Autistic Founders and Advocates Share Their Vision for a More Inclusive Workplace

Recently, there has been a greater awareness of the importance of diversity and inclusion in the workplace, especially as businesses recognize its impact on building a more open society and strengthening business performance. This inclusion also includes accepting professionals from various neurotypes, including autistic individuals.

Tech giants like Microsoft recruit and train neurodivergent individuals—including autistic individuals—in various roles within the company. These individuals are recruited through a specialized process that takes into account their unique needs; for example, the program uses the popular video game series Minecraft as a tool for team-building exercises during the hiring process. video game populer Minecraft sebagai alat untuk latihan membangun tim selama proses perekrutan.

But what about the tech startup ecosystem in Southeast Asia? Are we doing enough? What lessons can we learn from our peers in Silicon Valley?

Finding a place to feel safe

First, we must start by understanding the urgency of this situation.

In Singapore, according to data from KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital and National University Hospital, one in 150 children in the country has autism. This figure is higher than the global figure released by the World Health Organization (WHO) of one in 160 children. The data further details that there were 4,400 children in 2014—a 76 percent increase from the 2,500 in 2010.

Autism is a lifelong condition with no cure. These children will eventually become adults with all their strengths and weaknesses. As adults, living independently and finding employment are undoubtedly their (and their caregivers') top priorities.

Subsequently, what are the challenges faced by autistic individuals in the workplace?

Maisie Soesantyo, founder of Autistic Career Pathways, explains that recruitment is where the challenges begin for autistic individuals seeking employment. She explains that not many companies openly announce their willingness to hire and accommodate autistic individuals.

This impacts self-advocacy for autistic individuals.

"It is irrelevant how exceptional your intellect may be; your talent holds no significance. If you’re not empowered to advocate for yourself from the start, if you’re not encouraged to do so, you’re going to fail,” Soesantyo said.

“We have differences in sensory processing. That means our senses are calibrated differently. So for me, I’m hypersensitive to noise, temperature changes, crowds… And unfortunately, there’s nothing we can do about it because we live in this world with all its stimulating input,” she continued, describing her personal experience as an autistic individual. “Also, of course, we’re expected to perform well in any job we take… You fake it until you make it, but it’s very difficult. This takes a toll on our mental health.”

When asked about the challenges autistic individuals face in the workplace, Gita Sjahrir, co-founder of Indonesia-based Ride Jakarta, emphasized the uniqueness of each autistic individual and the specific challenges they may face.

“When we think about the professional world, my biggest struggles lie in executive function and also the ability to read people and their subtext, as well as their body language. I’m actually really bad at this… [but] I see it as a positive thing because it allows people to speak to me in a very clear way,” he explained.

“Like, ‘Let’s set expectations. Let’s do something with numbers. Let’s set these metrics.’ Because this is what I’ve noticed is often lost in the professional world because of politics and drama. Problems arise because expectations aren’t expressed,” he asserted, adding that he also struggles to maintain eye contact and regulate energy levels.

Like any entrepreneur, fundraising is a challenging process for Sjahrir. But as an autistic professional, the challenges seem even more daunting.

“What’s considered a potentially successful entrepreneur’ can be anything, depending on the current mood. Often, it doesn’t meet the criteria according to society’s perception, regardless of who the decision-maker is,” he asserted. "And we need to be more open about it. Because this not only impacts neurodivergent people but also women, who traditionally raise significantly less funding than men for similar types of ideas and at similar investment stages."

The challenges he faced as an autistic person were precisely the reason Sjahrir entered the world of entrepreneurship. After years of trying to adapt to neurotypical (non-autistic) ways of socializing and interacting in the workplace and seeing the impact it had on her self-esteem, she decided to build her own company where he could create a culture for individuals like himself.

She built a company culture that took a more open and relaxed approach to mental health care and empowered her team with mental health apps. Along the way, Sjahrir even found people who appreciated her way of communicating.

What the business world can do

Meanwhile, in a post contributed to e27, serial entrepreneur Jeremy Foo wrote about his experience with dyslexia and how it influenced his approach to entrepreneurship.

“I realized from an early age that mixing up letters and struggling to follow written instructions made me almost invincible to failure. I didn’t avoid it; I expected it,” he said.

This experience makes us wonder whether certain professions or industries are better suited for neurodivergent professionals, including autistic people.

For Sjahrir, the opportunity lies in founding startups, enabling autistic people to build a company culture that aligns with the needs of their neurotypical counterparts and others who may share similar experiences. startup, sehingga memungkinkan penyandang autis membangun budaya perusahaan yang sesuai dengan kebutuhan neurotipe mereka dan orang lain yang mungkin memiliki pengalaman yang sama.

Soesantyo points out that companies in major tech hubs like Silicon Valley are leading the way in embracing the neurodiversity movement. However, they still tend to focus on “one type” of autistic talent—those who work as engineers or developers—when there is a wide range of skills an autistic professional might possess.

Another step businesses can take is to approach job recruitment differently. Soesantyo explains that employers can start by being open to different types of metrics for screening neurodivergent job seekers.

“Instead of just looking at numbers, talent, and abilities, you can use other means to get to know job seekers and help them stand out in the best way possible. I think some companies in the Bay Area are already using video interviews,” he said.

“I think accountability goes both ways. Hiring managers and neurodivergent candidates need to have an open conversation from the start.”

From awareness to acceptance

In May 2021, tech billionaire Elon Musk revealed that he has Asperger's Syndrome—a condition now included in the autism spectrum disorder category in the American Psychiatric Association's fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-V), the “bible” for the assessment and diagnosis of mental disorders.

When promoting awareness and acceptance of autistic individuals in society, one might wonder whether public figures' openness about their diagnosis will have a positive impact.

"Elon Musk, Sir Anthony Hopkins, and other famous people reveal their diagnoses when they feel the need to. It's more for them. Not necessarily for the rest of the world,” Soesantyo said.

According to him, the only way to create an inclusive society is to learn to be less judgmental of others who are different.

"Often we become a major distraction when we make judgments and say things like, 'Oh, you're so smart, you can't be autistic.' My message is that autism doesn't discriminate," he said.

In her closing statement, Sjahrir emphasized the importance of listening to neurodivergent people.

 

This article was written by Anisa Menur A. Maulani and is a translation of the original. For the original version, please click this link: https://e27.co/autistic-founders-advocates-share-their-vision-of-a-more-inclusive-workplace-20220331/