On June 18, 2018, ASDY-Tech launched in Weston, Florida. A division of the HDS Foundation, Inc., a 501 (c) 3 non-profit, ASDY-Tech was initiated to provide training and potential employment to young adults with Autism and related Disabilities. The pilot program of ASDY-Tech is a collaboration with eHousingPlus for their Digital Docs project. This project supports the transition of workflow deliveries from paper to digital format.  

The ASDY-Tech employees are responsible to prepare, scan, and upload files into the Digital Docs system. To help find the most suited individuals for this project, ASDY-Tech enlisted the help of the Dan Marino Foundation (DMF). The first step was the DMF sent out their employees, Samantha and Davika, to the HDS Foundation headquarters to observe and discuss the ASDY-Tech employee environment and to see what the employees would be required to do. HDS Companies wanted to provide a sensitivity training to their employees on how a person on the autism spectrum might need minor accommodations or considerations, and they contacted UM-NSU Card for their assistance. A visit from Debora Chin, a specialist at UM-NSU CARD, followed. Debora trained all HDS employees on how a person on the autism spectrum might need minor accommodations or considerations, and she trained the employees on how they could make the experience of the ASDY-Tech employees better. Ultimately, 4 young gentlemen were hired into the program: Zach, Gabriel, Marco, and Miguel. The DMF team stayed with these employees during their first month to ensure a smooth transition into their jobs. Each of these ASDY-Tech employees has strengths and areas that they want to improve upon, but their integrity and determination make them shining employees. Here is what each of them has to say about what the ASDY-Tech program means to them:   

“Working with HDS is a great way to spend the summer. Working here is satisfying and fun; I would not trade anything for this job opportunity”   —  Zachary 

“My favorite part about working at HDS is the people. Everyone here just manages to brighten my day and the environment makes me calm and collected.”     —  Gabriel 

“1)  The job is very fun. 2)  The job is very easy. 3)  I met all of my co-workers and they were funny and polite.”    —  Marco 

“My work experience…so far my job at HDS is wonderful. The favorite part about it is uploading. The least favorite part is prepping.”    —  Miguel 

The HDS Foundation looks forward to more projects and other opportunities for these awesome ASDY-Tech employees. If you have questions about ASDY-Tech or how a company or organization could benefit from this program, contact Carla Otiniano, Program Manager of HDS Foundation, at [email protected] or via phone at 954-217-9597 ext. 259. 

On June 21st of 2017, I started working at a company in Weston known as Housing and Development Software as a paid intern, which marked the beginning of the best year of my life. Unlike most businesses, the employees are specially trained to interact with coworkers on the autism spectrum like me. That’s because the CEO of the company, the wonderful Mrs. Cristina Gilson, has an equally wonderful daughter named Kate who also happens to be autistic. This inspired her to create an organization within HDS dedicated to helping autistic people find work, succeed, and so on. At first, my responsibilities at HDS were a bit limited, having to only do tasks such as cleaning the break room and occasionally move boxes around. But as the months passed, I gained more experience and my tasks become more diverse and challenging, ranging from scanning files onto the office database to pulling various folders for corresponding cases. Also, I’ve developed strong friendships with many of my coworkers, including my superiors Carla and Erin, who happen to be Mrs. Cristina’s right hand women. They’ve been very supportive of me, making sure I wasn’t too overwhelmed by the workload they presented to me while also helping me improve myself as an employee. And likewise, I’ve provided my coworkers with the same level of support and acceptance they’ve shown me out of gratitude for welcoming me with open arms. I’m so lucky to have been a part of the HDS family for a whole year now, and here are the reasons why: 

1. Friendships stronger than Spielberg and Kubrick working together on A.I. 
2. More optimism than Eddie Murphy after Adventures of Pluto Nash 
3. A more thrilling environment than Alone in the Dark 
4. A richer history than Assassin’s Creed 
5. A stronger group infrastructure than the Yautja in Alien vs Predator 
6. Female coworkers more beautiful than Pamela Anderson in Barb Wire 
7. Paychecks so generous they make me feel like Batman 
8. The employees love coffee like vampires love blood in Bram Stoker’s Dracula 
9. Protection of par with Captain America’s shield 
10. Like Schwarzenegger in Conan the Barbarian, they make and underdog like me feel important 
11. They never turn a blind eye to a problem like Daredevil 
12. The people there are so nice that Ghost Rider doesn’t even have to look at them to deem them “innocent” 
13. They’re physically strong like the Hulk 
14. They’re mentally strong like Iron Man 
15. They’re better ruler enforcers than Judge Dredd and RoboCop combined 
16. They’re wiser than the Oracle the The Matrix 
17. They’re more charismatic than Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat 
18. They’re more responsible with their great power than Spider-Man 
19. The staff has more diversity than the cast of Street Fighter 
20. Every day is so action-packed it’s like one of Michael Bay’s Transformers movies