About the program

There is a significant overlap between the autistic and ace communities: research has found that as many as 1/3rd of autistic people may be ace, and 1/6th of ace people may be autistic. Despite this overlap, ace community spaces are often inaccessible to autistic aces, and most ace community leaders do not have a strong understanding of autism.

This program seeks to help ace communities transform into spaces that are welcoming and inclusive of autistic people. To accomplish this, we will:

• conduct a needs assessment of autistic aces to identify opportunities for greater inclusion,

• develop training materials for autistic inclusion in ace community spaces,

• facilitate educational workshops for ace community leaders, and

• establish a mentorship program for young autistic leaders in the ace community.

This program has been made possible through a grant from NEXT for AUTISM from the proceeds of Color the Spectrum.

We are grateful to those in the autistic community who advocated for Color the Spectrum funding to be allocated to autistic-led organizations like our own.

Contract duration, hours, and pay

We intend this position to be a remote full-time, four-month contract over May-August with some additional hours worked in the Fall to conduct workshops and evaluations. This position pays $16,000.

We can adjust the timeline of this contract to fit the needs of the person we hire. For example, we are happy to:

• shift the employment period to match a student's summer break,

• accommodate vacations or other breaks, or

• consider a part-time arrangement over an extended period.

This position is remote and does not require standard work hours. We hope that the person we hire can create a schedule that meets their needs, and we are happy to help you figure out an arrangement that works for you.

Responsibilities

The person we hire will have the support of our Executive Director and community members with various skills and experiences. Therefore, it is not a requirement that you have prior experience in all of the responsibilities for this position.

The core responsibilities of this position include:

• Conduct an assessment to determine the needs of autistic people in the ace community and opportunities to meet those needs.

• Lead the development of training materials for including autistic young adults in ace community spaces. Training materials will include web-based guides, checklists and action steps, workshop outlines, and social media graphics.

• Assemble and coordinate a team of autistic aces to help design the needs assessment, create training materials, and conduct workshops.

• Use social media to promote the needs assessment, training materials, workshops, and other program activities.

• Evaluate the effectiveness of the workshops by assessing participants' knowledge and practices over time.

Qualifications

This position does not require a degree or any other formal qualifications. Lived experience and personal interest can both be as valuable as formal education.

The following are requirements for this position:

• Commitment to disability justice and antiracism.

• Extensive knowledge about autism and the neurodiversity movement.

• Strong understanding of ace identities and communities.

• Experience creating educational content or teaching others in some capacity.

• Strong organizational and planning skills.

• Willingness to learn, receive constructive feedback, and try new things.

• Legally eligible to work in the United States.

Application process

We want to hire someone passionate about making society better for all autistic people, especially those further marginalized by racism, classism, ableism, and other forms of oppression. We are interested in candidates who have lived experiences of autism, asexuality, and other marginalized identities. We especially encourage applications from BIPOC, multiply disabled, and nonspeaking autistic people.

Applications will be accepted until we find a suitable candidate. The first stage of the application is relatively simple. If you are interested in applying, please submit your application as soon as possible (ideally before April 3rd)

Accommodations

If there is something we can do to make this application more accessible for you, please email Basil (our Executive Director). You will not be penalized or looked down on for requesting accommodations. In fact, Basil (who is autistic themself) uses many accommodations in their work with the organization.

Stage one

We designed the first stage of this application to help us prioritize knowledge over formal qualifications and ensure prospective candidates have the lived experience we are looking for.

In this first stage, we will ask you to write answers to the following questions using our online application form:

1. Which identities and lived experiences do you have that will help you take a more nuanced approach to autistic inclusion? How do those identities and experiences relate to autistic advocacy and the autistic community?

2. What do you think have been some barriers to autistic inclusion in ace communities up to this point?

3. Why do you think it's important for autism inclusion programs to be approached from the lens of neurodiversity and disability justice?

After submitting answers to these questions, we will follow up with you within a few days. If we would like to move forward with your application, we will send you the questions for the second stage of the application at that time.

Stage two

The second stage of the application will help us understand the background and experience of our candidates. We will ask you to share examples of your past work and education (including personal projects, self-study, and informal education). Like the first stage, all of your answers will be in written form.

Stage three

The third stage of the application will include an interview with Basil, our Executive Director. Basil is autistic themself and will not expect you to mask, dress in a "professional" manner, or otherwise attempt to meet neurotypical interview expectations. We will provide all interview questions in advance, and Basil will conduct the interview in whatever way is most comfortable and accessible for you.

If we have not decided on who we will hire after this point in the application process, we will fairly compensate you for any further interviews or work we ask you to do.