Eric can be found on the 2nd floor of the main building, where he helps with filing for the underwriters, among other tasks.

Originally members of the Workers Comp staff at Princeton Insurance, Eric and Robert now work in the Underwriting Department. They report directly to Rita Rivera, quality assurance supervisor.

Eric’s job responsibilities have changed quite a bit since he first came to Princeton in 1998. “I used to do scanning and indexing, but now I pull mail for Underwriting, look up files in ECHOS and I do some filing,” said Eric. “It is a new and very different job.”

Additionally, he is learning to pick up policies from the underwriters’ desks to reshelf and also reshelf cancelled policies.

Robert’s job has also changed. “I assembled policies in the other building,” explained Robert, who said that he enjoys his new job. “Here I’m doing filing and scanning.”

Robert said he loves his job at Princeton Insurance.

He is also learning how to pull policies and deliver them to the underwriters.

When asked what he likes most about working at Princeton Insurance, Robert said, “I like filing and I have friendly coworkers. I love everything about my job.”

Jennifer Cwynar, a PCDI life skills coach who visits Eric and Robert during the work day to monitor their progress and job performance, noted that the underwriting staff members keep Eric and Robert very busy during the day. “Underwriting is an extremely active department; Eric and Robert always have a lot of work to do,” she said.

Eric spends time with two of PCDI's life-skills coaches, Amy (middle) and Jennifer.

“We are so proud of both of them and all they have accomplished,” Jennifer added.

Amy Kimble-Willuski, who first came to Princeton in September, also works with Eric and Robert as a life skills coach. She noted that the office setting has proven to be a good choice for their job placement.

“I think Princeton Insurance provides a really good environment for them,” she said. “They have nice coworkers who are very supportive.”

Greg MacDuff, the director of adult and community living programs, has been with PCDI for 30 years. He agrees with Amy that Princeton Insurance has provided an enriching setting in which Robert and Eric have been able to learn and grow.

Greg MacDuff urges Princeton employees to tell him, Amy or Jennifer about conversations or interactions they have with Eric or Robert. "Employees' feedback will help us teach Robert and Eric to improve, both socially and professionally," he said.

“It’s so wonderful having them at Princeton Insurance,” said Greg, emphasizing the fact that Rita has been an exceptional supervisor to Eric and Robert. “If they display any kind of deficit or behavioral problem, Rita is very good at letting us know. She conducts annual performance reviews with them, which helps us to gauge how they are doing as employees.

“The nice thing about it too is that she works directly with Eric and Robert – she treats them just like she does any other employee,” he added. “It’s our job to help them meet those expectations.”

A new apartment

In September 2005, Eric moved in to his first apartment. He lives with a roommate named Will who is also a participant in the PCDI adult life-skills program. Located in the Plainsboro Deer Run Complex, Eric’s apartment is much closer to work than his previous residence in Edison, NJ where he lived with is family.

“I was very nervous when I first moved into my new apartment,” said Eric. “But I feel much better now.”

Eric said he enjoys cooking at his new place. He listed hot dogs, macaroni and cheese and ranch chicken, a new recipe, as some of his favorite things to make.

A life skills coach who lives a few doors down from Eric and Will checks in on them regularly to make sure all is going well. Greg said that the visits will become less and less frequent as Eric and Will begin to acquire the skills they need to live alone.

Robert lives in Hamilton, NJ with his mom and dad. However, Robert noted that he doesn’t plan on staying there for much longer. “I’m going to have my own apartment some day,” he said in a matter-of-fact tone.

When they’re not working, Eric and Robert like to spend a lot of time with their families. Eric usually visits his family on the weekends.

“Eric is very family-oriented,” noted Greg. “He cares about his family deeply and wants to participate in family events.”

Greg shared a story that exemplifies Robert’s love for spending time with family.  “Rob’s elderly grandfather continues to conduct nightly algebra sessions with him,” he said. “Even though Robert is out of school, he participates in the sessions because he knows it makes his grandfather happy.”

About PCDI

“The institute offers programs to people under age two to adulthood,” explained Greg. “There is early intervention for students under the age of three, education and an adult program for people over the age of 21.”

Eric and Robert spend time with Jennifer and another life-skills coach at the company summer barbecue.

Greg said that PCDI currently has 29 students in the education program – four in the early intervention program and 17 in the adult program.

The program for school-age children runs six and a half hours a day, Monday through Friday. In addition, they offer home programming in which a staff member will follow students home to work with their family members in order to provide consistency between what they are learning in school and what they are learning at home.

“Unlike public school, PCDI individualizes its programs to meet each person’s needs,” explained Greg. “They teach such subjects as language, social skills, how to play and socialize, and more.

“The students do not learn through observation – they have to be taught everything directly. As they get older, we teach them work-related skills,” he added.

Greg said the adult program is helpful for autistic children when they are ready to make the transition from school to the work force.

“At PCDI, children can take a break every 15 minutes, but they can’t do that in the real world. So in the adult program, we teach them how to accept new rules, such as how to receive feedback and how to meet the dress code. Things you or I may take for granted are things they have to be taught, like how to ask for assistance, social interaction skills, what you can and cannot say to coworkers and how to answer questions without sounding egotistical.”

Eric commented on how the adult program has been helpful to him. “I learn about different jobs and job interviews. My favorite school subject is social skills,” he said.

“Math and spelling were my favorite subjects,” added Robert. “But I’m done with school now.”

PCDI in the corporate world

In order to find jobs for the participants in the Adult Life-Skills Program, Greg said that they contact human resources departments and try to set-up interviews. “We tell them what we do and how we operate. We ask them to give our students a chance,” he said.

“Our students always prove themselves,” added Greg. “Eric paved the way here for Robert. Hopefully, Princeton Insurance will want to hire more of our students in the future.”

Interacting with Eric and Robert

For employees who may still be unsure about or uncomfortable with talking to Eric or Robert, Greg offered some advice. “They’re people. Just treat them like you treat other people,” he urged. “Talk to them like you would one another. And please – tell us if there’s a problem or something they need to improve upon.”

Greg explained that most possible workplace situations have been rehearsed with Eric and Robert, so that they know what is appropriate to say and exactly how to respond during interaction with a coworker.

Eric and Robert rarely miss a Lunch & Learn session. Here, Eric learns a valuable lesson about investing money as Paul Mathewson hands him 50 cents, demonstrating how one invested dollar can turn into $1.50.

“Eric and Robert may not know how to act in a particular circumstance, so we rehearse it with them,” said Greg. “If folks are forthcoming with us, and give us feedback about how they are doing and how they respond and react to their coworkers, we can really help them to improve.”

Jennifer said that she has noticed improvement in Robert since he first came to Princeton Insurance.

“Robert was very shy but once he started to get to know everyone in the office, he came out of his shell,” said Jennifer. “Now he looks happy all the time. He especially likes going out to lunch with his coworkers.”

Amy, Jennifer, Eric and Robert at the company holiday party.

Greg added, “A lot of the time, these guys would rather be with coworkers instead of Jen and Amy. This tells us they don’t want to stand out or be identified as ‘different.’ That’s the best indicator that we are doing a good job.”

For more information about PCDI or autism, go to the PCDI Web site.