Meristem continues to successfully break barriers and provide real solutions to the nationwide problem of young adults on the autism spectrum finding great opportunities and maintaining employment.
 
Finding and retaining employment is a big challenge for young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Unemployment and underemployment for young adults with ASD are estimated at 90 percent nationwide*.
 
Developed in 2018, Meristem, a three-year day and residential program near Sacramento that prepares young adults on the spectrum for independent living and gainful employment, launched the student-led Transformational Autism Program (TAP).  Meristem’s TAP played a key role in the Breaking Barriers in Employment for Adults with Autism Pilot Program which was signed into law by California’s Governor on June 27, 2018.  Working with the California Workforce Development Board and Sacramento Employment and Training Agency, Meristem’s TAP developed an innovative training manual and a series of “free” employer trainings to address the high unemployment and underemployment.
 
Expanding in January, Meristem’s TAP will not only focus on employer training but also the development of an employee pipeline for those employers interested in creating an autism hiring program.  To kick off the expansion, the California Department of Social Services came to the Meristem campus and gave a presentation to students on how to navigate the state application system. This well-attended and informative session was the first of many such planned presentations, as Meristem’s TAP continues to work hard to create pathways to sustainable employment for adults with autism. 
 
“What makes Meristem’s TAP employer training unique is our innovative approach that combines direct placement and retention with employer training and workplace culture change while incorporating the voice of individuals on the spectrum,” said Edmund Knighton, President of Meristem, “This inclusive approach makes diversity, equity, and inclusion the catalyst for the project.”

* According to a 2013 report in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
 
TAP – Developed in 2018 by Meristem students to educate California employers on how to hire, train and retain people with autism — and in turn help them become the valuable employees they have the potential to be.

About Meristem 

Meristem, a non-profit 501c3, founded in 2015 is a unique program dedicated to preparing young adults on the autism spectrum for a life of greater independence and fulfillment. Meristem’s multi-year program serves students ages 18–28. Our residential students come from across the United States. Our day students commute from homes throughout the Sacramento region.