FACT’s Networking Ambassador

By Christina Kantzavelos

Imagine walking into a room full of business hungry entrepreneurs, lawyers, doctors, business owners, insurance agents, and so forth on the first Wednesday of every month to network your heart out. A group of people who most likely would not think about working with young adults with developmental disabilities, and if so, would have a far advanced social stigma towards that population.

Imagine the person who walks into that room is William Wagnon, FACT’s very own ambassador on the Autism spectrum. Wagnon without limitation is able to sell FACT’s services almost immediately, and put the stigma on Autism to rest.

FACT began embracing the West LA Chamber of Commerce in November of 2011, a local community resource that gives us an opportunity to receive free or heavily discounted services from fellow members. Such as Score, which is a nonprofit association dedicated to helping small businesses start, grow, and succeed nationwide (www.score.org). Score also helps in giving FACT advice on business endeavors, and auditing. In addition, their representatives work one-on-one with our transitional aged adults to assist and support them on their career paths.

In addition, FACT teams up with a lot of the small businesses at the chamber to help find work for our transitional adults in the GAP program, as well as help with the organization’s fundraising events. When I first started attending the First Wednesday breakfasts at the chamber four months ago, I was saddened to see not that much success stem from it. As much as I spoke about the amazing adults in our GAP program, businesses were still apprehensive about taking them in, even for free. When it comes to business trainee-ships, only a handful of our students have gotten to have this experience, and that is due to a lot of local businesses not wanting the extra ‘stress’ of having to deal with someone who is handicapped, even if that person is more than capable, and has a job coach with them along the way. The stigma of Autism truly prevents potential positive opportunities. I even had a few business owners assume that Down Syndrome was the same as Autism. But since bringing in Wagnon, things have changed, especially the perceptions of these hungry business owners

When I have my minute to speak on behalf of FACT at the networking tables, instead of people picturing someone almost paraplegic when I mention ‘on the spectrum’ they see William, and realize, wow, these are regular people, just like me. William is an amazing and charming networker. Since he has joined, we have had many businesses come into GAP and give our adults lectures and presentations on their occupation to aid with our students’ ‘year of discovery.’ We have also had the chance to present our Red Cross presentation to businesses, and made networking connections with various businesses that will potentially be future employers of our students. We look forward to future fruitful experiences from both the chamber, and William Wagner.