Dr. Temple Grandin speaks at “Hacking Tech Employment: Innovative Approaches to Jobs in Technology for People with Autism” at The Commons on Champa on July 8, 2015.
With her signature straightforwardness and Western-style shirt, Dr. Temple Grandin told how tech companies can work with the underutilized resource of people on the autism spectrum:
“Clear goals. You can’t just say just develop apps for phones. (Rather) Develop an app for some specific purpose, it’s got to have some specific outcome, on some specific platform,” said Grandin, during the “Hacking Tech Employment: Innovative Job Paths for People with Autism” at The Commons on Champa.
Grandin, a professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, is known for sharing how she handles her own autism and has achieved much more than most people. Her story was starring actress Claire Danes.
“If they’re doing something really rude, you’ve got to just explain it to them. There’s a scene in the HBO movie that when my boss slammed down the deodorant and said, ‘You stink. Use it.’ That actually happened. Pull them aside and say I’ve got to talk to them about their hygiene. You cannot be subtle.”
The session, which coincided with the going on now in Denver, also hosted a forum with Phil McKinney, executive director Mark Grein, CEO of Jonathan Parnell and local .
Grein, whose company works with employers to hire and support those within the autism spectrum, said that many qualified job candidates are eliminated at the start because of electronic screening asks confusing questions or about job experience or college education. Those that do make it past that first step usually fumble during the interview. Recruiters tend to use scripted questions and may be bothered by personality traits like a lack of enthusiasm.
“We know that 80 to 85 percent of the population is unemployed or underemployed. If they haven’t gone to the right schools, they’re not going to get past the electronic screening,” Grein said.
Companies must change the interview and hiring process, and what comes afterward. They need to make sure there’s someone around — not necessarily a boss — to support employees with autism.
“Performance reviews don’t take into account neural diversification,” said McKinney, who is also the CEO of CableLabs and founded Hacking Autism while .
The session pointed to one local example, , whose founder Bill Morris was in the audience. Blue Star hires most workers with autism because they excel at some of the repetitive tasks like taking apart electronics and sorting out the parts. The Colorado Springs company, which , has zero turnover. Blue Star is now working with other employers to create a program to employ such staff.
Other advice shared included:
• If you are using electronic screening, know what you’re screening for. That will help you understand why you may be missing good candidates.
• Have clear goals. Say what you mean, mean what you say.
• Have a sustainable system, which includes replacing managers and other support when those people move on to other jobs
• Start early by reaching out to a prospective workforce while they are still in school.
• Job candidates can differentiate themselves by getting certified in various technology software, like or .
• Companies should reach out to agencies and other organizations that can recommend qualified candidates. Specialisterne, which operates , helps connect employers with qualified workers. In Denver, the office of economic development to help the unemployed and underemployed find tech jobs (details at ). On Feb. 29, 2016, Hacking Autism plans to host a hackathon to figure out new ways to unite workers with employers.
“One geeky, nerdy kid goes to Hollywood and makes a Jurassic Park movie. Another goes to Silicon Valley. Then there’s another one who is playing video games on social security. He definitely should not be there,” said Grandin. “We need to introduce that kid to all the interesting things in the tech industry in the ninth grade, the eighth grade. That’s when we need to be getting to them.”
