Statements
Mission
Autism Career Training (ACT) is a nonprofit providing center-based vocational and prevocational training for individuals ("trainees") on the autism spectrum. Our mission is to identify the abilities of our trainees and to transform those abilities into job skills desired by employers. We use research-based curriculum and hands-on programs designed to prepare our trainees for success in the workplace.
Background
ACT Founder, Karen Blake always sought the best for her son Matthew. Matthew was diagnosed with Autism at 18 months while living in Atlanta, Georgia. Karen and her husband, Steve, moved to Nashville in 2005 and realized there was a great need for center-based Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy in Middle Tennessee. ABA Therapy teaches a variety of important skills for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). In response, Karen founded the Autism Foundation of Tennessee, which later became Autism Education & Therapy Center (Autism ETC) in 2006. That organization became the premier provider of center-based ABA therapy in Middle Tennessee.
During Karen's time with Autism ETC, she began to take notice of another missing piece of the autism community in Middle Tennessee. The area lacked a center-based program bridging the gap between the traditional school system and the work environment for students with ASD. She believed that a vocational tract should be available for teenagers and young adults with autism.
In 2020, under a new name, the Autism Foundation of Tennessee became Autism Career Training (dba ACT). ACT now serves trainees from across Middle Tennessee helping them develop their abilities and transform them into vocational and prevocational skills.
Impact
ACT's biggest accomplishment in 2022 was expanding our programs from "center-based" to include "community-based" programming. This means that we have been able to take our trainees out into the community and through partnerships with local businesses, they have opportunities for additional job coaching, job sampling (to determine best fit) and practicing real-life skills in the workplace outside of the "mock environments" they participate in at our center. We are also excited to have expanded to a second location in 2023, now offering our programs in Williamson County and serving more in the southern Middle TN region.
Needs
In the U.S., more than 70,000 teens with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) enter adulthood every year. These youth oftentimes have difficulty finding employment as they face unique challenges related to their disability. In fact, less than 20% of people with ASD participate in the workforce and the unemployment is as high as 85% among people with ASD. We need donations (both cash and in-kind) to keep our programs affordable and accessible for everyone who would benefit from our training program. Our families pay out-of-pocket in order to help their trainee to receive instruction that has the ability to change their life forever. The programs offered by ACT are highly sought after and are a proven need in the greater Nashville community. Donations are used directly to offset the expenses of our training program to keep the tuition affordable. Donations given to ACT not only allow our trainees to learn valuable vocational skills which they will carry for life, but it also supports local businesses and the local economy by creating beneficial and diverse additions to the workforce. In-kind donations from the center wish list which include office supplies, paper products, school supplies, cleaning supplies and gift cards to stores where additional supplies may be purchased.
CEO Statement
Autism Career Training (The Autism Foundation) was established by the parents of a young adult with autism resulting in an agency culture that emphasizes the importance of providing quality, affordable supports and training. Autism Career Training is highly unique in its approach to providing for the needs of each family as it struggles to adapt to employment and living with an adult with autism.
In the next 10-15 years, I would love to see ACT have some residential housing and also a community center concept where young adults and adults with autism have somewhere where they belong and also have an independent living place to call home outside of their family home. We fundraise about 50% of our budget as well as fundraise for scholarships for trainees who otherwise would not be able to afford the program.
No two people with autism are the same. We believe each trainee has unique gifts to offer. At ACT, we help our trainees discover those gifts.
Board Chair Statement
Our employees perform an important and honorable service by helping to meet the specialized needs of young adults with autism spectrum disorders. There is an ever-increasing need in our local communities and we are excited to be able to provide training services to the community.
Service Categories |
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| Primary Category: | Employment - Job Training |
| Secondary Category: | Education - Special Education |
| Tertiary Category: | Education - Adult Education |
Areas Served
Autism Career Training accepts trainees from all areas of middle Tennessee. We have two locations-our primary center is in south Nashville, Davidson County and our recently added (in 2023) secondary center is located in Franklin, Williamson County.
| TN - Williamson |
| TN - Davidson |
