{"id":5944,"date":"2022-04-07T10:36:59","date_gmt":"2022-04-07T14:36:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/?p=5944"},"modified":"2023-12-11T16:54:30","modified_gmt":"2023-12-11T21:54:30","slug":"following-our-own-best-practices-internship-t-step-the-diversity-movement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/following-our-own-best-practices-internship-t-step-the-diversity-movement\/","title":{"rendered":"Following Our Own Best Practices: Internship, T-STEP, and The Diversity Movement"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><button id=\"listenButton1\" class=\"responsivevoice-button\" type=\"button\" value=\"Play\" title=\"ResponsiveVoice Tap to Start\/Stop Speech\"><span>&#128266; Listen to this article<\/span><\/button>\n        <script>\n            listenButton1.onclick = function(){\n                if(responsiveVoice.isPlaying()){\n                    responsiveVoice.cancel();\n                }else{\n                    responsiveVoice.speak(\"Author\u2019s Note: As DEI experts, The Diversity Movement often advises client organizations to recruit and hire interns from underrepresented groups and become mentors or sponsors to increase belonging (which leads to greater bottom-line results). We recognize the impact of internships, mentorship, and sponsorship, and are committed to modeling the best practices we recommend throughout our own organization. This article is just one example. In the early Fall of 2021, I received my first email from the T-STEP program at the University of North Carolina\u2019s School of Medicine in partnership with Wake Tech Community College. They were looking for volunteers to mentor unpaid interns for the duration of a school semester. As the Programming and Curriculum Manager at a small but fast-growing company, the thought of securing an eager, qualified intern for 3 months was a dream! T-STEP stands for the TEACCH School Transition to Employment and Postsecondary Education, and was developed to support the transition to employment and post-secondary education for 16-21-year-olds with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The acronym TEACCH within their name stands for teaching, expanding, appreciating, collaborating, cooperating and being holistic \u2013 the core values of the program\u2019s approach to autism treatment and support.\u00a0 As a volunteer mentor, I would be assigned one student intern who would contribute to any project of my choice for twenty hours throughout the semester. In return, I would meet with the student for 15-30 minutes each week to review their work and discuss strategies related to time management, organization, asking for help, and more.\u00a0 I really didn\u2019t know what to expect when I signed up to be a mentor. As mentioned above, T-STEP students range in age from 16-21 and also identify on various points of the autism spectrum. Would my student be able to complete the task I was hoping they would? Would they show up on time to our meetings? Would they be a clear communicator? The answer to all of the above questions was a resounding yes! My intern was polite, prompt, and needed very little to no help with the work assigned on a week-to-week basis. In exchange for just 15-30 minutes each week, the return on investment was strong. The experience brought to life the lessons we teach in our online courses and the advice we give to our clients: people with neurodiversity bring highly sought-after skills to the table. In fact, research shows time and again that neurodiversity is a significant business advantage. A report by JPMorgan Chase found in Financial Times (paywall) that professionals in its Autism at Work initiative made fewer errors and were 90-140% more productive than employees without neurodiversity.\u00a0 Additionally, a study by the Institute for Corporate Productivity found that 86% of employers rated employees with intellectual and developmental disabilities as very good in four out of four areas critical to business success. Study after study shows that people with neurodiversity \u2013 whether it is Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, dyslexia, or more \u2013 make exceptional employees. My T-STEP intern was no exception. Throughout the semester, my intern remained focused and engaged with the same meticulous task our company direly needed to complete. That task was to review nearly 400 pieces of content (blogs, podcasts, webinars, guidebooks, etc.) and add keyword tags to each piece so that our content database would be more easily searchable by all employees within the organization.\u00a0 It may seem like a small task, but the impact was significant. Rather than scrolling through hundreds of blogs, employees could now search for a specific word, such as \u201cbias,\u201d and see every piece of content that mentioned the topic. It increased internal efficiency and allowed us to better target content to our clients and audience. My intern needed just a bit of coaching here and there and was always receptive and quick to integrate feedback. The internship experience was truly a win-win. This semester, we\u2019ve welcomed two more T-STEP interns, both residing within the content-marketing team. These interns are currently working on data entry, content categorization, and copyediting, helping our team become more efficient and effective. Their contributions have been invaluable as they\u2019ve integrated seamlessly into our organization.\u00a0 We are proud supporters of T-STEP\u2019s mission and hope we have given our interns at least half of what they have given us. Kaela Sosa, CDE, is Curriculum and Programming Manager at The Diversity Movement as well as one of its founding members. With a degree in Psychology and Gender Studies, Kaela has fought for the visibility and acknowledgement of issues pertaining to underrepresented groups for nearly a decade. Connect with her on Linkedin.\", \"US English Male\");\n                }\n            };\n        <\/script>\n    <\/br><br \/>\n<i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Author\u2019s Note: <\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As DEI experts, The Diversity Movement often advises client organizations to recruit and hire interns from underrepresented groups and become mentors or sponsors to increase belonging (which leads to greater bottom-line results). We recognize the impact of internships, mentorship, and sponsorship, and are committed to modeling the best practices we recommend throughout our own organization. This article is just one example.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the early Fall of 2021, I received my first email from the T-STEP program at the University of North Carolina\u2019s School of Medicine in partnership with Wake Tech Community College. They were looking for volunteers to mentor unpaid interns for the duration of a school semester. As the Programming and Curriculum Manager at a small but fast-growing company, the thought of securing an eager, qualified intern for 3 months was a dream!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">T-STEP stands for the TEACCH School Transition to Employment and Postsecondary Education, and was <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/teacch.com\/cllc\/t-step-teacch-school-transition-to-employment-and-postsecondary-education\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">developed to support the transition to employment and post-secondary education for 16-21-year-olds with Autism Spectrum Disorder<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The acronym TEACCH within their name stands for teaching, expanding, appreciating, collaborating, cooperating and being holistic \u2013 the core values of the program\u2019s approach to autism treatment and support.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/library\/%20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-8878 size-large lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/NEW-TDM-Library-Display-Ad_Large-C-1024x341.png\" alt=\"TDM Library: your one-stop-shop for update, expert DEI Resources. Explore the platform with a free trial. Click here to learn more.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"341\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/NEW-TDM-Library-Display-Ad_Large-C-1024x341.png 1024w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/NEW-TDM-Library-Display-Ad_Large-C-600x200.png 600w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/NEW-TDM-Library-Display-Ad_Large-C-300x100.png 300w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/NEW-TDM-Library-Display-Ad_Large-C-768x256.png 768w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/NEW-TDM-Library-Display-Ad_Large-C.png 1200w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/341;\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As a volunteer mentor, I would be assigned one student intern who would contribute to any project of my choice for twenty hours throughout the semester. In return, I would meet with the student for 15-30 minutes each week to review their work and discuss strategies related to time management, organization, asking for help, and more.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I really didn\u2019t know what to expect when I signed up to be a mentor. As mentioned above, T-STEP students range in age from 16-21 and also identify on various points of the autism spectrum. Would my student be able to complete the task I was hoping they would? Would they show up on time to our meetings? Would they be a clear communicator?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The answer to all of the above questions was a resounding yes! My intern was polite, prompt, and needed very little to no help with the work assigned on a week-to-week basis. In exchange for just 15-30 minutes each week, the return on investment was strong.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The experience brought to life the lessons we teach in our <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/courses\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">online courses<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and the advice we give to our clients: people with neurodiversity bring highly sought-after skills to the table.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In fact, research shows time and again that neurodiversity is a significant business advantage. A report by JPMorgan Chase found in <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Financial Times<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (paywall) that professionals in its Autism at Work initiative <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/forbeshumanresourcescouncil\/2022\/02\/15\/neurodiversity-and-the-workplace\/?sh=5801df1c2a22\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">made fewer errors and were 90-140% more productive than employees without neurodiversity.<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Additionally, a study by the Institute for Corporate Productivity found that 86% of employers rated employees with intellectual and developmental disabilities as <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ey.com\/en_gl\/forensic-integrity-services\/how-to-get-the-benefits-of-a-neurodiverse-workforce\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">very good in four out of four areas critical to business success<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Study after study shows that people with neurodiversity \u2013 whether it is Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, dyslexia, or more \u2013 make exceptional employees. My T-STEP intern was no exception.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Throughout the semester, my intern remained focused and engaged with the same meticulous task our company direly needed to complete. That task was to review nearly 400 pieces of content (blogs, podcasts, webinars, guidebooks, etc.) and add keyword tags to each piece so that our content database would be more easily searchable by all employees within the organization.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It may seem like a small task, but the impact was significant. Rather than scrolling through hundreds of blogs, employees could now search for a specific word, such as \u201cbias,\u201d and see every piece of content that mentioned the topic. It increased internal efficiency and allowed us to better target content to our clients and audience. My intern needed just a bit of coaching here and there and was always receptive and quick to integrate feedback. The internship experience was truly a win-win.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This semester, we\u2019ve welcomed two more T-STEP interns, both residing within the content-marketing team. These interns are currently working on data entry, content categorization, and copyediting, helping our team become more efficient and effective. Their contributions have been invaluable as they\u2019ve integrated seamlessly into our organization.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We are proud supporters of T-STEP\u2019s mission and hope we have given our interns at least half of what they have given us.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/library\/%20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-8045 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/TDM-Library-Footer-Ad-C-1024x85.png\" alt=\"Display ad for TDM Library. Text says &quot;Find more content like this in TDM Library. Start my free trial&quot;\" width=\"1024\" height=\"85\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/TDM-Library-Footer-Ad-C-1024x85.png 1024w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/TDM-Library-Footer-Ad-C-600x50.png 600w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/TDM-Library-Footer-Ad-C-300x25.png 300w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/TDM-Library-Footer-Ad-C-768x64.png 768w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/TDM-Library-Footer-Ad-C.png 1200w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/85;\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/team\/kaela-sosa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kaela Sosa<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, CDE, is Curriculum and Programming Manager at The Diversity Movement as well as one of its founding members. With a degree in Psychology and Gender Studies, Kaela has fought for the visibility and acknowledgement of issues pertaining to underrepresented groups for nearly a decade. Connect with her on <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/kaela-kovach-galton\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Linkedin<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Author\u2019s Note: As DEI experts, The Diversity Movement often advises client organizations to recruit and hire interns from underrepresented groups and become mentors or sponsors to increase belonging (which leads15<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5945,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[58,5],"tags":[86,84,79],"tdm_type":[92],"class_list":["post-5944","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-trends-industry-insights","category-blogs","tag-disability-accessability","tag-neurodiversity","tag-personal-stories","tdm_type-articles"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Following Our Own Best Practices: Internship, T-STEP, and The Diversity Movement - The Diversity Movement<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As DEI experts, The Diversity Movement often advises client organizations to recruit and hire interns from underrepresented groups and become mentors or sponsors to increase 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