Innovative Organizations Work to Support Those With Autism

On World Autism Awareness Day, Salesforce.org is proud to highlight the inspiring work of our customers — The Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre and Spectrum Works. These organizations support individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and their families through all stages of life. By using the Salesforce platform they have been able to accelerate and grow their impact, bringing critical services to people around the world.

Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre

Mission: The Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre (OTARC) was established to advance knowledge of the nature and causes of autism spectrum disorders, as well as to develop and study evidence-based strategies for supporting individuals and families affected by these conditions.

Early detection and early intervention of ASD can significantly improve long-term outcomes and quality of life. That is why OTARC sought to develop an app to assist parents, medical professionals and caregivers in understanding, identifying and recording behaviors that might indicate an ASD. Using Heroku and the Salesforce AppCloud, OTARC built ASDetect, an award-winning, easy to use app that makes early detection available to parents everywhere. Learn more about OTARC and how they use Salesforce to support their mission.

Spectrum Works

Mission: To provide job training and employment to individuals with autism while simultaneously building inclusive workforces at our partner companies.

For adults living with ASD, finding employment can be a great challenge. 80% of adults in America diagnosed with ASD are unemployed, a statistic that Spectrum Works is striving to change. Through partnering with businesses to integrate individuals with autism into their workforce, Spectrum Works provides part time paid employment to young adults with autism. As paid trainees, these individuals learn skills that will enable them to succeed and prepare for future employment. The Spectrum Works job training program operates as a social enterprise and is sustained through the sale of high quality screen printed apparel at competitive prices made by Spectrum Works employees. Spectrum Works plans to bring their model nation wide — to do this they implemented Salesforce and the Nonprofit Success Pack. Learn more about Spectrum Works and how NPSP streamlined their organization and helped them grow.