Autism Awareness Month on Long Island
Hauppauge, NY: Every April we pause to bring attention to Autism Acceptance and Neuro Diversity in the workplace, this year we partnered with local stakeholders and the Town of Islip to bring better advocacy and resources to the discussion.
Now more than ever employers in the manufacturing, distribution, and supply chain sectors struggle to fill job vacancies in reaction to the Great Resignation. By rethinking hiring practices and diversifying the workforce to include neuro-diverse individuals within the hiring process, these shortages can be alleviated, bringing new talent to shop floors and alleviating the impact of the skilled labor shortage.
On April 12th, the Town of Islip in collaboration with IgniteLI, hosted a panel discussion presenting the many benefits of hiring within Long Island’s Autistic population, to solve these staffing challenges. The panel discussion highlighted vocational and employment training programs, payroll reimbursement, and tax credit incentives for employers.
Panelists included
Christine Ponzio, Executive Director- Winters Center for Autism
Doreen Nobile, Business Relations Representative- ACCES VR
Christine Malafi, Senior Partner- Campolo, Middleton & McCormic
Paule Pachter, CEO- Long Island Cares
Guest Speakers included
Angie Carpenter, Supervisor- Town of Islip
James P. O’Connor, Councilman- Town of Islip
Patrick D. Boyle, Executive Director- IgniteLI
Michael Haynes, Chief Government Affairs Officer- Long Island Cares
IgniteLI thanks all of our partners for helping us bring attention to neurodiversity in the workplace and discuss vocations for this great population of talented Long Islanders.
