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1. Autism + Employment — Current State

The Employment Crisis

• 85% of autistic adults with a college degree are unemployed (Rocky Mountain PBS, 2024; multiple sources cite this figure)
• Unemployment rate for autistic adults ranges from 40% to 90% depending on methodology and support level (National Library of Medicine, 2021; Bury et al., 2024)
• Only ~40% of autistic adults are employed across longitudinal studies (Bury et al., 2024 — 8-year longitudinal study)
• Only 5% of autistic individuals earn more than $40,000/year
• Autistic adults earn an average of $3.50/hour less than coworkers without disabilities
• 69% of unemployed autistic adults want to work (National Autistic Society, 2016)
• 70,000 autistic youth enter workforce age annually in the US (Wharton/New Way Air Bearings)

The Irony: Two Massive Crises That Solve Each Other

Companies Actively Hiring Autistic Workers

Tech (Well-Known Programs)

• SAP — Autism at Work (200+ autistic employees integrated; teams with autistic members filed 43% more patents)
• Microsoft — Autism Hiring Program (16% increase in product quality metrics on teams with autistic members)
• JPMorgan Chase — Autism at Work (autistic employees were 90-140% more productive and made 30% fewer errors in certain processes)
• Dell, IBM, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Procter & Gamble, Ford, UPS

Manufacturing-Specific (This Is Our Lane)

• New Way Air Bearings (Aston, PA) — "Autism in Manufacturing" program, running since ~2017. Partners with Montgomery County IU's IDEAS4U program. Used as model for other manufacturers. President Nick Hackett speaks nationally on autism-at-work in manufacturing.
• FALA Technologies (Kingston, NY) — Advanced manufacturer (semiconductor, aerospace, green energy). NY State Certified Apprenticeship program training neurodivergent people in: CNC Machining, Toolmaking, Electro-Mechanical Technology, Welding, Quality Assurance Auditing, Industrial Manufacturing Technology, Maintenance Mechanics. Partners with Resource Center for Accessible Living.
• Volkswagen — Provides autism support modules for employees' autistic children; exploring neurodiversity hiring
• Autism Workforce (staffing organization) — Places autistic workers in IT, customer service, distribution centers, and production lines

Strengths Autistic Workers Bring to Manufacturing

Barriers to Manufacturing Employment

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2. Existing Workforce Training Programs

Project SEARCH (+ ASD Supports)

• Model: 9-month, workplace-immersion program for transition-age youth with disabilities. Interns rotate through 3 worksite rotations at a host business.
• Results with ASD Supports: 73-94% of autistic participants achieved employment within 1 year of completion (vs. 12-17% in control groups — Wehman et al.)
• Limitation: Mostly healthcare/service settings. Not manufacturing-focused. Limited scale. Requires host employer commitment.

Autism at Work Programs (SAP, Microsoft, JPMorgan, etc.)

• Model: Modified recruiting (no traditional interviews), onboarding support, workplace coaches, sensory accommodations
• Results: High retention, significant productivity gains (90-140% at JPMorgan)
• Limitation: Almost entirely tech/white-collar. Not designed for manufacturing shop floors.

State Vocational Rehabilitation (VR)

• Model: State-funded services to help people with disabilities find employment. Assessment, training, job coaching, placement.
• Limitation: Underfunded, long waitlists, counselors rarely understand manufacturing jobs, training is generic not industry-specific, VR counselors often steer autistic individuals toward low-skill, low-wage work.

WIOA (Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act)

• Requires states to spend 15% of VR funds on pre-employment transition services for youth with disabilities
• ASAN has been a strong advocate for WIOA protections
• Provides framework but not manufacturing-specific training content

Autism Workforce (Staffing Org)

• Places autistic workers including in distribution and production lines
• Provides employer training and worker support
• Manufacturing placements exist but limited

TACT (Denver-based nonprofit)

• Connects autistic adults to trade jobs
• Rocky Mountain PBS featured them in 2024
• Emerging model — small scale

IDEAS4U (Montgomery County, PA)

• Interview Day Employment Awareness Showcase
• Prepares high-functioning autistic students for workforce transition
• New Way Air Bearings participates as employer partner

What's Missing Across ALL Programs

1. No manufacturing-specific training curriculum designed for autistic learners
2. No technology-assisted instruction — still relying on human trainers with variable quality
3. No skill transferability mapping — if you learn one task, what else can you do?
4. No self-paced, repeatable training — learner must keep up with class or trainer
5. No way to reduce social anxiety of asking questions/requesting help
6. No standardized progress tracking that gives employers hiring confidence
7. No sensory-adapted training environments — thrown into full factory from day one

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3. Why Manufacturing Is Actually Ideal for Autistic Workers

The Skills Match Is Almost Perfect

Manufacturing work rewards exactly the cognitive profile many autistic individuals have:

• Procedures matter more than personality. Manufacturing values people who follow SOPs to the letter.
• Consistency is a feature, not a bug. The "sameness preference" that can be challenging socially is a superpower on the production floor.
• Quality requires pattern recognition. Spotting the defective part in a batch of 1,000 is natural for many autistic individuals.
• Repetition is the job, not a punishment. Many neurotypical workers burn out on repetitive tasks. Autistic workers often thrive.
• Structured environments reduce anxiety. Manufacturing has shifts, stations, defined roles — structure.
• Less social performance required. Assembly, inspection, and machining are often solo or small-team tasks.

Case Studies

New Way Air Bearings — Autism in Manufacturing Program

• Precision air bearing manufacturer in Pennsylvania
• Program running 3+ years (since ~2017)
• Partners with local school district IU for transition-age autistic youth
• Employees perform real production work
• VP Shawn Garrison: "These students are coming in to be an asset to New Way. We're doing our part here to change lives."
• Used as a model case study at B.PHL Innovation Fest

FALA Technologies — Neurodivergent Manufacturing Apprenticeships

• Advanced manufacturer for semiconductor, aerospace, and green energy
• NY State Certified Apprenticeship in 7 manufacturing roles
• Pre-apprenticeship partnership with Resource Center for Accessible Living
• Trains people with disabilities (including autism) for:
  • CNC Machining
  • Toolmaking
  • Welding
  • Quality Assurance Auditing
  • Electro-Mechanical Technology
  • Industrial Manufacturing Technology
  • Maintenance Mechanics
• Featured by EARN (Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion)

Industrial Sector Case Study (Academic)

• Published 2025 in Rehabilitation Counselors and Educators Journal
• "Autism Initiative in the Industrial Sector: A Case Study" — collaboration between medium-sized industrial company and human services provider
• Documents successful model for manufacturing autism employment

The Two-Sided Crisis

SUPPLY: 5.4 million autistic adults in the US, 85% unemployed, majority want to work
DEMAND: 1.9 million manufacturing jobs going unfilled by 2033
GAP:    Training methodology — not capability, not willingness

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4. How Skill Graphs + AI + AR Glasses Solve the Training Gap

Why Traditional Manufacturing Training Fails Autistic Learners

How AR Glasses + skillia.AI Solve Each Problem

The AR + Autism Research Foundation

• Stanford/Brain Power research has shown AR smartglasses are well-tolerated by autistic children and adults (PMC 2017, 2018)
• AR glasses provide real-time visual cues and coaching that autistic users respond to positively
• Published research in Frontiers in Pediatrics confirms feasibility of autism-focused AR smartglasses for behavioral and social coaching
• Meta Ray-Ban glasses are lightweight, look normal (reduces stigma), and have voice AI built in

Skill Graph Innovation

Traditional training: "Can you do Job X? Yes/No."

skillia.AI approach:

Job X = [Sub-skill A + Sub-skill B + Sub-skill C + Sub-skill D]
Job Y = [Sub-skill A + Sub-skill B + Sub-skill E + Sub-skill F]

If learner masters Job X → they already have 50% of Job Y.
AI recommends Job Y as next learning path.

This is transformative for autistic workers because:

1. Reveals hidden capability — even partial task mastery unlocks adjacent jobs
2. Creates career pathways — not just one job, but a progression
3. Gives employers a talent pipeline — "This person can do 3 roles, not just 1"
4. Reduces training time — don't re-teach what's already mastered

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5. The Business Case

Cost of Autism Unemployment

• Lifetime social cost per autistic individual: $3.5 million (2020 study, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders)
• Total lifetime social costs of autism in the US: $7+ trillion (equivalent to ~2 years of total federal revenue)
• Annual economic burden: $268 billion projected for 2025 (Buescher et al.)
• 36% of costs supporting autistic adults are attributed to lost employment (Buescher et al., 2014)
• $1+ billion in lost earnings annually from unemployment/underemployment of young autistic adults alone

Cost of Manufacturing Labor Shortage

• 1.9 million manufacturing jobs unfilled by 2033 (Deloitte/Manufacturing Institute)
• $1 trillion in lost GDP potential from unfilled manufacturing positions (NAM estimates)
• Average cost to leave a manufacturing position unfilled: $5,000-$10,000/month in lost productivity
• Training/turnover cost per manufacturing worker: $5,000-$30,000 depending on role

ROI of Hiring Autistic Workers

Government Incentives for Employers

Funding Beyond the Meta Grant

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6. Potential Partners Beyond TACA

Autism Employment Organizations

• Autism Workforce — staffing firm, already places in production/distribution
• Specialisterne — global social enterprise, pioneers of autism employment (founded Denmark, now US operations)
• ASAN (Autistic Self Advocacy Network) — policy advocacy, WIOA expertise
• Autism Speaks — Workplace Inclusion Now — employer resources program
• Organization for Autism Research (OAR) — research-backed employment resources
• AASCEND — Autistic Adults and other Stakeholders Engaged in Neurodiversity

Manufacturing Workforce Organizations

• The Manufacturing Institute (NAM's workforce arm) — Heroes MAKE America, STEP Ahead, workforce research
• National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) — 14,000+ member companies
• NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) — 51 centers nationwide, workforce development mandate
• SME (Society of Manufacturing Engineers) — training and certification
• State/regional Manufacturing Workforce Boards

Disability Employment Networks

• EARN (Employer Assistance and Resource Network) — already features FALA Technologies case study
• ODEP (Office of Disability Employment Policy) — federal policy, best practices
• National Disability Institute — neurodiversity workforce brief published
• Easter Seals — workforce training for all disabilities including autism
• Goodwill Industries — manufacturing/warehouse training programs

Vocational Rehabilitation

• State VR agencies (every state has one) — primary funder of disability employment services
• CSAVR (Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation) — national coordination
• Job Accommodation Network (JAN) — free accommodation consulting

Academic Research Partners

• VCU Autism Center for Excellence — Project SEARCH + ASD Supports research
• Wharton School — autism employment economics research
• University of Illinois — autism workforce case studies (Phillips, Tansey et al.)
• Michigan State University — Project SEARCH outcomes research (Sung et al., 2023)
• Stanford — Brain Power — AR smartglasses for autism research

Companies with Autism Hiring Programs (Potential Pilot Partners)

• FALA Technologies — already doing neurodivergent manufacturing apprenticeships
• New Way Air Bearings — proven Autism in Manufacturing program
• Manufacturing companies seeking to address labor shortage through neurodiversity

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7. The Narrative for the Meta Grant

The Elevator Pitch

85% of autistic adults are unemployed. 1.9 million manufacturing jobs can't be filled. The barrier isn't capability — it's training methodology. Meta AI glasses + skillia.AI's skill graphs are the bridge.

The Story Arc

1. The Crisis: Two parallel disasters — autistic adults can't get jobs, manufacturers can't find workers
2. The Irony: Autistic cognitive strengths (precision, consistency, pattern recognition, procedure-following) are exactly what manufacturing needs
3. The Real Barrier: Training methods designed for neurotypical learners. Verbal instructions, tribal knowledge, social learning, sink-or-swim. These don't work for autistic learners.
4. The Solution: Meta AI glasses deliver visual, step-by-step, self-paced, consistent manufacturing training directly in the work context. No need to ask for help. No social anxiety. No variation between trainers. AI-powered skill graphs reveal transferable capabilities and career pathways.
5. The Impact:
   • Autistic adults gain employment, income, independence, and dignity
   • Manufacturers gain reliable, high-quality workers in roles they can't fill
   • Society saves billions in support costs while gaining productive taxpaying citizens
   • Families gain peace of mind that their autistic family member has a career, not just a job

Why This Wins the Grant

Alignment with Meta's Goals:

• The grant explicitly seeks "positive societal and economic progress"
• This is a Catalyst Grant ($200K) — for "new, high-impact applications using Meta's Device Access Toolkit"
• Meta wants to showcase glasses as transformative assistive technology
• Autism + manufacturing is an emotionally compelling, economically massive, technically innovative application

This Is NOT Charity. It's Economic Infrastructure.

• Every autistic person employed in manufacturing saves society $3.5M in lifetime support costs
• Every manufacturing job filled adds to GDP and reduces offshoring pressure
• JPMorgan data shows these workers are MORE productive, not less
• Government incentives (WOTC, VR funding) subsidize the hiring
• The training platform becomes an ongoing revenue business (employers pay for training that works)

Differentiation from Other Grant Applicants:

• Not a social media app for glasses
• Not a consumer convenience feature
• Solves two massive, quantified societal problems simultaneously
• Has a clear nonprofit partner (TACA) with autism community credibility
• Has a technology platform (skillia.AI) with manufacturing expertise
• Research-backed (AR glasses + autism studies show feasibility and tolerability)
• Clear path to sustainability beyond grant period (employer-funded model)

Key Metrics to Promise

The Closing Line

"Every day, autistic adults sit at home wanting to work while manufacturers struggle to fill production lines. The problem was never capability — it was how we train. Meta AI glasses give us the tool. skillia.AI gives us the intelligence. TACA gives us the community. Together, we give autistic individuals what they deserve: a career."

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