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The Arc Receives Support From Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation for National Disability Employment Program

Washington, DC – The Arc is pleased to announce that its national employment program, The Arc@Work, has received an additional $122,000 over the next two years from the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation to support its ongoing efforts to expand its partner program with Specialisterne®. The Arc@Work and Specialisterne®’s program consists of a four-week intensive training curriculum and on-the-job training designed to equip people with autism with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in entry-level IT jobs. Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation previously supported this project of The Arc with $105,000 in funding from 2015-2017.

The Arc has a partnership with Specialisterne USA®, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization established by a Danish nonprofit organization, The Specialist People Foundation, that works to create meaningful employment for people with autism and similar challenges in the technology sector. The program engages top companies with IT needs interested in hiring young adults with ASD and pairs them with chapters of The Arc that provide the four-week training course, during which participants learn the basics about programming and data management while also improving soft skills. At the end of training, participants are hired into partner organizations as developers, programmers, analysts, and administrators. Employers also receive training on supporting employees with ASD and The Arc@Work and Specialisterne® work together to provide follow-up support for program participants.

Chapters of The Arc in Philadelphia and New York were among the first to adopt the Specialisterne program in 2014, but the program has since been adopted by chapters in Tampa Bay and Washington, DC as well. The 2018-2019 grant from Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation will allow The Arc to expand this crucial program to new regions throughout the country.

“Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation is committed to empowering young people with disabilities,” said Keijiro Hora, President of the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation and CEO and President, Mitsubishi Electric US, Inc. “By continuing to support The Arc’s expansion of the

Specialisterne employment model, we hope to see increased numbers of young people with autism empowered to enter the competitive workforce and live productive lives,” continued Hora.

The program emphasizes that many young adults with ASD are qualified to work in highly skilled positions and, with employer commitment and support, they can thrive in community-based jobs of their choosing.

“There are many young people with ASD that possess the skills that are in high demand in the tech industry. This program plays matchmaker, and through our chapter network, we can not only connect a population we serve with employment in the community but also raise awareness in a major industry about what people with disabilities can do. It’s an exciting initiative and we are thrilled to have the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation’s ongoing support,” said Peter Berns, CEO of The Arc.

The Arc advocates for and serves people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), including Down syndrome, autism, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, cerebral palsy and other diagnoses. The Arc has a network of over 650 chapters across the country promoting and protecting the human rights of people with IDD and actively supporting their full inclusion and participation in the community throughout their lifetimes and without regard to diagnosis.

The Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation, based in the Washington, DC area, was established in 1991 by Mitsubishi Electric Corporation and the Mitsubishi Electric U.S. companies, which produce, sell and distribute a wide range of consumer, industrial, commercial and professional electronics products. The foundation has contributed more than $15 million to organizations that are empowering young people with disabilities to lead more inclusive and productive lives.

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The Arc Receives Support From Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation for Employment Program

Washington, DC – The Arc is pleased to announce that it has received $105,000 over three years from the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation to support its Specialisterne Replication project. The Specialisterne program creates inclusive employment opportunities for youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), including Asperger’s Syndrome, in the information technology (IT) field.

The Arc has a partnership with Specialisterne USA, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization established by The Specialist People Foundation, a Danish nonprofit organization that works to create meaningful employment for people with autism and similar challenges by building relationships with technology companies that need employees whose skill sets match the characteristics of many people on the autism spectrum. The program engages top companies with IT needs interested in hiring youth with ASD and pairs them with chapters of The Arc that provide short-term intensive training and on-the-job support for youth with ASD. At the end of training, companies may hire program participants as developers, programmers, analysts, and administrators. Employers also receive training on supporting employees with ASD. Chapters of The Arc in Philadelphia and New York, working in collaboration with Specialisterne USA, began replicating the Specialisterne program in 2014. The 2015-2016 grant will allow The Arc to expand this crucial program to the Washington, DC area.

The program emphasizes that many youth with ASD are qualified to work in highly skilled positions, and with employer commitment and support they can be successful in community-based jobs of their choosing.

“There are many young people with ASD that possess the skills that are in high demand in the tech industry. This program plays matchmaker, and through our chapter network, we can not only connect a population we serve with employment in the community, we are raising awareness in a major industry about what people with disabilities can do. It’s an exciting initiative and we are thrilled to have the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation’s support,” said Peter Berns, CEO of The Arc.

Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation has released $1,539,600 in new and continuing grants, as part of its national M>PWR Initiative designed to empower youth and young people with disabilities to lead productive lives through increased employment.

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The Arc and Specialisterne USA to Work Together on US Expansion of Model to Employ People With Autism in Tech Industry

Washington, DC – As the World Economic Forum kicks off in Davos, Switzerland, The Arc and Specialisterne USA are announcing a new agreement to help Specialisterne replicate its successful model of employing people with autism in the tech industry in the United States. By utilizing The Arc’s strong network of chapters, Specialisterne USA and The Arc will expand the model to sites across the country with a goal of serving technology companies nationwide.

Specialisterne USA is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization established by The Specialist People Foundation, a not-for-profit Danish organization that works to create meaningful employment for people with autism and similar challenges by building relationships with technology companies that need employees whose skill sets match the characteristics of many people on the autism spectrum. In 2013, The Specialist People Foundation entered into a partnership with technology company, SAP AG, while Specialisterne USA entered into a partnership with Computer Aid, Inc. (CAI), to provide employment opportunities for people with autism as software testers, programmers, data quality assurance specialists and other technology positions. Specialisterne USA , with operations in the Midwest, Mid Atlantic and Southwest regions of the US, and The Arc’s New York City chapter, AHRC New York City, began working to pilot replication of the Specialisterne model late last year in New York City.

Participating chapters of The Arc will be trained by Specialisterne USA to recruit, assess and train people with autism to work in technology jobs at competitive wages alongside people without disabilities. Within three years, Specialisterne USA aims to have Specialisterne operations in twelve regions of the United States, working with employers to expand their recruitment to include people with autism and similar challenges and providing a range of job coaching and mentorship services to employers and individuals with autism.

“This is a huge opportunity for individuals with autism to be trained for and employed in the high-tech sector where the career opportunities are promising. We are excited to launch this partnership with Specialisterne USA because we know it has worked in European markets, and we have our work cut out for us here in the United States to close the huge unemployment gap facing people with intellectual and developmental disabilities,” said Peter Berns, CEO of The Arc.

Thorkil Sonne, Specialisterne Founder and President of Specialisterne USA, says that the partnership with The Arc will be a key step in spreading the Specialisterne model throughout the United States. “We consider this a very important step on our journey to enable 100,000 jobs in the USA. The Arc is a perfect partner as the largest organization in the US working with people with disabilities and we have already had a very positive experience working with the New York chapter of The Arc. At the World Economic Forum in Davos, I have the opportunity to discuss with business leaders how The Arc and Specialisterne can help the corporate sector in the US get access to a huge untapped pool of talent,” said Sonne.

About Specialisterne and The Specialist People Foundation

The Specialist People Foundation, which owns the Specialisterne concept and trademark, works to enable one million jobs for people with autism and similar challenges through social entrepreneurship, corporate sector engagement and a global change in mind-set. The foundation works with partners and stakeholders around the world to bring about a vision of a world where people are given equal opportunities in the labor market. Specialisterne, which translates from Danish as “The Specialists”, is a socially innovative company where the majority of employees have a diagnosis on the autism spectrum. Specialisterne harnesses the special characteristics and talents of people with autism and uses them as a competitive advantage. Employees work as business consultants on tasks such as software testing, programming and data-entry for the public and private sectors. To date, Specialisterne has operations in 12 countries around the world, including the US, Canada, the UK, Germany, Poland and Spain.