This father and software entrepreneur is improving the employment prospects of people around the world who are on the autism spectrum. His reason is simple. His son (who is on the autism spectrum) inspired him to do so.
Danish software entrepreneur Thorkil Sonne is reaping the rewards of being able to see what people on the autism spectrum can do instead of what they can't.
His Copenhagen-based software-testing firm, Specialisterne (Danish for 'the specialists'), established in 2005, pulls in annual revenues in excess of $2 million. His client roster includes Microsoft and Oracle.
Sonne had been struck by the extraordinary memory skills and eye for detail exhibited by his young son, Lars, who had been diagnosed with autism at the age of three. Sonne noted that these skills would be very useful for employees in the software-testing industry. That observation -- coupled with a desire to create employment for autistic people -- led to the launch of Specialisterne.
In a recent interview with The Harvard Business Review, Sonne stressed that the personalized approach that works well when it comes to hiring and managing employees on the autism spectrum serves his other workers just as well:
'We just find them the right role. That takes tremendous stress off them...The key is to find situations that fit employees' personalities and ambitions, not force everybody into one mold. That just causes stress, and workplaces already produce too much of that.'
Sonne recently launched Specialist People Foundation, a not-for-profit organization that will create even more employment opportunities for people on the autism spectrum world-wide.
Now over to you:
What do you think about Sonne's efforts to create employment opportunities for people on the autism spectrum? What kind of supports are there for people on the autism spectrum in your community who are employed in the paid labor market?
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