer, Microsoft; Nick Walker, managing editor, Autonomous Press; and, Holly Robinson Peete, actress, author, talk show host, activist and philanthropist. For those who can’t attend, much of the event will be available via a livestream: https://www.microsoftevents.com/profile/3892607.

As part of the Summit, people with Autism are encouraged to join a Virtual Career Fair on April 25, 2018. This unique opportunity is for candidates interested in careers or who want to talk with recruiters in an inclusive environment. Participating companies include Bloomberg, Deloitte, DXC technology, EY, Ford, IBM, JP Morgan Chase & Co., Microsoft and SAP. Candidates are encouraged to register for free at https://aka.ms/Autismatwork.

In addition, member organizations of the Roundtable have launched a Job Marketplace to help people with Autism find information about available jobs at DXC Technology, EY, Ford, JP Morgan Chase & Co., Microsoft, and SAP. Each member company has created hiring programs to bring more people on the Autism spectrum into the workplace and actively work together to help address the unemployment rate for the community. Potential candidates can find out more information at http://Aka.ms/roundtablejobmarketplace.

In 2016, the Center for Disease Control’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) reported approximately 1 in 68 children in the U.S. are people with Autism. Worldwide, 1% of the population has Autism. Not only is the prevalence high, but so are the unemployment rates. Researchers estimate the unemployment and underemployment rates for people on the Autism Spectrum are 70–90 percent. The Autism at Work Employer Roundtable was created by US Business Leadership Network (USBLN) as a consortium to share best practices and help other organizations and employers develop inclusive hiring initiatives.

The Autism at Work Employer Roundtable values transparency and seeks to inspire other organizations to develop inclusive hiring practices. Members of the roundtable regularly consult with other businesses and share best practices for implementing Autism hiring initiatives. For example, employers looking to explore how to get started with their own inclusive hiring programs can leverage the deep operational experience of these companies.

More information on the Autism at Work Employer Roundtable can be found at http://www.usbln.org/Autism-employer-roundtable or by emailing: AutismEmployerRoundtable@USBLN.org.