Michelle Szalcynski's Contact Details

Michelle Szalcynski's Company Details

Have Dreams

Park Ridge, Illinois, United States • 11 - 50 Employees
Nonprofit Organization Management

According to the Center for Disease Control, 1 in 59 Americans are diagnosed with autism (ASD), a lifelong developmental disorder. There has been an alarming increase in the numbers diagnosed with autism since 1996, when the prevalence was 1 in 2500. It is estimated that 500,000 teens with autism will transition into adulthood over the next decade, with many of them seeking employment.Autism touches every life, whether you have a family member, friend or co-worker with autism. As a spectrum disorder, people with autism are affected over a broad range from mild to severe. The skills, challenges and needs vary greatly creating a complex disorder. Since 1996, Have Dreams has applied our expertise in autism to improve lives of thousands of people with autism across the spectrum and across the age span. From our after-school social skills groups to our adult programs and workforce training to our specialized professional trainings – Have Dreams has opened hearts, minds and doors for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Many organizations and businesses have recognized that diversity and inclusion in the workplace and a neurodiverse set of experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds is crucial to innovation and a collaboration of new ideas. This healthy diversity across a workforce is not only represented by differences in gender, race, ethnicity, or age, but also includes neurological differences in employees, such as autism. Neurodiversity, is a normal variation in brain function and behavioral traits from person to person. Autism can be misunderstood and we invite everyone to join us, so together we can give people with autism the voice they deserve in the community.