OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – For adults who have autism or are neurodivergent, finding and holding a job can present challenges.
To help support them and provide them with the skills to enter the workforce, one local nonprofit is teaching them how to repair technology.
[Watch video below to see how program works]
“Techtonic is helping individuals with autism, and uplifting their skill set in their careers and giving them meaningful employment that can help give them a pathway for a full-time career,” Chief Impact Officer at Techtonic Christopher Jöhncke said.
Techtonic, a part of the nonprofit Jonathan’s Landing, runs technology repair workshops across Central Florida. It has now partnered with Osceola County Schools, allowing the group to bring the course to the classroom.
“Say a student who’s 21- or 22-years old ages out of high school, so, they can no longer come into our programs and work. So, if a student like that has someone who lives with them at home to take care of them, that’s okay for them to do that.But at one point they’re going to lose that ability to have someone take care of them,” Executive Director of Career and Technical Education for the School District of Osceola County Timothy Burdette said.
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“So, to have these skills and to come in here and learn them and to be able to get a living wage that they can take care of themselves is huge for us. Our students in regular education programs they get credentials that help them get jobs. This is helping these men and women get jobs.”
Independence is just one of the benefits; the program also addresses a gap in an increasingly technology-driven world.
“There’s a shortage of technicians of about 20,000 techs within the industry. Every organization, every large company, and every manufacturer needs techs. We also need techs at Techtonic,” Jöhncke added.
“We’re utilizing our skill sets in education and delivering the curriculum to advance those individuals and bring them into the technology space, and we want to keep those jobs here in Central Florida and help them with finding meaningful career pathways within the cell phone, tablet and computer repair space.”
Many of the instructors are also adults with autism, teaching students how to fix iPhones, tablets and laptops while serving as an example of what’s possible.
“Can you tell me a little bit about what this experience has been like for you?” News 6 Reporter Stephanie Rodriguez asked several students taking part in the workshop.
“Amazing,” senior Farrah replied.
“Yeah, definitely a lot of learning, but something I definitely am interested in doing in the future,” junior Lennox said.
If you want to help the Techtonic team, they are running the “Million Device Drive,” a campaign to collect one million phones, tablets, and other devices—new, used, or damaged—to teach these skills to neurodiverse individuals. To donate, click here. For more information on Jonathan’s Landing and Techtonic, visit their website.
