Unemployment among Americans with disabilities has hovered in the double digits for all but two months since the Bureau of Labor Statistics started keeping track in June 2008. Last week, Rutgers University announced plans that take aim at that problem, with the help of a donation from former Viacom, CBS, and Sirius XM Radio CEO Mel Karmazin. The university says it plans to open the Rutgers Center for Adult Autism Services on its New Brunswick campus, which will provide adults with autism resources to live and work independently with the support of clinical staff and Rutgers graduate students. The first of the center’s two buildings — slated to open in the fall of 2018 — will offer life skills training to about 60 autistic adults. The second building will provide apartment-style residence for 20 adults with autism who will live alongside Rutgers graduate students. The goal of the program is to capitalize on the campus setting — its public transit system, recreational facilities, and large supply of hourly jobs — to provide individuals with autism the support needed to live fulfilling lives. The center’s clientele will have access to the university’s athletic and arts facilities and will be placed in jobs around campus, from the bookstore to the library to a university-run farm nearby.
Source/More: Fortune
