Miami, Dec. 7, 2022 – Miami Dade College (MDC) Padron Campus will host a panel discussion on supporting and increasing workforce skills and employability for neurodiverse talent in the community at 9 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 9. The panel will feature distinguished speakers, including Commissioner Raquel Regalado; Dr. Larry Rothman, HAAPE chair; and MDC Executive Vice President and Provost Dr. Malou C. Harrison as moderator. This event is free and open to the public with registration.
For students living on the autism spectrum, or as a neurodiverse individual, finding a job can be challenging. According to Drexel University’s National Autism Indicators Report, 51% of workers on the spectrum have skills higher than what their job requires, yet fewer than one in six adults with autism has full-time employment. Many often struggle to fit the profiles sought by employers, but some companies have reformed their HR processes to access neurodiverse talent, recognizing the value, productivity and talent of this subpopulation. These changes have resulted in productivity gains, quality improvement, boosts in innovative capabilities and increased employee engagement (Neurodiversity as a Competitive Advantage, 2017).
Panelists will include Dr. Julia Harper, CEO of Therapeeds; Pierre Smith, Paperless Business Process Automation Specialist; Bill Morris, CEO and Chief Innovation Officer of Blue Star Recyclers; Nyamusi M. Lee, Vice President Autism at Work Global Lead of JPMorgan Chase & Co.; and Hiren C. Shukla, EY Global and Americas Neuro-Diverse Center of Excellence Leader. Each will share how they have succeeded in their field and how organizations can support the neurodiverse community. The discussion will be followed by a Q&A session.
“Miami Dade College continues to prioritize the advancement of equity for student success as an institutional imperative; this convening will bring together academia, industry and the community for a meetingoftheminds on how to more purposefully hire, include and support neurodivergent persons in talent acquisition and development initiatives,” said MDC Executive Vice President and Provost Dr. Malou C. Harrison.
The panel will be a unique opportunity to hear from national and international leaders in the field. Learn about the benefits of recruiting and retaining neurodivergent employees, and find out how you can get involved in this ground-breaking effort.
For more information and registration visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/workforce-development-initiative-for-neurodiverse-talent-tickets-425252691247 or email Dr. Loretta Ovueraye or Ms. Liliana Castillo Segura at WorkforcePrograms@mdc.edu.
WHAT: MDC to Host Panel on Neurodiversity in the Workplace
WHEN: 9 – 9:15 a.m. – Registration and breakfast
9:15 a.m. – 11 a.m. – Panel
WHERE: Padron Campus, Room 201
627 S.W. 27th Ave.