News
Frist Center for Autism and Innovation announced
Nov. 8, 2018—We are excited to announce that Jennifer and Billy Frist have endowed our work with a $10 million gift, officially announced today in Vanderbilt News. AIW will be renamed the “Frist Center for Autism and Innovation,” and our headquarters will be located in the Wond’ry at a future date. Stay tuned for more news as...
Temple Grandin keynote at our upcoming Conference Nov. 29
Oct. 29, 2018—Dr. Temple Grandin, a celebrated autism self-advocate, will be our keynote speaker at our event on Nov. 29, Envisioning the Future of Human-Technology Partnerships Conference 2018. This conference will showcase technologies and innovations aligned with assisting autistic individuals in the workplace. If you’ve not yet registered to attend, we encourage people to follow the link...
AIW host autism film screening at Franklin Theater Oct. 8, 2018
Oct. 5, 2018—We’re hosting a private screening of “Extraordinary People,” a half-hour documentary on autism, community, and meaningful work, after which we’ll have a panel discussion on the challenges and solutions highlighted in the documentary. The screening will take place at Franklin Theater Oct. 8, 2018, at 6:30 p.m. Though this is a “private” event, registration to attend...
Videos now included on our website
Oct. 1, 2018—From time to time, we obtain videos related to our efforts. If you mouse over our “Home” button on the menu, a drop-down list will display these videos. Moving forward, as more videos are collected, we’ll add them to our site.
New student-led organization at Vanderbilt for neurodiversity
Sep. 19, 2018—A new student-led organization was created on campus, called the Vanderbilt Autism & Neurodiversity Alliance, or VANA. This group welcomes undergraduates, graduate students, staff, faculty, and others of the Vanderbilt community who may be on the spectrum or be a part of neurodiversity. The group will meet once a month at the Wond’ry, to support...
Our Partners the Precisionists win award
Jul. 25, 2018—The Precisionists, Inc., a company that specializes in finding meaningful employment for people with disabilities (including autism), has won the Autism Society of America 2018 Adam Heavner National Award. Congratulations! Bethesda, MD (July 11, 2018) – The Autism Society of America (ASA) has bestowed its top business award to The Precisionists, Inc. (TPI), a Wilmington, Delaware-based...
First WRaP camp finishes at Currey Ingram Academy
Jul. 3, 2018—Our first four-week, pre-employment camp for teens on the spectrum, called the Workforce Readiness and Preparation camp, or simply WRaP, finished at the end of June. This WRaP was held at Currey Ingram Academy, with two of their teachers, Scott Field and Trevor McKey, serving as coaches, under the direction of Jane Hannah and Joy...
Spectrum Pathways joins AIW team
Jun. 27, 2018—Dr. Beth Malow and Dr. T A McDonald, the director and co-investigator, respectively, of Spectrum Pathways officially joined us as team members this month. For a brief bio and contact information, they’re now visible on our Team page. To read more about their work, view our page on Spectrum Pathways.
New editorial on strategies to bring autism into the workplace
Jun. 1, 2018—Our team members July Taylor and Timothy Vogus published an editorial (May 28, 2018) in SAGE journals that explores the challenges people in the spectrum face at work, and what some businesses are doing to address it. You can read the article with the link below. Flipping the script: Bringing an organizational perspective to the...
AIW team member publishes autism editorial
May. 4, 2018—One of our team members, Julie Taylor, published an editorial in SAGE journals for the National Autistic Society on increased research devoted to understanding outcomes for adults with autism. You can read the full article and download a PDF version at this site.
Currey Ingram Academy completes WRaP training
Apr. 6, 2018—Teachers from Currey Ingram Academy and executive director of AIW Dave Caudel, along with others, completed training last week for the upcoming Workforce Readiness and Preparation (WRaP) summer pre-employment workcamp.
Autism Awareness Day at Vanderbilt
Apr. 2, 2018—Today, April 2nd, is Autism Awareness Day at Vanderbilt. The Vanderbilt Hustler published an article written by Claire Barnett, an undergraduate diagnosed with autism, which you can read here. This article challenges us to view neuro-diversity as a difference rather than as merely a disability.
New Partner: PAIRIN
Mar. 19, 2018—AIW has recently partnered with PAIRIN, a social enterprise company that has some online assessment tools we feel may be useful for our endeavors. You can read more about them on our Partners page or visit their website.
AIW Undergrad Volunteer Weighs in on Autism Work
Mar. 8, 2018—One of our undergraduate volunteers, Alexa Levitt, wrote a blog piece on VU Breakthru Blog about her experience learning about our work and joining us, volunteering her time and energy with us. You can read the full article on this link.
June 14 set for 2018 NSF Convergence Workshop
Jan. 26, 2018—AIW is hosting the 2018 NSF Convergence Workshop on June 14 at the Vanderbilt Wond’ry. This invite-only event will bring together entrepreneurs, business leaders, academia, engineers, and disability specialists to examine current practices and technologies and brainstorm about what works, what’s lacking, and what’s needed for the future. This workshop will also lay the groundwork...
Pre-employment workshop for students with ASD: collaboration with Currey Ingram and Specialisterne
Dec. 22, 2017—Partnering with Currey Ingram Academy and drawing on the expertise of Specialisterne, we’re developing a high-school pre-employment workshop for teenagers on the spectrum. Tentatively called Workforce Readiness and Preparation (WRAP) workshop for students with autism, this four-week course follows a similar development methodology the Specialisterne have used for assessing, training and integrating their autistic employees...
The Precisionists featured in Lehigh Business
Nov. 22, 2017—Our partners, the Precisionists, were featured in a news article by Lehigh University. You can read the full article here.
AIW featured in Vanderbilt Hustler
Nov. 8, 2017—The Vanderbilt Initiative for Autism, Innovation and the Workforce (AIW) has been featured on the Vanderbilt Hustler. To read the full article, visit this link.
Center featured in Vanderbilt News
Oct. 12, 2017—Research News @ Vanderbilt released an article highlighting our center, written by David Salisbury, released today. Click this link to read the article.
Lecture about VCAI now available online
Sep. 14, 2017—The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center hosted a clinical and translational research lecture called “Introducing the Vanderbilt Center for Autism & Innovation.” The lecture can be view online through this link.
New Partner: Vanderbilt Kennedy Center
Sep. 6, 2017—Officials at the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center have joined our growing list of partners. Although one of our team groups, TRIAD, is a part of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, there are many programs and groups beyond TRIAD that work in the field of ASD, including research and community aid. To read more about our latest partners, view...
TennesseeWorks features our center on their website
Aug. 29, 2017—TennesseeWorks, one of our partners who specialize in elevating employment outcomes for people with disabilities, featured us on their website through a blog post, adding some Q&A at the end. To see this article, click this link.
VUBreakThru blog highlights VCAI launch
Aug. 28, 2017—The VUBreakThru blog featured an article and our introductory video on their website highlighting our successful launch at the Wond’ry. To see the post, click this link.
VCAI Showcase opens at the Wond’ry
Aug. 23, 2017—Participants interacted with a number of demos that highlighted Vanderbilt Autism research (John Russell/Vanderbilt University). The Vanderbilt Center for Autism and Innovation opened its showcase at the Wond’ry on August 22, 2017. Several demos were open, highlighting some of the research taking place at Vanderbilt University from center team members. A showcase will continue to...
Spectrum Pathways enters partnership with our center
Aug. 12, 2017—We’re proud and excited to welcome our latest partner, Spectrum Pathways. They focus on empowering young adults with autism through interactions with Vanderbilt students. Welcome!
VU BreakThru Blog features VCAI
Aug. 1, 2017—The VU BreakThru Blog, which features news about grants and research at Vanderbilt University to faculty and staff at the university, featured a post today about the Vanderbilt Center for Autism and Innovation. The post can be viewed here: Introducing the Center for Autism and Innovation.
Currey Ingram Academy joins our partnership
Jul. 6, 2017—Jane Hannah, assistant head of school for Academics and Programs at Currey Ingram Academy, spoke with members of our center today and pledged to become a partner. “We’re excited about (your new center) and we look forward to working with you,” she said. Currey Ingram Academy is a K-12 school that caters to individuals such...
Center for Autism & Innovation website goes live
Jun. 22, 2017—We are proud to launch this website of the Vanderbilt Center for Autism & Innovation. Follow us on your favorite social media platforms or check these pages to stay up-to-date on the activities of the Center.