In observance of Autism Awareness Month (also referred to as Autism Acceptance Month), The Container Store joins the global effort to advocate for equitable access and rights for individuals identified with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
Throughout the month of April, there will be opportunities to educate, increase awareness, and support causes that impact autistic people. These efforts will be open to our employees, partners, and customers and are driven by The Container Store's Abilities Employee Resource Group, which is a forum for our employees to support and advocate for disability inclusion.
Here's how we're honoring Autism Awareness Month...
Companywide
On April 5 we will host From Awareness to Acceptance, a one-hour conversation featuring speakers that will share different perspectives on how to educate and advocate for disability inclusion. These speakers include:
- Mecca Mitchell, Senior Vice President and Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer at Burlington Stores, Inc., who will share insight on the work Burlington is doing to advance disability inclusion efforts.
- Claudine Tudgay, our Senior Director Payroll and Benefits, and Justin Padilla, our Benefits Manager, who will give an overview of existing and new benefits TCS offers that support employees and dependents of employees with autism.
- Caryle Jones, General Manager of our Arlington, TX, store, and Leslie Morgan, our Digital Production Designer, who will share insight on their experiences as a caregiver of a child with autism and an autistic employee, respectively.
In the Community
As part of our commitment to give back to causes that are important to our employees and customers, we are inviting our employees and customers to support the Autistic Self Advocacy Network by making a contribution to support their efforts in advancing the principles of the disability rights movement with regard to autism.
The Autistic Self Advocacy Network is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization run by and for autistic people. ASAN is a national grassroots disability rights organization for the autistic community. They fight for disability rights and work to make sure autistic people are included in policymaking, so that laws and policies meet our community's needs.
The campaign will run throughout the month of April with the donation being presented to ASAN on April 30th. If you would like to support this effort, please click here!
As we recognize Autism Awareness Month, let us all be mindful of the everyday things each of us can do to promote disability inclusion.
