Darren Blough and Stacie Sherman have represented Autism New Jersey at events across the state, explaining how the organization serves and supports members of the neurodiverse community.
That advocacy work is familiar territory for nonprofits — and is often directed toward individuals and families seeking services or ways to get involved.
Their visit to this week’s ReNew Jersey Business Summit & Expo, however, was different.
Blough and Sherman were there to engage directly with the state’s business community — educating employers about Autism New Jersey’s work while exploring opportunities for partnership.
“We got a booth as part of our broader effort to make New Jersey as autism‑friendly as possible,” Sherman, the organization’s communications director, said.
“We’ve done that work with law enforcement, training officers. We’ve done it with health care, partnering with doctors and hospitals. And we’d love to do the same with businesses — showing them how they can be more autism‑friendly.”
Blough, Autism New Jersey’s director of public policy and clinical partnerships, said the effort starts with education and awareness.
“We want businesses to know about us,” he said. “We can provide resources and support to help promote autism‑friendly practices in different ways — whether it’s creating better experiences for autistic customers walking through the front door, or helping employers recognize that the autism community includes a large population of highly employable individuals when the right supports and resources are in place.”
The two arrived at the event with few expectations.
They left energized.
“It was awesome,” Sherman said. “People were very interested in why we were there.
“We both ran out of business cards.”
