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Autism Awareness Month 2022

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Language matters – it evolves and reflects changes in thinking. This is particularly true in the disability space. A recent example is the decision by many advocacy groups to shift references from Autism Awareness Month to Autism Acceptance Month (April).

“Autism Acceptance Not Awareness: A Perspective Shift Is Needed,” Forbes
“April 2022: Autism Acceptance Month,” Association of University Centers on Disabilities
“Autism Acceptance Month is underway. Here’s why the name is important,” USA Today

Simply put, awareness is recognition, while acceptance is action. As Johnny, a Vertical Harvest employee and autistic person, puts it “Awareness isn’t enough. Everyone should have the right to be who they really are on the inside.”

While many organizations recently changed their terminology, the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) created Autism Acceptance Month (AAM) ten years ago. The following is a statement on the 10th anniversary of AAM:

“Acceptance is an Action,” ASAN

Let’s join together in moving from recognition to action!

DD Awareness Month 2022

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We have a tremendous amount of respect for the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD). The organization has been a champion of Hearts of Glass and its outreach campaign.

Each March, the NACDD and their partners participate in a Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month (DDAM) Campaign.

The campaign seeks to raise awareness about the inclusion of people with developmental disabilities in all facets of community life, as well as awareness of the barriers that people with disabilities still sometimes face in connecting to the communities in which they live.

We took the energy of DDAM into virtual and hybrid events with:

Stay tuned for more exciting announcements about our work with PayPal.

A Year of Impact & Engagement

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20 STATES | 30 EVENTS

100 ATTENDEE AVERAGE / EVENT

Our Hearts of Glass virtual events are maximizing our impact with a lighter footprint and greater accessibility than in-person events.

The cherry on top? Our Vertical Harvest speakers don’t have to miss days of work to participate on panels.

Three cupcakes each with a cherry on top.

A November to Remember

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It’s rewarding working with community colleges. They play a critical role in workforce development across the nation. McHenry County College, located in the Chicago area, provides academic programming and skills training to prepare students for jobs or to transfer to four-year colleges and universities. Their Hearts of Glass event, coordinated by the Center for Agrarian Learning and Access and Disability Services, featured an in-person screening.

We have also been doing more programs in the corporate world with employee resource groups or ERGs. Crystal Baker, Lead Accessibility Solutions Engineer and President of AT&T’s Ability Resource Group, noted that our programming encourages people not to treat disabilities and accessibility as an afterthought.

NDEAM Event-Apalooza!

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“The theme for National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) 2021, ‘America’s Recovery: Powered by Inclusion’ reflects the importance of ensuring that people with disabilities have full access to employment and community involvement during the national recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.” – Office of Disability Employment Policy

We averaged two Hearts of Glass events a week throughout October. We worked with small liberal arts colleges, big state universities, nonprofits and state agencies to catalyze conversations about inclusion inside and outside of the workplace. Twelve different Vertical Harvest employees participated in panel discussions with a few speaking at multiple virtual events. They all shared valuable insights about challenges and opportunities during the pandemic.

Hello, Upper Midwest and Mountain West Neighbors!

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North Dakota and Colorado both have a lot in common with Wyoming, so it felt like working with old friends in September.

The University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities at Minot State brought together a terrific group of collaborators – North Dakota State Council on Developmental Disabilities, North Dakota Protection & Advocacy and Advocates Leading their Lives.

The Executive Director of Alliance, an association dedicated to strengthening community services and supports for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, told us “The [Hearts of Glass] film and panel discussion were the highlight” of their conference.

We worked with another Colorado nonprofit in September. Developmental Pathways serves individuals with developmental disabilities/delays and their families in southeast Denver. Rachel Walker, Community Partnerships Manager, loved that the programming spoke to both employers and employees.