News
Frist Center Partners with InclYOUsion Summit 2023; Sees 110,000 Participants on Livestream Over Three Days
Sep. 23, 2023—On 20th – 23rd September 2023, the Frist Center partnered with Indian non-profit Kidskintha to conduct the first International Neurodiversity at Work conference. The conference, which the Frist Center also sponsored, saw 47 speakers across 8 time zones speak about neurodiversity in the workplace. Themes such as education, transitions to work, success strategies, and global initiatives for...
Frist Center Researchers Seeking to Aid Neurodiverse Adults Receive Prestigious NSF CIVIC Stage 2 Award
Sep. 21, 2023—Two Frist Center researchers are part of a collaborative effort receiving a distinguished Civic Innovation Challenge (CIVIC) Stage 2 Award from the National Science Foundation that the team will use to improve equity for neurodiverse adults by completing and commercializing a novel virtual reality driving instruction system that will help autistic adults have the independence they need...
Partnership with The Precisionists: Career Opportunities for 500 Neurodiverse Individuals in Nashville
Sep. 20, 2023—On September 19th, FCAI partner The Precisionists announced the expansion of their neurodiversity employment program to Nashville, with an event hosted at the Frist Center. The event was led by Director Keivan Stassun, with remarks from Vanderbilt University Chancellor Daniel Diermeier and a quote from the Governor of Tennessee. Through their partnership with the First...
Event Announcement: A Night of Music, PHotography, PHriends, and PHun!
Sep. 13, 2023—We are excited to advertise AbleVoices’ very first fundraising event to benefit their programming for youth and adults with disabilities. Event Description: The evening promises to be a delightful experience filled with music, photography and much more. You will be moved by musical performances by singer-songwriter, Jessica Willis-Fisher and autism self-advocates Andrew Braach and Drew...
Special Lecture at VKC on 09/11 – Design and Development of VR HMDs With/For Autistic Groups
Sep. 7, 2023—Announcing a Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Special Lecture: “Design and Development of VR HMDs With/For Autistic Groups; Examples of Applied Virtual Reality (VR) Led by Autistic Input and Feedback.” Presented by Dr. Nigel Newbutt, Ph.D. When: Monday, September 11, 12:00-1:00 p.m. CT Where: Room 241, Vanderbilt Kennedy Center/One Magnolia Circle Building (Virtual Option Available) Nigel Newbutt,...
Deputy Director Dave Caudel Interviewed for CMA Today Article
Aug. 7, 2023—Dave Caudel, Frist Center for Autism and Innovation Deputy Director, was interviewed for an article released in CMA today entitled “Opening Minds: Unlock Strategies for Making Workplaces Inclusive of Neurodiversity”. Part of the article discusses accommodations in the workplace and how accommodations are often provided, unconsciously, for everyone. Dr. Caudel makes this point clear when...
FCAI Deputy Director Interviewed for Neurodiversity Empowerment YouTube
Jul. 24, 2023—Last week, Dave Caudel, Frist Center for Autism and Innovation Deputy Director, was interviewed for Episode 88 of the Dr. Gwen Empowered YouTube channel. This YouTube channel seeks to “empower neurodiverse and disabled individuals, their support systems, and anyone who deeply cares about this community.” Dr. Caudel was interviewed about how FCAI is working to transform...
Recording Available for FCAI June Webinar
Jul. 4, 2023—On June 29, 2023, the Frist Center for Autism and Innovation monthly webinar series partnered with virtual reality company Floreo to discuss Workforce Skill Development and Virtual Reality. The panel was moderated by FCAI project coordinator Jessica Schonhut-Stasik and included four panelists (see bios below). We hope you enjoy this engaging conversation from these enthusiastic...
Recordings Available for “Disrupting Ableism and Advancing STEM: A National Leadership Summit”
Jun. 29, 2023—In July 2023, the National Academies of Sciences’ Keck Center in Washington D.C. hosted the hybrid “Disrupting Ableism and Advancing STEM: A National Leadership Summit” A host of panels and presentations discussed issues related to accessibility and inclusivity in STEM workplaces for disabled individuals. Dave Caudel, Frist Center for Autism and Innovation Deputy Director was...
Frist Center Faculty Fellow Tyler Derr wins prestigious NSF CAREER award
Jun. 16, 2023—Tyler Derr, assistant professor of computer science and a Frist Center Faculty Fellow, has been awarded a prestigious CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation. Read the press release here: https://engineering.vanderbilt.edu/news/2023/vanderbilt-researcher-wins-nsf-career-award-to-close-a-gap-in-network-analysis-by-better-modeling-negative-online-interactions-like-unfollowing-and-blocking/
FCAI Project Coordinator, Jessica Schonhut-Stasik, is Guest on Square Pegs Podcast
May. 26, 2023—“Square Pegs,” is a thought-provoking podcast with engaging content and insightful discussions, surrounding the experiences of neurodiverse graduate students. With a keen focus on promoting diversity and inclusivity, Arash Zaghi brings together a wide range of guests who challenge societal norms and share their unique perspectives. On the latest episode of Square Pegs, Arash interviews...
Upcoming Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Webinar “Nothing About Us Without Us.”
May. 17, 2023—On May 18th, the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (VKC) Research Ethics Grand Rounds will be having a webinar panel discussion with a focus on what “Nothing About Us Without Us” can look like within a research setting. The panel will include two VKC researchers and two disability self-advocates who serve on an advisory level for their...
FCAI Director Keivan Stassun One of Four Vanderbilt VUMC Faculty to be Elected as AAAS Members
May. 1, 2023—The American Academy of Arts and Sciences announced the election of four Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center faculty among its 2023 cohort of 270 new members, including Frist Center for Autism and Innovation director Keivan Stassun. The academy is an honorary society that recognizes and celebrates the excellence of its members and an...
College Autism Summit Launching Webinar and Training Series for Developing New Autism Support Initiatives on Campus
Apr. 29, 2023—The College Autism Network is very pleased to announce a webinar series designed for higher ed professionals who are starting a new initiative or program on their campus. “Square One: Launching a Campus-Based Autism Support Initiative”. Square One is a three-part virtual instructional series for higher education professionals interested in launching a campus program or initiative...
The Precisionists, Inc. Announces Pilot with HCA Healthcare to Tap Talents of Neurodiverse Workers
Apr. 24, 2023— We’re excited to announce that one of our partners, The Precisionists, Inc. (TPI), a Wilmington, Delaware-based organization focused on employment for adults with disabilities, is launching a neurodiversity employment program that will provide business support services as part of a pilot program at Nashville- based HCA Healthcare. The program will leverage the talents of a team...
Neurodiversity Inspired Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship Application OPEN!
Apr. 18, 2023—We are thrilled to announce the opening of applications for the Neurodiversity Inspired Science and Engineering (NISE) graduate fellowship for the upcoming academic year. NISE is a unique fellowship program that seeks to advance the field of science and engineering by embracing the strengths and talents of neurodiverse individuals. Fellows will receive financial support and...
New Book – A Hidden Force – Out Today
Apr. 11, 2023—Suppose you’re looking for a book that will help you improve your workplace culture, build stronger teams, and create a more inclusive environment. In that case, A Hidden Force by Ed Thompson is worth checking out. As the founder and CEO of Uptimize, a company focusing on building neurodiverse teams Thompson brings a wealth of...
Project PEACES Receives Prestigious Spencer Foundation Grant
Apr. 5, 2023—The Frist Center for Autism and Innovation extends the warmest congratulations to Brad Cox, Associate Professor of Higher Education at Florida State University, and Brett Nachman, Assistant Professor of adult and lifelong learning in the College of Education and Health Professions at the University of Arkansas, whose team has been awarded the prestigious Spencer Foundation...
Deputy Director of FCAI, Tim Vogus, Appears on News Channel 5
Apr. 2, 2023—Last week, our deputy directory Tim Vogus appeared on an episode of Openline through News Channel 5 Nashville, to discuss the Frist Center for Autism and Innovation and take callers’ questions. In his interview, Tim discusses the history and work of the Frist Center, before moving on to answer callers’ questions. We especially loved hearing...
Floreo Launches Immersive Learning Program to Bring VR to Neurodiverse Students
Mar. 28, 2023—We are thrilled to announce that the wonderful behavioral therapy metaverse, Floreo, has launched its Immersive Learning Program, a unique opportunity for schools to bring Floreo to neurodiverse students. In collaboration with Meta, the program is for neurodiverse students ages 13+ and includes free Meta Quest 2 headsets for schools. In addition, Floreo are providing...
Frist Center and Mentra Team Up For Webinar About Accommodations (March 21)
Mar. 19, 2023—The team at the Frist Center are teaming up with our colleagues at the neurodiversity recruitment network Mentra for our first collaborative webinar! Not one to miss! We will start with a talk by Mentra CEO Jhillika Kumar about accommodation resources before moving on to a panel of experts in education and employment to discuss best...
Frist Center Director and Project Manager Featured in Physics Today Article on Accessibility
Mar. 2, 2023—This month’s edition of Physics Today, the flagship publication of the American Institute of Physics and the world’s most influential and closely followed physics magazine, featured the Frist Center’s Director Keivan Stassun, and Frist Center project manager and doctoral candidate in astronomy, Jessica Schonhut-Stasik. The article discusses the growing attention to accessibility for physicists and...
Frist Center seeking applications for new fellows, affiliates
Feb. 14, 2023—The Frist Center for Autism and Innovation has announced its 2023 call for membership, which allows Vanderbilt faculty and staff to apply to become affiliates or fellows of the Center. The work of current fellows and affiliates has resulted in multi-million-dollar grants and was recently highlighted nationally on CBS’s 60 Minutes with Anderson Cooper. Frist...
Frist Center’s Autism Summer Internship Open for Applications!
Jan. 31, 2023—The Frist Center is excited to announce applications are now open for our Autism Summer Internship Program. The program is open to undergraduate students who identify as neurodiverse (either through formal or self-diagnosis). Through this internship, successful applicants will undergo a STEM project with a faculty mentor, under the guidance of the Frist Center for...
Frist Center Director Keivan Stassun Appointed to National Science Board by President Biden
Jan. 28, 2023—The Frist Center is excited to announce that director Keivan Stassun has been appointed to the National Science Board. The National Science Board was created, along with the National Science Foundation (NSF) but the National Science Foundation Act of 1950. The National Science Board, along with the NSF director pursue the goals and function of the...
Applications Open for Python Bootcamp
Jan. 25, 2023—The Frist Center for Autism and Innovation is pleased to announce applications are open for the second year of our summer program Aspie Bootcamp: Python. Our free, virtual, summer coding camp. This online course was created by and for autistic and neurodivergent folks who want to learn the basics of coding in the programming language...
Frist Center featured on NPR’s “This Is Nashville.”
Dec. 7, 2022—The Frist Center for Autism & Innovation is truly excited about the upcoming premiere of the documentary film, In a Different Key, airing nationally on PBS on Tuesday, December 13. We have several exciting events to promote this premiere coming up next week. On Monday, 12th December, This Is Nashville on NPR’s WPLN News station...
“In A Different Key” Premieres December 13th
Nov. 28, 2022—We at the Frist Center are excited to support the release of a new PBS documentary, “In A Different Key.” Throughout the rest of November and into December, we will post great content about this upcoming premiere, the documentary, and the story it tells. Follow us on Instagram at @fcai.vanderbilt and Facebook for some sneak...
Frist Center Driver Training Project receives CIVIC Grant from NSF
Oct. 26, 2022—On October 17, The Civic Innovation Challenge (CIVIC) — a partnership between the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) — announced 56 teams of civic and academic partners to be awarded Stage 1 Planning Grants of $50,000 to “support the strengthening of their partnerships and plans for ready-to-implement, research-based pilot...
NISE Fellow Hari Srinivasan Attends White House’s ADA Event
Oct. 7, 2022—Hari Srinivasan, Neurodiversity in Science and Engineering (NISE) Fellow, was invited to the White House on Wednesday, 28th September. The event celebrated the 32nd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which President Joe Biden co-sponsored as a bill in 1990. This Vanderbilt University neuroscience graduate student shook hands with the president twice and...
FCAI Associate Director Dave Caudel on Innovation Research Interchange Podcast
Sep. 19, 2022—Earlier this month, Frist Center Associate Director Dave Caudel was interviewed by the Innovation Research Interchange podcast, which aims to “cultivates resources for the innovation leaders”. Click here to listen!
Frist Center to Host 2022 Autism Summit – Register Today!
Aug. 27, 2022—The Frist Center for Autism and Innovation is pleased to announce that this year’s College Autism Summit will be hosted at Vanderbilt University from 12th – 14th October. The College Autism Summit is organized by the College Autism Network, a collection of researchers, colleges, self-advocates, and other stakeholders engaged in evidence-guided efforts to improve access,...
Frist Center wins big NSF grant to support neurodiverse engineers
Aug. 4, 2022—The Vanderbilt School of Engineering’s Frist Center for Autism & Innovation, working in partnership with Fisk University, has won a $1.9 million grant from the National Science Foundation to create a system of programs to support neurodiverse students in engineering majors and careers. The Autism Self-advocacy Center for Equity and Neurodiversity in Engineering (A-SCENE) at...
Frist Center researchers publish study on depression and employment
Jul. 14, 2022—Two Frist Center Faculty Fellows, Drs. Jessica Schwartzman and Blythe Corbett, have published a new literature review on depression and employment outcomes in autism. The paper’s abstract is copied below and is available at this link. Abstract Autistic adults face elevated risks for depression and unemployment, yet a systematic review of studies on the intersection...
Now Hiring – Frist Center Partners with Mentra for Job Matching
Jul. 11, 2022—The Frist Center for Autism & Innovation is excited to announce its partnership with Mentra, a new online platform that assists neurodivergent individuals get quickly matched to job opportunities that are ideally suited to the individual’s needs and individual profile. Using this special link will take you to a signup form that has been custom...
Career Event for Neurodivergent Applicants
May. 18, 2022—Bank of America is hiring neurodivergent individuals and is currently seeking applicants for several positions. If interested, please apply to their virtual career event, June 13-17, to apply for one of these positions. Such openings are in a variety of locations, such as Atlanta, Ga.; Charlotte, NC; Pennington, NJ; Richardson, TX; Dallas, TX; Plano, TX;...
New Foothills Academy professional development for higher ed staff
May. 10, 2022—The College Autism Network announces the launch of a new professional webinar series called Foothills Academy. Foothills Academy webinars are professional development opportunities for higher education staff and faculty to explore practices and strategies to support autistic and other neurodivergent students. The first Foothills Academy webinar will be on June 1, 2022, at 2:30-4:00pm Central...
The Precisionists has 25 positions now in Nashville
Apr. 28, 2022—One of the Frist Center’s closest employment partners, The Precisionists Inc (TPI), is currently recruiting for neurodivergent talent in Nashville (they also have locations in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Ohio). TPI has 25 full-time job opportunities in downtown Nashville in Data and Business Analysis, Business Administration, Information Technology, Software Testing, and Software Engineering positions for...
Frist Center Scholar Awarded Prestigious Soros Fellowship
Apr. 13, 2022—Frist Center visiting scholar and autism self-advocate, Hari Srinivasan, has been awarded a prestigious graduate fellowship from the Paul and Daisy Soros Foundation’s Fellowship for New Americans. Hari first joined the Frist Center as the Center’s first Distinguished Visiting Scholar, while still an undergraduate at UC Berkeley. Now, Hari comes to Vanderbilt as a PhD...
Q&A with Deputy Director Tim Vogus on inclusive workplaces
Apr. 6, 2022—April marks Autism Awareness Month. In 2022, neurodiversity in the workplace is an issue capturing attention, as conversations on how to create more inclusive spaces for all continue among business leaders. Tim Vogus, deputy director of the Frist Center for Autism and Innovation and the Brownlee O. Currey, Jr., Professor of Management at the Vanderbilt...
Support for Neurodiverse People in Ukraine
Mar. 19, 2022—The International Society for Autism Research (INSAR) has issued the following statement calling for humanitarian aid for neurodiverse people affected by the conflict in Ukraine. March 16, 2022 Translated Statement: Ukrainian | Russian | Polish In response to recurring conditions across the globe, INSAR stands with all people who need to escape oppressive conditions. We are concerned with families...
Frist Center partners with Mentra
Mar. 11, 2022—The Frist Center for Autism and Innovation has partnered with Mentra: “We’re on a mission to activate the neurodiverse workforce of tomorrow.” Mentra has an online platform that matches neurodiverse individuals with employers that value their strengths, helping to decode the complex world of navigating job offers and putting recruiters in front of candidates through...
Aspie Bootcamp: Python – registration for free, virtual summer program now open
Mar. 4, 2022—The Frist Center for Autism and Innovation is pleased to announce the start of a new, virtual program this summer called Aspie Bootcamp: Python. This online course was created by and for autistic and neurodivergent folks who want to learn the basics of coding in the programming language Python, with an emphasis on how autistic...
Autism Career Empowerment Resource Now Available
Feb. 1, 2022—In collaboration with the College Autism Network and the Frist Center for Autism and Innovation, the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center has released an online resource for career counselors working with autistic adults. Autism Career Empowerment (ACE) provides resources and training for college faculty and staff to provide autistic students with effective career counseling for employment success....
Autism Summer Internship application open for 2022
Jan. 21, 2022—This upcoming summer, the Frist Center for Autism and Innovation will hold its fourth annual Autism Summer Internship Program. This will include a cohort of research interns, all of whom are neurodivergent. This internship will focus on science and engineering (STEM) related projects. You may apply to be a research intern if you are currently...
Sign-ups open for summer 2022 Workforce Readiness and Prep (WRaP) camp
Jan. 21, 2022—Currey Ingram Academy is once again hosting a three-week program for students ages 15 – 20 who are on the autism spectrum. It is a collaboration between Currey Ingram Academy and the Frist Center for Autism and Innovation. The Workforce Readiness and Preparation (WRaP) program uses a strengths-based approach to help young autistic people prepare for success in the...
Article: What Does It Mean to Be Neurodivergent?
Jan. 17, 2022—Shape recently published an article explaining the concept of neurodivergence, featuring experts including the associate director of the Frist Center for Autism and Innovation at Vanderbilt University, Dr. Dave Caudel. This article tackles the basics of neurodiversity, highlights the ongoing debates on “disability” versus “difference,” and the evolving views on culture, clinical, and professional landscapes...
Adult Participants with Autism sought for Social Skills Study
Jan. 7, 2022—The SENSE Lab is currently recruiting adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to be part of a study that examines an intervention, SENSE Theatre®, targeting improvement of social skills in adults with ASD. We are looking for 18-35-year-old men and women with ASD to join our study. Participation includes psychological testing (2-3 hours), social interaction...
Teen Support Group for anxiety/depression looking for applicants
Nov. 1, 2021—Clinicians at Vanderbilt University Medical Center are offering autism-adapted Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) groups for teens with autism experiencing anxiety and/or depression. Eligible youth must be currently in middle school or high school and have an ASD diagnosis. To learn more, please review the flyer below. ASD_CBT_Clinical_Group_Flyer_ER
FCAI Honored with Prestigious Community Service Award
Sep. 22, 2021—It was announced Sept. 15 that Vanderbilt University’s Frist Center for Autism and Innovation (FCAI) was selected as the recipient of the 2021 Edward M. Kennedy Community Service Award, presented by the American Association for Access, Equity, and Diversity (AAAED). Named after U.S. Senator Edward M. Kennedy—whose decades long political career championed for the healthcare...