[Note: Shared for #AutisticHistory archive purposes. This is NOT An Autistic Ally.]
Delivering Jobs Partners With Creative Team Behind Milk Mustache Ads For Riveting New Campaign To Increase Neurodiversity In The Workplace
Bernie Hogya and Ron Wachino Help Redefine Inclusion with “Let’s not dis our ability” Message to Employers
Campaign Launches During National Disability Employment Awareness Month
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Delivering Jobs, an inclusion campaign dedicated to creating pathways to one million employment and leadership opportunities for people with autism, intellectual and/or developmental differences by 2025, is launching a nationwide digital public service billboard campaign in October to coincide with National Disability Employment Awareness Month. The PSA’s slogan, “Let’s not dis our ability,” is a rallying cry for employers to recognize and embrace this qualified labor force.
National data shows that approximately eight out of 10 adults with autism, intellectual and/or developmental differences in the U.S. do not have a paid job despite having the skill sets and expertise to excel in the workplace. Delivering Jobs challenges all businesses to identify ways to incorporate this untapped workforce in diversity and inclusion initiatives; ensure they have access to a minimum of 1% of employment and leadership opportunities; and empower HR personnel to invest in the long-term success of employees of all abilities.
Bernie Hogya and Ron Wachino created the new PSA through their advertising agency Lean&Mean. Hogya and Wachino are widely known for their iconic Milk Mustache ads, which not only helped sell more milk but became a part of pop culture. The Delivering Jobs PSA will target employers in a variety of business sectors, appearing on digital billboards across the country on inventory donated by media partners.
“We are honored to help challenge the narrative around inclusive hiring,” said Lean&Mean’s Hogya and Wachino. “Companies have made significant strides in some areas of inclusion, but people with neurodifferences have been left out of the conversation. With this PSA, we highlight the abilities of people with neurodifferences and their contributions to a better overall workforce.”
“It’s truly a gift to collaborate with Ron and Bernie,” said Entertainment Industry Foundation CEO Nicole Sexton. “The creative genius they’ve demonstrated yet again hits at the heart of our message for Delivering Jobs. People with neurodifferences are an asset to a company, and this PSA powerfully illustrates that point.”
Launched in 2020, Delivering Jobs aims to build inclusive workplaces through consumer awareness, community activation, skills development, and job preparedness and workforce readiness. Neurodiversity is increasingly a key demographic for inclusion in the workforce, and DeliveringJobs.org provides resources for employees and employers, including toolkits, an accessibility checklist, case studies, and more. Formed by a coalition of non-profits and the Entertainment Industry Foundation, Delivering Jobs aims to change the narrative on inclusive hiring.
To take the #DeliveringJobs pledge, visit DeliveringJobs.org.
About Entertainment Industry Foundation
Founded in 1942, the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) is a multifaceted organization that occupies a unique place in the world of philanthropy. By mobilizing and leveraging the powerful voice and creative talents of the entertainment industry, as well as cultivating the support of organizations (public and private) and philanthropists committed to social responsibility, EIF builds awareness and raises funds, developing and enhancing programs on the local, national, and global level that facilitate positive social change. Visit eifoundation.org and follow @eifoundation for more information.
About Lean&Mean
Someone once said, “We must pay rent for the space we occupy on this Earth.” For us, that rent is paid in all the ways we’ve used our skills to improve someone’s life in a tangible way. We’ve devoted our time, energy and enthusiasm to causes we believe in, like UNICEF, the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis and now, Delivering Jobs. Our campaign for The Foundation for a Better Life, which is now in its third decade, was cited as being “the most successful public service campaign in the history of outdoor advertising.” Here’s to all the decades to come. Go to leanandmeangroup.com to learn more about Lean&Mean.
SOURCE Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF)
Who We Are
Best Buddies, Special Olympics and Autism Speaks, in partnership with the Entertainment Industry Foundation, are teaming up to launch Delivering Jobs, an inclusion campaign dedicated to creating pathways to one million employment and leadership opportunities for people with autism, intellectual and/or developmental differences by 2025.
The Delivering Jobs campaign is building a foundation of sustainability for inclusive workplaces through consumer awareness and community activation, skills development and job preparedness, and workforce commitment and readiness.
The Founding Partners
Best Buddies is dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment, leadership development and inclusive living for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Special Olympics is a global inclusion movement using sport, health, education and leadership programs every day around the world to end discrimination against and empower people with intellectual disabilities.
Autism Speaks is dedicated to promoting solutions, across the spectrum and throughout the life span, for the needs of individuals with autism and their families. We do this through advocacy and support; increasing understanding and acceptance; and advancing research into causes and better interventions for autism spectrum disorder and related conditions.
“Being able to contribute to your community is a key component of independence, and through this campaign, we’re committed to creating as many opportunities for leadership and employment as possible.”
Anthony Kennedy Shriver
Founder, Chairman and CEO
Best Buddies
“We’ve seen firsthand the positive impact of inclusive employment on businesses of all sizes, and through this campaign, we hope to facilitate and normalize recruitment and management practices, providing the resources for these workers to thrive.”
Angela Geiger
President and CEO
Autism Speaks
“By providing the resources, support and expertise needed to demystify this process, this campaign can create clear pathways to leadership and employment, eliminate biases and inspire change.”
Mary Davis
CEO
Special Olympics
Supporters & Collaborators
Collaboration is imperative to creating pathways to one million employment and leadership opportunities for people with autism, intellectual and/or developmental differences by 2025.
We are grateful to work alongside amazing companies and organizations to increase and improve inclusive hiring. On behalf of Delivering Jobs and our founding partners, Best Buddies, Special Olympics, Autism Speaks and the Entertainment Industry Foundation, we are incredibly thankful for your partnership.
Historic Coalition
Best Buddies, Special Olympics, Autism Speaks, and the Entertainment Industry Foundation have joined forces to create lasting change in our nation’s workforce. To call your hiring practices inclusive, they must consider the millions of capable neurodiverse candidates. We’re here to help.
The Best Buddies Jobs Program secures employment for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), allowing them to earn an income, pay taxes, and continuously and independently support themselves.
Special Olympics’ Unified Leadership initiatives teach leaders of all abilities to value and learn from each other to create environments where people with IDD succeed in meaningful roles, including employment.
Autism Speaks Workplace Inclusion Now™ (WIN) program—designed by an autistic-led team—provides online courses that support search, placement, and retention in a competitive labor market.
The Entertainment Industry Foundation is committed to amplifying this historic coalition to create a new paradigm for inclusive hiring. Our PSAs have reached more than a billion people and garnered more than $100 million in donated ad value.
Note/Warning:
Autistic people have fought the inclusion of ABA in therapy for us since before Autism Speaks, and other non-Autistic-led autism organizations, started lobbying legislation to get it covered by insurances and Medicaid.
ABA is a myth originally sold to parents that it would keep their Autistic child out of an institution. Today, parents are told that with early intervention therapy their child will either be less Autistic or no longer Autistic by elementary school, and can be mainstreamed in typical education classes. ABA is very expensive to pay out of pocket. Essentially, Autism Speaks has justified the big price tag up front will offset the overall burden on resources for an Autistic’s lifetime. The recommendation for this therapy is 40 hours a week for children and toddlers.
The original study that showed the success rate of ABA to be at 50% has never been replicated. In fact, the study of ABA by United States Department of Defense was denounced as a failure. Not just once, but multiple times. Simply stated: ABA doesn’t work. In study after repeated study: ABA (conversion therapy) doesn’t work.
What more recent studies do show: Autistics who experienced ABA therapy are at high risk to develop PTSD and other lifelong trauma-related conditions. Historically, the autism organizations promoting ABA as a cure or solution have silenced Autistic advocates’ opposition. ABA is also known as gay conversion therapy.
The ‘cure’ for Autistics not born yet is the prevention of birth.
The ‘cure’ is a choice to terminate a pregnancy based on ‘autism risk.’ The cure is abortion. This is the same ‘cure’ society has for Down Syndrome.
This is eugenics 2021. Instead of killing Autistics and disabled children in gas chambers or ‘mercy killings’ like in Aktion T4, it’ll happen at the doctor’s office, quietly, one Autistic baby at a time. Different approaches yes, but still eugenics and the extinction of an entire minority group of people.
Fact: You can’t cure Autistics from being Autistic.
Fact: You can’t recover an Autistic from being Autistic.
Fact: You can groom an Autistic to mask and hide their traits. Somewhat. … however, this comes at the expense of the Autistic child, promotes Autistic Burnout (this should not be confused with typical burnout, Autistic Burnout can kill Autistics), and places the Autistic child at high risk for PTSD and other lifelong trauma-related conditions.
[Note: Autism is NOT a disease, but a neurodevelopmental difference and disability.]
Fact: Vaccines Do Not Cause Autism.
International Badass Activists 