The Autism Job Club

The Autism Job Club is a groundbreaking book for bringing adults with autism and other neuro-diverse conditions into the work world.

The book has its basis in the autism job club that the authors have been part of in the San Francisco Bay Area, the job-creation and job-placement efforts the club has undertaken, and similar efforts throughout the United States.

The authors review the high unemployment rates among adults with autism and other neuro- diverse conditions more than two decades after the ADA. National data on autism employment and unemployment with the individual employment searches of job club members.

Bernick and Holden also outline and explain six strategies that, taken together, will reshape employment for adults with autism:
*The art of the autism job coach.
*The autism advantage in technology employment.
*Autism employment and the internet economy.
*Autism employment and the practical/craft economy.
*Autism and extra-governmental job networks.
*Autism and public service employment.

The Autism Job Club will be a vital resource for adults with autism, their families, and advocates who are committed to neuro-diverse employment, not unemployment. But it will also speak to a far broader audience interested in how to carve out a place for themselves or others in an increasingly competitive job world.

Michael Bernick has held several senior positions in California government, including Director of the California state labor department. Since 2004, he has been a Fellow in employment with the Milken Institute and counsel with Sedgwick LLP in San Francisco.
Richard Holden he has been the Regional Commissioner for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in San Francisco. He served previously as Research Director of the California Labor department.

"In this book, Michael Bernick and Richard Holden shed light on an important issue and offer valuable strategies to improve employment for adults with autism in the modern workforce. On a broader level, the book speaks to all audiences about the difficult task of finding a role in the increasingly competitive job world."
--Senator Dianne Feinstein

"The Autism Job Club takes a frank look at the trends that are reshaping the nature of work, and rightly points out that neurodiverse individuals have an important role to play as we transition to this new world. The book recognizes and celebrates the value of gainful employment for all individuals, that each of us has a unique contribution to make."
--Gavin Newsom, Lieutenant Governor of California

“[T]he autism community’s move toward a better strategy for autism employment is just getting off the ground, and this book provides a road map to guide them forward. Those working in vocational rehabilitation fields and career professions and those supporting adults with autism will benefit from the information presented here.” –-Library Journal

“This book is rooted in the job placement experiences of AASCEND, a group of adults with autism in the San Francisco Bay Area. It builds on these experiences to draw together the main autism employment initiatives throughout the United States in recent years, and point us to better employment strategies, individually and collectively.”
--Alex Plank, Founder, WrongPlanet autism community

"The Autism Job Club is the most extensive informational book about adults on the autistic spectrum in the workforce today. This book is a must have for parents, professionals, and employers who are looking to provide employment opportunities. The six strategies in this book will reinvent future employment for adults on the autistic spectrum."
--Alisa Wolf, Ed.D, Founder, Actors for Autism

“The Autism Job Club a (terrific) new book by Michael Bernick and Richard Holden, gives an extensive background of the autism/neurodiverse employment picture and shares strategies (they say six, I found more) to help people with autism and other neurological differences find employment.”
--Laura Shumaker, SFGate.com