Giving Thanks

As I reflect on the past year, the thing I’m grateful for is the people I’ve met and spent time getting to know. While this holds in all facets of my life, it is particularly true of my time with NEXT and in the autism community.

I’m guessing that many of you may agree, that the autism community brings together some of the smartest, most insightful, open, and generous individuals. Here are just a few …

I had the pleasure of meeting the team behind Cafe Joyeux when they opened their first U.S. storefront in March. CEO Sylvie Giret and the amazing neurodivergent café employees inspired me from the moment I met them. It’s gratifying to meet businesses that align so closely with NEXT’s vision of neuroinclusive employment.

One of the highlights of my year is meeting the current Project SEARCH interns at the Arc Westchester/NewYork Presbyterian location. Our entire team makes a point to learn about each intern, including their interests, job goals, and plans. In July I attended their graduation – the 10th graduation for me since NEXT provided the initial funding for Project SEARCH at this location.

In September we held our 2nd annual live panel event on neurodiverse hiring and employment, in partnership with the Ramesh and Kalpana Bhatia Family Foundation. In addition to re-connecting with panel moderator Ferose V.R. it was inspiring to meet and speak with leaders in neuroinclusive hiring from Rutgers University, Mychal’s Learning Center, Google, Aramark, and UCLA to name just a few – in addition to the wonderful team at UCLA and everyone in attendance.

While in L.A., myself and members of our Strategic Initiatives team along with board members Laura Slatkin and Michelle Smigel had the privilege of visiting two of our L.A.-based grantees, The Ed Asner Family Center and Exceptional Minds. It’s wonderful to see the success of these programs in action.

Just last month, in October, we gathered members of the NEXT board of directors, NEXT Gen board, and the amazing NEXT for AUTISM team to meet in New York. It was the perfect time to reflect on the success of our growing programs, in particular, NEXT for AUTISM FELLOWS and NEXT CONNECTS, our expanding grants program, including more autistic-led grants than ever before, and our vision for the future … that everyone deserves to live a productive and fulfilling life.

Who are the people you are most grateful for connecting with this year?