A new program in Texas, sponsored by Dallas College, just launched and aims to aid high-functioning Autistic adults in getting into the workplace. Dallas College happens to be the only college in the entire state of Texas with this program, which is known as the Uniquely Abled Academy (UAA).

Upon completion of their coursework, UAA students will typically obtain a certification of “National College Certificate of Completion,” according to Uniquely Abled Academy’s website and potentially other certificates, including: “National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS) credentials, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Safety Certificate, Tooling U-SME Training Program/Certificate (or equivalent) [and/or] ACT WorkKeys Certificate (or equivalent).” Graduates also receive, “Items they have made during class instruction, mock interview and soft skills coaching, a completed and up-to-date resume, [and] scheduled job interviews.”

The UAA at Eastfield began on Sept. 16 as a single-semester course to train autistic students in machine parts. 

There are plans to create a UAA course for welding in the future as well. 

So far, the demand for North Texas is in Machining and the National Tooling and Machining Association (NTMA) has partnered with Dallas College to find suitable candidates.

When asked why focus specifically on Autistic adults with level 1 Autism, Dr. Tiffany Polk, a psychologist in T Building and directly involved in UAA, answered: “It is so far been proven that these autistic individuals once they enter an industry, like machining, would require precision and focus, that they are very good at just honing in on that one thing and making sure that it’s almost perfect.” 

Thanks to a grant provided by the National Science Foundation (NSF), UAA is provided at no cost to students for three years. 

This grant also covers two other programs that have a wider scope: Hugs Training Academy, which will train students with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) for culinary and hospitality jobs; and Project Aspire, which aims to help IDD students function in the workplace.  

Unlike UAA or “Hugs,” which are 15 and 12-week courses respectively, Project Aspire is a 10-course curriculum that grants certifications in “Customer Care Agent” and “Workplace Readiness Skills.”

The UAA at Eastfield promises to provide jobs from chain shops for machinists, with salary rates of $41,600 a year. This puts students who gain apprenticeship through UAA a salary range around the 25th percentile of job pay compared to the national average of 46,360 according to Salary.com’s statistics.