“It’s not about what a company can do for people with autism but what skilled people with autism can do for the company.”
I first learned about Talks at Google several years ago. It was at the same time I was about to give my very first TEDxTalk about ‘College & Autism.’ They were very similar although a Talks at Google didn’t have to just be 18 minutes in length. When I was told that Google Cambridge wanted to hear me speak on The ROI Benefits of Hiring People with Autism and other Special Needs.
This is a topic I’ve spoken on as someone who has been told ‘no’ and has also found meaningful employment on the autism spectrum today as a full-time professional public speaker. I today have heard the stories of countless individuals with special needs as a life coach and mentor.
In our society – the majority of individuals with autism are unemployed or underemployed. Some facts I would like you to know though include that employees with autism are…
- More likely to stay at a job longer reducing employee turnover
- Have Lower absentee rates
- 87% of customers say they prefer shopping at stores and with companies that hire employees with disabilities
- Have higher company standing once/if an employee leaves because of the diversity that was offered
Some companies to this day also ask me about the question of ‘how will it affect our bottom line’. This question doesn’t only come up when giving consultations to human resource departments but also when speaking to employees in general as part of special events to promote diversity & inclusion. In terms of reasonable accommodations for example, many are surprised to hear that almost half of those accommodations cost a company nothing at all.
I was glad I had the opportunity to provide resources and I hope to be able to do this for many companies in the future.
Would you like me to give a talk at your company? Email me for more details!
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