Spotlight: Jessica Fernandez

Jessica Fernandez, 27, is graduating from the University of Central Florida's College of Medicine next week. She is about to become a member of a small group: Approximately two percent of practicing doctors have a disability. Originally from Venezuela, Fernandez was born with spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia, a rare genetic disorder that affects bone growth, making her shorter than average. She uses an electric wheelchair when she works in the hospital due to hip and back pain. Last summer, Fernandez underwent surgery in Delaware to stabilize her cervical spine. She spent her recovery time studying for her board exams.

In the spring of 2017, Fernandez spoke at the Coalition for Disability Access in Health Science and Medical Education Symposium at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. She talked about the importance of empathy and compassion while practicing medicine. An inspiration to her classmates and professors, Fernandez has not let her disability stop her from becoming a doctor. After graduation, she plans to enter a residency program, specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation. For more details on this story from the Spring 2018 issue of Pegasus Magazine, go to https://www.ucf.edu/pegasus/healing-through-understanding/.

The University of Central Florida's logo

(image from Wikipedia)

Spotlight: Rising Tide Car Wash

John D'Eri and his son Tom founded Rising Tide Car Wash in April 2013 so that Tom's brother Andrew, who has autism, would have a place to work. All Rising Tide employees, who are on the autism spectrum, completed 25 hours of training through SONNY's CarWash College. The company also has operations and management internship and leadership programs and an online course for business owners who want to hire people with autism. The recipient of several awards, Rising Tide has been featured in newspapers, magazines, and a Facebook video. Rising Tide has two locations in south Florida: Parkland and Margate. For more information, go to http://risingtidecarwash.com/.

Rising Tide Car Wash logo

(image from forumfornonprofits.org)

Spotlight: No Label at the Table

In honor of National Autism Awareness Month and World Autism Day, today's post is about a gluten-free/dairy-free bakery at which young adults on the autism spectrum work. Shelly Henley, who has a 20-year-old son with autism, founded the No Label at the Table Food Company, which opened in Carmel, Indiana, last month. A couple of years ago, Henley's son expressed interest in being a chef at a restaurant. Aware there are relatively few job opportunities for people with autism, Henley decided to start a business where they can receive job skills training. No Label at the Table was featured in the February issue of the magazine Woman's Day. If you don't live near Carmel, you can order the company's baked goods at their website https://nolabelatthetable.com/.

No Label at the Table logo

(image from nolabelatthetable.com)