Library Cafe Employs Barista with Autism

About 90% of adults with autism are unemployed, so kudos to any employer that makes an effort to give them a chance and reduce that percentage. The Matador Coffee Shop in Scottsdale Public Library (Arizona, USA) has done just that, teaming up with The Southwest Austism Research and Resource Center to employ Jon, a barista with Aspergers. [Story & video via ABC 15]

“This was the first company that gave me a chance,” said Jon who has been looking for a job for the past six years.

More: http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/region_northeast_valley/scottsdale/Autistic-barista-thrives-in-Scottsdale-library-coffee-shop#ixzz2OvYCQcui

The One-Wheel Future?

No, it’s not a motorized unicycle. The RYNO has a self-balancing mechanism, so you don’t have to be an acrobat to ride it. Great thing about this vehicle, it’s small enough to take up the elevator to your apartment, or on public transport (if they allow it). If you think the RYNO’s compact, how about the Solowheel (bottom vid)? Also self-balancing, but you can tote the Solowheel like a briefcase (it has a carrying handle). Small footprint, space-wise, fuel-wise and carbon-wise.

An Interview with Dr Peter Flom on Nonverbal Learning Disorder

“Dr. Peter Flom, Ph.D., talks in this podcast about living with a rare learning disability known as NLD, which stands for nonverbal learning disability. He is a learning disabled adult. When he was five, a psychologist told his parents he would never go to college. Undaunted, his mother teamed with Elizabeth Freidus to start The Gateway School of New York. Peter got his B.A. at 20, and now he has two master’s degrees and a Ph.D. in psychometrics.” [quoted from the page at mentalhelp.net]