Entrepreneur with Autism (Graham)

by WaveOttawaNo Comments
As a person on the Autism spectrum, I have always believed that people on the spectrum have the will to make it on their own, and even be able to found their own business venture. Therefore, it didn't take me long to find this perfect article: http://blog.theautismsite.com/business-owners/2/ In the above article link if you go to the second entry you will find the young man I am about to cheer on! Joe Steffy from Kansas City, is an Autistic man who also has Downs Syndrome, and is non-verbal. Faced with the claim that he would have to live in a group home, and wouldn't be able to hold down a job. He not only found a job but, found his very own business in 2005. The business was named "Poppin' Joes Gourmet Kettle Corn". He is the sole proprietor in the company. Joe is involved in popping, seasoning, and bagging many different varieties of popcorn. Joe even acts as a manager...
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Touching and Autism

by WaveOttawaNo Comments
Living with Autism is living on spectrum. It is a condition that affects people in different ways. This April for Autism Awareness Month some WAVE volunteers and apprentices will be sharing their perspectives on common beliefs, myths, and misunderstanding related to Autism Spectrum Disorder. It is a commonly held belief that people with autism don’t like to be touched. In fact physical contact with someone with autism can incite a wide variety of reactions depending on the individual. Some people on the spectrum are hypersensitive to touch, especially if it’s unexpected or too invasive. A hypersensitive person might even reject certain types of clothing due to how it feels on their skin. Too much stimulation can lead to someone with hypersensitivity experiencing sensory overload. It should be noted that they often don’t have control over their condition, and will need to calm down in a safe and controllable environment. On the other hand, there are individuals who are hyposensitive to touch, which...
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Humour and Autism

by WaveOttawaNo Comments
Living with Autism is living on spectrum. It is a condition that affects people in different ways. This April for Autism Awareness Month some WAVE volunteers and apprentices will be sharing their perspectives on common beliefs, myths, and misunderstanding related to Autism Spectrum Disorder. It’s a common misconception that people on the autism spectrum lack a sense of humour. In reality though, people with autism can have a sense of humour that is just as well developed as neurotypicals. It’s just often different. Comedian Dan Aykroyd, writer and star of the little known 1984 film Ghostbusters, was diagnosed with Aspergers syndrome as an adult. In 2013 Aykroyd said he was inspired to write Ghostbusters by his twin “obsessions” with ghosts and law enforcement. For most people these two subjects would seem pretty disconnected and not particularly funny in and of themselves. But Aykroyd’s unique perspective allowed him to combine the two. Michael McCreary is an autistic stand-up comedian in his early 20s. His...
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September 28, 2016

by WaveOttawaNo Comments
Hey, this is Graham Hackett, returning to posting the WAVE Blog after a great summer vacation! Today, me and the rest of Group 1 went to our usual base - McKellar Park. While there, we worked on making individual lists of our personal strengths and weaknesses, followed by a "SWAT Analysis" (listing our strengths and weaknesses as well as possible opportunities and threats when searching for potential jobs). After lunch and heading back to Dovercourt, we each took a "career interest" test online, followed by a job searching session based on the results we got on that test....
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June 15, 2016

by WaveOttawaNo Comments
Hello, it's Graham again Today was the last day of WAVE classes for the Wednesday group. My day at WAVE with my group began with our usual  walk to Mckellar Park. While there, we worked on constructing cover letters to go with our resumes. After that, we did some job and volunteer searching. My half of the job and volunteer searching involved applying for a job at Shopper's Drug Mart. After returning to Dovercourt, we reviewed audio clips of each of our job interviews from last week, offering each other commentary on how we behaved during it (i.e. our tone of voice and our confidence). After that, seeing as it was the last day of WAVE, we ended it off by playing two group-oriented games outside of the building - Charades and "Sell This Rock", the latter of which involved pairing in groups of two (acting as the seller and customer respectively), discussing the selling points of the titular rock. This has...
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June 1, 2016

by WaveOttawaNo Comments
Hey, it's Graham again Today, my group walked over to McKellar Park, where we discussed proper behavior, body language. and appearance during a job interview, followed by job and volunteer searching. After returning to Dovercourt and having lunch, we discussed common job interview questions. After that, we all filled out our personal goals for the month of June. Next week, we'll be doing more mock interviews....
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May 11, 2016

by WaveOttawaNo Comments
Hey, this is Graham Today, me and the rest of the group (including one new and one newish member) walked over to McKellar Park to watch a video about customer service, followed by a lesson on it. After that, we went outside of the building to participate in a group exercise during which we practice good customer service by taking on the roles of employee and customer. After returning to Dovercourt and having lunch, we made plans for next week's Dovercourt garage sale. After the time of this writing, we will be filling in a job application as a group...
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April 27, 2016

by WaveOttawaNo Comments
Hey, this is Graham! Today, I went with my group to the Carlingwood library to do some leisurely reading, as well as use the library's computers to type messages to our program's coordinator describing what we were doing at the library, and where we were going after. After that, we walked over to the Carlingwood Shopping Centre, where the group applied to stores of choice and dropped off their resumes. After returning to Dovercourt and having lunch, we worked as a group in filling out job application forms on Wal-Mart's official website, pretending to apply for a job there. P.S.: From May 18-19, there will be garage sale going on at Dovercourt. Come out and support our group!...
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April 20, 2016

by WaveOttawaNo Comments
Today, my group went to McKellar Park, where we all discussed "9 ways to make a great first impression" on a potential employer or co-worker. Later on, after returning to Dovercourt and having lunch, we had the chance to apply those lessons by partaking in mock interviews with two men associated with Dovercourt. I did quite well overall in my interview, though it became apparent that I still will need to work on honing my eye contact skills for any future interviews... and I will gladly keep working on that! Graham...
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April 13, 2016

by WaveOttawa1 Comment
Hey, this is Graham! Today, I took the bus with my group over to the St. Laurent Shopping Centre to scout out stores of our choice and hand in our resumes. I handed copies of my resume to three different stores - One of them, the HMV, said they would consider me if they have a spot open. However, another shop, named Green Earth, actually did say they were hiring. Therefore, I handed a copy of my resume to them, and they might contact me about an interview! After having snacks in the food court of St. Laurent, we took the bus back to Dovercourt and worked on job and volunteer searching....
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