The fourth, and final, blog post detailing the first annual Autism Investment Conference is around the topic of supports and services. This area of focus for the autism community is of special interest to CB&A, as we’ve recently launched our Special Needs Division to help companies raise awareness for new products and services specifically for children and adults with special needs.
Children on the autism spectrum depend on educational and therapeutic services to facilitate with learning and communication, and to gain skills important to their daily living. Adults count on vocational services, residential supports and even recreational programs. And, with the spectrum being so diverse, there is a need for products and resources of a wide variety.
One of the presenters at the conference was Steve Perricone of Semperical. According to Perricone, 85% of adults with autism are unemployed or underemployed. And, 80% of them live at home. There is a definite need for a societal shift in thinking. Semperical is a high-performance software testing and QA machine. Its specialized program unleashes the incredible natural talents of engineers on the autism spectrum. Perricone shared various customer testimonials to demonstrate that its engineers deliver twice as fast with double the accuracy of their neuro-typical counterparts. The company employs adults with autism across the country since much of the work can be accomplished remotely.
These stories inspire us. More companies should realize the value and skill-set of individuals with autism and other special needs. There is amazing talent out there just waiting to be discovered! The mindset of society and perceptions need to be altered. It’s true we need to be aware of what autism is, but it’s even more important to accept people on the autism spectrum. Awareness and acceptance go hand-in-hand.
What other companies do you know of that are offering jobs to individuals with special needs? Share them here!