On November 30, 2018, employees of ASDY-Tech visited the BRIDGES program at Cypress Bay High School in Weston, FL. A jobs related program initiated by the HDS Foundation, ASDY-Tech is coined after Autism Spectrum Disorder Young-Adults, and it focuses on small technical projects that can be scaled to address the employment needs of this population.
One purpose of the visit to the BRIDGES program at Cypress Bay was to illustrate to the students that those with related Autism disorders have opportunities for employment after high school. The ASDY-Tech employees who presented (Marco Spinelli, Miguel Sanchez, and Mario Rumasuglia) all have different backgrounds which prepared them for their jobs with ASDY-Tech. High school, technical school, and the Dan Marino Campus were just some of the experiences that helped prepare them to enter the workforce.
Carla Otiniano, Program Manager of the HDS Foundation, led the discussion. She began with an overview of the HDS Foundation and the ASDY-Tech program. She then introduced the ASDY-Tech employees and they each took turns telling the students a little bit about themselves. This was followed with an explanation of the path each took to get to ASDY, including what it felt like to experience a job interview and how not all interviews become employment opportunities. The presentation then led into each of the employees explaining what their specific job functions are at ASDY-Tech – Miguel is a prepper, Marco is a scanner, and Mario works as an uploader. The instructors and especially the students were very impressed with ASDY-Tech and the importance of their roles. The presentation drew towards its conclusion with a question and answer session, where the BRIDGES students posed some great questions to the ASDY-Tech team. Carla reminded everyone, “Never give up. If one door closes, try another one. These young men are an example of that, and because of their experiences, they are better employees today.”
The ASDY-Tech employees did an excellent job of presenting. To celebrate, they enjoyed a lunch at Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza before returning to work.
If you would like more information on the ASDY-Tech program, please visit our website: www.hdsfoundation.org or email info@hdsfoundation.org.
