She took matters into her own hands and founded One&All, a specialised organisation, offering day programs to train participants to move towards independence, employment or social enterprise.
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Wolman echoes the sentiments of Cox, but says many workplaces are not equipped to deal with disabilities. Managers need training, and staff need compassion training and education.
“There is very little understanding of what diversity entails, and the wide gamut of disabilities that we live among, both visible and invisible. Stigmas, stereotypes, and judgments abound. Some workspaces call themselves inclusive, but this is lip service,” Wolman says.
“Barriers need to be broken down. This is not only about acceptance but education, authentic integration and action. They need to accommodate for and support people with disabilities. Inclusion is not just an allowance.”
Technology opportunities
Geoffrey Smith is the chief executive of Australian Spatial Analytics, a not-for-profit social enterprise which provides autistic and neurodivergent people with careers in big data. Smith founded his company to change paradigms around employment.
“There is a clear stigma around hiring neurodivergent people, which stems from a fear of the unknown,” said Smith.
Many neurodivergent people are excellent at technology, he adds, but they face multiple barriers to entering and remaining in the tech workforce, including archaic recruitment practices that involve neurodivergent-unfriendly job ads and interviews.
Eighty per cent of Australian Spatial Analytics’ workforce is neurodivergent, with most coming from Disability Employment Service providers. The company provides a supportive workplace, including environmental and management adjustments, to help overcome challenges.
“Our workplaces have dedicated support staff; with a focus on life skills coaching, mentoring and personal development. Our staff ensure our data analysts feel comfortable, capable and included,” he says.
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On board are user-friendly recruitment processes which include providing questions 48 hours in advance. “Once employed, we implement requested accommodations, which are usually minor such as turning the lights down, wearing noise-cancelling headphones and flexible work times.”
A shift is under way
Smith is confident the narrative around autism employment in professional workplaces is slowly changing. “We’ve had more online job ads calling for neurodiverse applicants than ever before, which is a sign that perceptions are shifting about what an autistic employee is capable of.”
Yet, corporate Australia can do a lot more to support people with disabilities, he says.
“They can procure from social enterprises so people with disabilities are included in their supply chains, and partner with specialist recruitment organisations to increase the retention of people from diverse backgrounds.”
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