Heads up! To view this whole video, sign in with your Courses account or enroll in your free 7-day trial. Sign In Enroll
Preview
Start a free Courses trial
to watch this video
Neurodiversity: Understanding Autism & Employment with FIDGETECH
47:30 with TreehouseIn this session, Dr. Justine Haigh, David Karstens, and For Cheng discuss the benefits of hiring people with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder), how to prepare for employment with ASD, and considerations for success.
Presentation Slides (Right Click + Save Link As):
Related Discussions
Have questions about this video? Start a discussion with the community and Treehouse staff.
Sign upRelated Discussions
Have questions about this video? Start a discussion with the community and Treehouse staff.
Sign up
I'm so excited to welcome up,
David Karstens, For Cheng, and Dr.
0:04
Justine Haigh with Fidgetech.
0:08
Fidgetech is a nonprofit organization in
Portland metro that creates technology
0:10
focused programs for young adults on
the autism spectrum age 17 and up.
0:16
Dr. Karstens along with Dr.
0:22
Haigh, Jeanna Johnson is one of
the co founders of FIDGETECH.
0:24
Justine Haigh is the President,
Director and Co-founder of FIDGETECH.
0:28
And she holds a PhD in consumer behavior,
Master's in Innovation Entrepreneurship,
0:34
and a Bachelors of Science
in behavioral sciences.
0:40
He is also the director of,
0:43
[INAUDIBLE] programme at
George Fox University in Oregon.
0:46
Fortune is an engineering manager, Years,
0:50
including software engineering,
Product Marketing, and program management.
0:58
He is also involved in the inclusion
facilitating workshops,
1:04
and managing in monthly DNI newsletter.
1:10
He graduated from the University
of Oregon and Bath college.
1:13
Currently, he is a doctoral candidate in
the DBA program of George Fox University
1:17
working on his thesis in the area
of neurodiversity hiring.
1:24
It's so lovely to have you three here,
I'm going to hand it over to you,
1:28
take it away.
1:33
>> Thank you, thanks so
much, Ryan, good to see you.
1:34
Yeah, that was awesome
introduction by Ryan.
1:38
Welcome everything session, we're really
passionate about about this topic.
1:43
[INAUDIBLE] The fact that I have
an adult son of the office and
1:47
stuff with Daniel, he's 22 years old now.
1:53
And recently before the outbreak
he was hired at Nike,
1:57
as an order processing person,
[INAUDIBLE] the orders.
2:03
And his, [INAUDIBLE] but he's amazing,
and he has awesome energy, and
2:09
a great outlook.
2:13
And bringing him up,
I realized that people on the spectrum
2:15
are amazing individuals, and
they have so much to offer.
2:20
And so sometimes it's just
helping facilitate that, so
2:25
I personally first time
experienced that with my son.
2:28
Okay, did you wanna things to adds.
2:32
>> So, I'm Ryan already kind of
explain who we are and what you,
2:44
basically, if you check basically
means technology focused.
2:49
So when my son was about,
I guess we've had 11,
2:54
I noticed that he was obsessed with
technology and working on the computer.
2:57
And so, it just became our obvious name,
[LAUGH] FIDGETECH, technology focus.
3:01
And we've been going for about five years
now as Ryan said, we're a nonprofit.
3:07
We're serving people on
the spectrum 17 and over,
3:11
before COVID we had a number of in
person as well as online classes, but
3:15
now because of the COVID
we've transition to online.
3:20
Harley-Davidson, and some part was good,
and I think our secret sauce is just
3:24
that we have the most amazing trainers and
people that work with us and volunteers.
3:28
And so we're only as good as
our people really, okay guys?
3:32
>> Sorry, video,
>> Okay,
3:38
so today we're gonna talk about
just real quickly what is ASD, and
3:44
some research that's shown the benefits
of hiring people on the autism spectrum.
3:49
Then we're gonna actually give you some
useful like preparing for employment.
3:55
And then what companies
are currently doing to prepare for
4:00
nerve diverse workforce.
4:05
And then finally some considerations,
and tips for your success, okay, Jeff?
4:08
So just a few terms here, we see all
these terms and we're like, wait,
4:16
what is it, what does it mean?
4:21
[LAUGH] So often you'll see Asperger's
associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
4:23
Asperger's is no longer used, but
4:29
in its day it was to describe somebody
who may be more high-functioning
4:32
on the autism spectrum disorder,
but now it's no longer being used.
4:37
So often we call it ASD spectrum and
4:42
a typical would be somebody who's
not on the autism spectrum,
4:44
neurodiversity and neurotypical so
this is diverse thinking styles.
4:48
So when you hear it associated
with employment, or
4:53
what companies are doing
to become neurodiverse.
4:56
This means that they are diligently and
purposely trying to attract and
4:59
recruit and maintain people who
have diverse thinking styles.
5:04
So we're really happy about that, [LAUGH].
5:09
Okay, Jeff So why is this important?
5:14
Why is autism become such
an important topic in society today?
5:19
And that's because in
the 1970s when I was born,
5:24
only 1i n 20,000 people were diagnosed
with autism spectrum disorder.
5:27
So I kind of every 2 to 4
years this rate changes,
5:32
just 4 years ago is 166,
2 years ago is 159.
5:37
And today the recent
CDC stats say it's 154.
5:42
So this is becoming
a society wide situation.
5:46
And so what can we do then to
accommodate neurodiverse people?
5:53
Okay, Jeff?
5:58
So the problem is people with on the
autism spectrum don't often have the same
6:02
path to independence that others do.
6:07
And not knowing how, where, who,
or why, or what to get there.
6:10
They often find themselves
stuck in their rooms.
6:15
I know plenty of young adults on the
spectrum who basically are up all night,
6:18
playing video games,
and sitting in the day.
6:22
Because they don't have
a clear path to employment.
6:25
And so obviously,
being the parent of a 22 year old,
6:28
I felt like there must be something
that can be done about this,
6:31
because of your guy's amazing talents,
gifts, and talents.
6:34
We need to figure out how to create
that bridge of opportunity, okay, Jeff?
6:37
So although I'm impacted socially,
6:49
people on the spectrum often have
really amazing gifts and talents.
6:51
And some things that people have found
through research is a photographic memory.
6:55
My son definitely has a photographic
memory, a passion recognition.
7:00
Often they're attracted to things like
Mathematics, programming, cybersecurity,
7:04
and they have a really amazing ability
to concentrate on things that they love,
7:09
which is for us is technology, right?
7:14
And so you should be utilizing
all these gifts and strengths.
7:16
And so, the fact that there's not a bridge
or employment that currently exists,
7:20
this is become our absolute
passion to make this happen.
7:25
Okay, Jeff?
7:28
So at FIDGETECH,
7:34
our goal has become to help young people
on the autism spectrum find internships.
7:35
And obviously,
jobs by collaborating with other people
7:41
we're deeply committed to diversity and
inclusion.
7:45
So working with tech companies, and
other training services such as Treehouse,
7:49
just other people that want
to connect with us and
7:54
congregate with us around
this particular cause.
7:57
And we've noticed that people who are
passionate about this endeavor are amazing
8:01
people to work with.
8:05
So it's actually a real joy
to be in this type of work.
8:07
And to see people just achieved
things beyond what we even knew or
8:10
anticipated when we first
started the organisation.
8:17
So we're really excited because
it's not just our idea.
8:22
[LAUGH] A lot of prominent companies
have actually reformed their processes,
8:26
or have startup efforts to create
neurodiverse opportunities.
8:32
And so
these are just some of the companies here.
8:37
Some of them such as Hewlett Packard,
Packard in California, obviously,
8:39
Microsoft and Intel.
8:43
He's getting interested in becoming
neurodiverse, I'm here locally.
8:44
I have been doing this now for five years.
8:49
And so, we're really excited
that the momentum is growing.
8:51
And there's a lot of smaller organizations
now too that are getting on board.
8:56
Such as where David is
currently working on xTrue,
9:00
they've just hired somebody on the autism
spectrum as a junior programmer.
9:03
So he's been to our programs.
9:08
So we're really excited
that both small and
9:09
large organizations have
put this on their agenda.
9:12
Okay, you can change it.
9:16
So some of the benefits we found from
research of hiring people on the spectrum.
9:20
I think I'm gonna have
four jump in here and
9:26
talk a little bit about
this with his experience.
9:28
>> Yeah, hi everyone.
9:30
So, I'm very interested in this
topic because I have a son
9:33
that Asperger, he's 22, so
his in this transition.
9:38
So I look into some of the benefits of how
9:43
these people can benefit
the employee if they have new hire.
9:48
So this group of people are very reliable,
honest,
9:56
and, They will over the office politics.
10:01
They are very tolerance in some
sort of repetition and routine.
10:05
They actually lighter the office
environment that has,
10:10
and also like many companies like HP,
10:16
in that they are actually
hiring these people to come
10:20
in to do the validation
work in computer software.
10:26
In the vibration world, do require
people to run through the test again and
10:31
again and observe some of the practices
that are out of ordinary.
10:38
So they are really good to
spot those kind of situation.
10:44
The people attention to detail.
10:49
They really demand accuracy.
10:52
And also, Justin just mentioned
photographic memory is also a good area,
10:55
so matching them to the right
area is also important.
11:02
Some has really good strong logic,
talent in math,
11:07
talent in programming and so on.
11:12
Some are talent in the arts music, so
11:15
many different fields can be
benefit from this group of people.
11:18
And also, as Steve mentioned,
they are pretty drawn
11:24
into the technology field,
scientific research and so on.
11:28
My son really loves science and
always kind of dig deeper and deeper,
11:33
sometimes even hear technology come from
my company before I hear myself, so.
11:38
>> [LAUGH]
>> Next slide.
11:44
>> Yeah, I'll jump in with
a couple of the next slide for.
11:47
I mean, definitely.
11:59
Okay, sorry.
12:01
[LAUGH] So for NI, what we've been
doing is we've been looking at
12:03
research from these big companies who
we showed you on a few slides ago.
12:07
They're starting to produce articles and
research articles, obviously,
12:11
directing the doctoral
program at George Fox and for
12:15
his students in that program and
doing his research, obviously [INAUDIBLE].
12:18
Some of the big companies have saw some
really interesting statistical facts about
12:23
the people who work there on
the autism spectrum disorder.
12:28
So for example,
12:31
the software testing teams at HP are 30%
more productive than the other groups.
12:32
They've seen huge strides on quality
improvement and I think again,
12:38
this helps just the people it needs
to make sure attention to detail,
12:43
make sure it's right.
12:49
Like on when he checks his orders at Nike,
like he won't pass an order unless it's
12:51
absolutely perfect, because he wants
to make sure that that's exactly right.
12:55
So and also things like in innovation, SAP
and also HP overboard reported examples
13:00
of huge brigades generated by
people on the autism spectrum.
13:07
A few other things in the improved
processes, so Microsoft, for
13:22
example, I've said in just improving
processes to help assimilate
13:27
people on the autism spectrum has
improved their processes overall.
13:31
Which is always a good thing,
such as improved communication,
13:36
how do we communicate things not
only verbally, but visually.
13:41
How do we make sure that everybody's on
the same page when we're working together?
13:45
We have it,
we're seeing the problem the same way.
13:49
So just making sure that everybody is
understanding what's happening has
13:52
improved communication across
the organization in general.
13:55
Okay, next slide.
13:59
So, from my own firsthand experience,
my son working
14:05
within his team at Nike, and
they loved him working there.
14:09
And he was just he just a light to
the office, he brings like a joy and
14:15
excitement and energy.
14:19
He loves working and it actually
makes other people's lives better.
14:21
Having people who are neuro diverse, so
thinking differently is a good thing.
14:25
And it brings a kind of a burst of
energy and new thinking styles,
14:30
new communication styles.
14:35
It just helps the overall
general feel of the office.
14:37
They also make really loyal
employees because they
14:41
are thankful to have the opportunity.
14:45
And because they love to have that
repetition and to work hard, and make some
14:48
absolutely brilliant, excellent employees
that are loyal to the organization.
14:53
And then, of course, reputation,
we all need to be more diverse,
14:59
of course, in general and
including neuro diversity, right?
15:03
So organizations need to be
thinking about diversifying and
15:08
also being inclusionary for
people on the autism spectrum.
15:12
Okay, I think we're gonna talk a little
bit more now about some pointers as
15:19
you prepare from employment.
15:24
And then after David covers this, then
he's gonna talk about what organizations
15:26
are doing with to assimilating
people on the autism spectrum.
15:32
>> Great, thank you, Justin.
15:37
And hopefully, my audio [INAUDIBLE].
15:38
So some of my experience that I've had
through Figitech has been with regard
15:42
to training and specifically for software
programming, which is my background.
15:46
I've been a programmer for 30 years.
15:50
I'm the director and manager for our
software development department at troop.
15:52
And we did, as Justin mentioned earlier,
15:56
just recently hired our
first nearly diverse hire,
15:59
actually through a Figitech training
program for software development.
16:03
And it's been a great experience for
us and this training process
16:08
has really kind of revealed and
peeled back some of the onion layers.
16:12
What kind of obstacles might
occur during a training process
16:17
the person on the autism spectrum
might need to be more aware of?
16:22
But also this is not just
unique to individuals with ASD.
16:27
This is universal for
all people who are programmers.
16:31
So I'm gonna be talking about
these things in a general sense.
16:35
About some of the things that software
developers who are in training should be
16:38
thinking of while they're training.
16:43
But then we can also talk about maybe
some of the unique obstacles that
16:45
these areas impose on
individuals with autism.
16:49
Keeping in mind, there isn't one set of
problems any individual person has, and
16:53
certainly that's also true for
individuals with ASD.
16:58
So different people will have a different
mix of challenges in their lives, and so
17:01
this is by no means meaning
to be a blanket statement for
17:05
all individuals on the spectrum.
17:08
So preparing for employment,
here's a couple things that we've learned.
17:10
One of the tricks with taking that
like with tree house training and
17:14
just about any of the other training
programs that are concentrated in
17:18
software development right now.
17:22
That wouldn't be your classical college
campus type training is they're largely
17:24
self paced.
17:29
And when you're involved in a self
paced program, you can find yourself
17:29
kind of on a schedule that really
doesn't change or flex very much.
17:35
You may be actually looking for
something that fits well with your
17:40
ability to stay focused and
your ability to stay awake.
17:45
I admit saw somebody mentioned
about how naps are needed,
17:49
which is a very common thing, of course.
17:53
So I think one of our tricks is to learn
how to stretch as you're going through
17:55
the training process.
18:00
Keep in mind that most employers are gonna
have more of a stricter schedule
18:01
than you might be experiencing in
a self paced training programme.
18:07
So trying to find out
how far you can stretch
18:12
yourself to work to be
concentrated on programming and
18:15
also to measure your rate of
progress as you stretch yourself.
18:19
So not expanding the amount of time you
spend in programming may not actually
18:23
be as smart if your ability to program
reduces greatly as your expend time.
18:28
So working an eight hour shift,
18:33
your last four hours might be half as
productive as your first four hours.
18:35
And you need to be aware and
conscious of how that impacts you.
18:40
So our process that we've been using is
we try to find out where somebody is at,
18:42
where they're able to start with training.
18:47
And as the training progresses,
we try to increase time.
18:50
And continuously,
measure rate of progress through
18:54
the material to see if we're still being
effective in that learning environment.
18:57
So actually,
we found that it's best to schedule that.
19:02
Don't kind of wait for it to happen,
but instead, be very proactive and
19:06
put that on your calendar.
19:11
This week,
I'm gonna be 15 hours as student.
19:13
Next week 16 or 17, and
the week after that a little more,
19:16
maybe it's a month between
times that you increase it.
19:19
Depending on your training program, you
might have a lot of time to expand that.
19:22
So the stretch is a really important thing
in preparing for employment because you
19:27
may find yourself in an employment
condition that isn't very flexible, and
19:31
that you need to meet their
expectations in order to keep that job.
19:35
So finding your upper limit and
then being honest and
19:39
forthright about that limit to during
the interview process is really important.
19:43
Repetition, so there's always one more
than one way to solve a complex problem.
19:48
No two people are gonna solve
their problem in the same way.
19:55
And another thing that happens in training
is very often, we are challenged to solve
20:00
our problem We saw that one way
we submit that solution and
20:03
we move on to the next lesson.
20:07
So we don't really give
ourselves very much opportunity,
20:08
to repeat our problem solving skills.
20:12
So one of our challenges that we
like to do is to send somebody back
20:14
to a lesson and say, okay,
solve that problem maybe in a new way.
20:19
Sometimes it's hard to come up with,
20:24
to think about a different way
once you've solved a problem.
20:26
Sometimes you think well, that's the only
way you could possibly solve that problem.
20:30
And that's where the next stage
actually really comes into place,
20:33
is working with others
to establish some ideas.
20:39
So collaboration can help with repetition,
in other words,
20:43
I'm not sure how I can solve
this problem in different a way.
20:47
Go ask somebody,
go have them give you a suggestion or
20:50
maybe reveal a new methodology
that you haven't considered.
20:54
And then go solve that exact same
problem with this new approach.
20:58
You could change your programming
language, the tools that you use,
21:03
any framework that you're
using to solve problems.
21:07
There's a lot of different ways to revise
your solution, to exercise your process.
21:10
One key for that is,
very rarely will you experience the same
21:16
development platform tools processes,
from employer to employer.
21:21
There's always a slight
difference in the mix.
21:27
So challenge yourself to solve problems
in different ways, kinda prepares you for
21:30
that flexibility that
you might experience.
21:35
One employee that I know,
21:37
their role changes from project to project
because they move across companies.
21:39
They're part of a contract company.
21:45
So they are always being challenged
to fitting into other teams, and
21:48
doing things the way they do them and
using the tools they use.
21:52
So that's a great thing to be able to
do coming out of a training program,
21:57
having practiced that
process of repetition.
22:01
And solving problems in more than one way.
22:04
So with regard to collaboration,
it's what, sorry about that.
22:08
It's a really important thing
to do to work with others,
22:12
and very rarely will you ever
write software on your own.
22:16
You're almost always collaborating
with others to do that.
22:21
That includes not only coming up with
the idea of how to solve a problem.
22:24
But even in a code module, two people,
three people, multiple people working
22:29
in the same code module and
breaking the work apart amongst the group.
22:34
It's really important that that group,
be aware of what kind of
22:38
activity other people are doing,
and how they're doing it.
22:42
So you're kind of all want to use
the same processes and methods.
22:47
And again, in a self learning environment
that you can very often become isolated.
22:52
So giving yourself options or
opportunities to work with others while
22:58
you're learning to be
a programmer is really important.
23:03
One of our programs what we do is we
actually have environment where multiple
23:07
people might be working independently
in a training situation.
23:11
But they get together,
when they're working on something to
23:16
get that some feedback and
some suggestions from other people.
23:20
So, look for opportunities, put yourself
in a place where you can collaborate.
23:25
I think Treehouse has some great
tools to make that possible online,
23:29
which is fantastic.
23:33
And the whole world of course, is being
challenged to do that online right now.
23:34
And it's really important that you
do that on your way to employment.
23:38
One of the first things that you'll need
to really expose when you're applying for
23:43
jobs is,
what kind of team work did you do?
23:48
You'll list out projects, how big the team
were, what your role was in the team,
23:51
and then what your experience
was in that process.
23:56
So I think you'll find,
making sure that you experience a highly
23:59
collaborative process during your
training will be very valuable for you.
24:04
So there is some additional things that
will happen kind of near the end of your
24:10
technical training as you're preparing for
applying for jobs.
24:14
But some of these things you should be
keeping track of throughout your training
24:18
experience.
24:23
Because it's hard to build
some of these things up,
24:24
let's say in a short period of time or
a couple months.
24:26
It takes months and
24:29
years for some of these critical work
components to actually be built up.
24:30
So starting on them early in your training
is much better than trying to start on
24:35
them later in your training.
24:39
Portfolio building,
this is not a one time thing.
24:41
[LAUGH] You're gonna want to
every time as a programmer
24:46
you're working on something new
that you've never done before.
24:49
You're gonna want to make
that part of your portfolio.
24:53
Or if you're reworking something
that you've done before,
24:56
making that revision
part of your portfolio.
25:00
Showing people your progression
as a student and also,
25:03
when you start applying your
skills to actual jobs or projects.
25:08
Showing what you did in those
projects is incredibly valuable.
25:13
At some point, you'll start to pick and
25:17
choose which projects you
might expose on a portfolio.
25:20
But in your initial stages,
you almost wanna just say anything and
25:23
everything that has a user interface,
or maybe even has some logic in it.
25:27
That you want it described,
is a very valuable asset in a portfolio.
25:31
Build your own site, if you can.
25:36
If you can't build your own site,
use a site too like Squarespace.
25:39
There's a bunch of them out there.
25:42
Try to find one that's free or
very, very cheap.
25:44
There are many but take advantage
of starting with something small,
25:48
and just build it up over time.
25:52
GitHub, almost the universal version
control system across the world.
25:55
It is highly public.
26:00
And we suggest using it as
a repository for your projects.
26:03
I also use Azure, just so
26:09
you know it's not just get
help that exists in the world.
26:10
But for the purpose of work and
getting work, GitHub happens to be a key.
26:13
Keep your code active and GitHub.
26:20
When you're done with your training,
26:23
make sure you do small projects and
track them in GitHub.
26:26
Keep track and make it active.
26:30
So, people and employers are gonna
wanna see what you're doing.
26:32
And how often you are being a programmer,
even when you don't have a job.
26:38
For most programmers,
we love to solve problems all the time.
26:44
One of my favorite things to do is try
to come up with a new way to solve tic
26:49
tac toe.
26:53
And so using some artificial
intelligence tools, or
26:53
some other kind of logical tools.
26:57
It's kind of a fun problem to solve.
26:59
And so, anytime you have an idea that,
hey, what about if I tried this?
27:01
But it didn't get hard, even if it's very,
very small, keep that system active.
27:06
I think I did see a question
come through apologize here.
27:11
Okay, I'll come back to that one.
27:18
So Rena,
I will get back to your question on that.
27:19
And then entrepreneurialism.
27:24
As we all know America is
built on entrepreneurialism,
27:26
and I think we celebrate
that quite some heavily.
27:31
It is possible to be entrepreneurial and
be employed at the same time.
27:36
[LAUGH] And
I think part of that is to try and
27:40
balance in your life, but
also to feed your interest.
27:43
It's really important that you don't let
programming burn you out because it can.
27:47
And the one way to really avoid that is to
be entrepreneurial, come up with an idea.
27:52
Try to develop a skill and idea,
this could be maybe an Internet of things.
27:58
The bicept you've kind of thought, hey,
28:03
it'd be fun if I opened
my door with my phone.
28:06
And like make it swing open or
something or
28:08
maybe a device that works your dog up into
more interfaces and away from the table.
28:11
So any of these kind of things that you
might imagine work on it, by the way,
28:16
it makes sure it's in GitHub.
28:20
It makes sure it's on your portfolio.
28:22
It really doesn't matter
how successful it is,
28:23
what matters is that you're showing and
experiencing your practices.
28:26
By the way GitHub has a fantastic
tool to look at opportunities for
28:31
coding, that are open source.
28:37
And lets you exercise your coding
skills in existing projects, and
28:40
contribute to the open source world.
28:44
If you haven't looked at that,
it's a very valuable and by the way,
28:47
looked at area of coding.
28:51
Many are job seekers if
they have done that work,
28:53
the employers will see
that on their GitHub site.
28:56
And look at the actual code
you're contributing to the world,
28:59
it's a valuable thing to do.
29:04
That is it for me.
29:06
>> Okay, so, basically, from the research
and then I was gonna have Paul
29:10
talk a little bit from his own
experience in his work in TLM.
29:15
Like he's been researching internally.
29:19
That really to make it work for
29:23
employers to have a neurodiversity
program they have to have a champion.
29:24
It has to be somebody at a high level
in the organization who supports in
29:29
neorodiversity.
29:34
And establish a whole team of people
who are passionate about driving this.
29:35
So without kind of a champion
it's really hard to get momentum.
29:40
And so this is why companies
such as Microsoft and
29:43
Hewlett Packard have been successful,
because they had champions.
29:46
And Intel up until now,
I think It got really excited
29:51
about becoming more diverse,
[INAUDIBLE] Has kind got more involved.
29:54
And thinking about how do
we bring this into one.
29:59
For Ken, can you,
30:02
are you frozen anymore cuz I see you
>> I am Diana, can you hear me?
30:04
>> I just started talking
about having a champion.
30:08
I was just about to get to
the sport circle notion.
30:10
>> Yeah, so
one of my interests is how to view a high
30:13
performing team for the organization.
30:18
And diversity and inclusion is really
important topic because only when people,
30:21
you have diverse people, diverse thoughts.
30:28
Where you include the idea, the opinion
into the consideration of your solution.
30:33
You can create a very good solution and
view the high performing organization.
30:38
And so having the diversity and
inclusion champion for
30:43
your organization is
an important piece that is
30:50
the executive sponsor for such a program.
30:57
We saw a lot of company like Microsoft,
HP, SAP.
31:02
They all have this high level champion,
31:09
executive sponsor to help
start a program like this.
31:13
Also, in order to create such a program,
31:18
you do need a core team
of people in the company
31:22
are passionate about being
helping in this effort.
31:27
And also,
when people coming into the organization,
31:32
when autism employee
joined the organization.
31:37
How do you create a support group,
that includes team body,
31:41
mentor, job coaching, and
also maybe your employee
31:47
resource that can help
assist those people?
31:53
They do need accommodation and so
31:58
on to help them to flourish
in that environment.
32:01
At the same time,
employee training, I saw a question
32:06
about how to work with peers
that are not in the spectrum.
32:11
So, a lot of people may not
be aware of those people.
32:17
So providing training to manager,
32:22
to peers is also very
important how to work
32:26
with those spectrum
employee intentionally.
32:31
The pair programming is also
important part when you
32:37
facilitate that collaboration
that they've just talked about.
32:43
And having people paired
with an existing employee,
32:49
that they can help them to
learn about the environment and
32:56
get into the workplace quickly.
33:02
Next slide, yeah, I think.
33:09
>> Yeah, I'll do it, I'll take this one.
33:13
Just so you guys know, there's a number of
social partners out in the community that
33:15
supports organizations
that you can reach out to.
33:20
So anybody trying to start neuro
diversity program, there are people that
33:22
can help with suggesting candidates,
assisting with pre screening,
33:27
arranging some public funding,
administer training, of course.
33:32
Like similar to what Figitech is doing,
helping with job and life skills coaching.
33:36
So there's job coaches, there's
Vocational Rehabilitation Services, and
33:41
there's others.
33:46
Other private public organizations
that help in a variety of different
33:47
ways that can provide things like
mentorship and ongoing support.
33:52
So organizations are not alone in
their endeavor to become more diverse.
33:57
So just so you know, there's a number
of different things out there and
34:02
we could provide some suggestions if
anybody were interested in a handout.
34:06
>> Okay, interesting.
34:10
[INAUDIBLE] We have a question I think
kind of fits in really well right here.
34:13
>> Okay.
>> And we have a few.
34:18
I apologize to everybody.
34:19
I think I missed some of these [LAUGH]
questions that were coming through.
34:20
How would you recommend handling it if
you're the only out autistic person at
34:24
a company?
34:29
It's especially stressful
when you're worried and
34:30
not just about your actions
reflect on yourself but
34:33
influencing your coworker's opinions
on autistic people in general.
34:37
>> Yeah, so and the next kind of
slides are going to talk a little bit
34:41
about how to be organized and
also how to read social cues and
34:46
the sensory and sensory motor,
sometimes challenges, right?
34:50
So, yeah, I would say it's difficult, and
34:55
I would bet the other people on
the spectrum in the organization.
34:58
[LAUGH] I know that Bill Qaiser,
35:03
who was working at New Relic
is a distinguished engineer.
35:05
He started an internal network for
people on the spectrum,
35:08
and he just thought there's
gonna be a couple people.
35:12
And he realised like there's a bunch of
people in the organization that joined.
35:15
So it could be championing something like
that where you can connect with other
35:20
people, and you'll probably soon find
out that you're not the only person.
35:24
And it's just like building awareness,
too, and enforcement to talk a little bit
35:28
here about this recognizing what your own,
maybe your sensory motor abilities are.
35:32
Maybe how you think and how you
communicate and how you organize yourself,
35:37
understanding what those are and
35:41
then be able to communicate that
with your direct supervisor.
35:43
Or find a mentor to their supportive and
understanding of some of the challenges.
35:46
And so, yeah,
35:51
why don't you hit on the next three
slides and I'll hop through those?
35:52
>> Yeah, we can talk with that but
I just want to get a quick notes.
35:55
So I think self education
is very important.
35:59
Some of my coworker in
their past experience,
36:02
they did not disclose
the condition to the employer.
36:05
And the employer will treat
them as a neuro typical
36:09
employee so, expectation is hard to meet.
36:14
But when you work closely
with your manager,
36:19
you may not necessarily want
to disclose to everyone.
36:21
But that is what if your manager and
see how you get that
36:24
accommodation is important to
help address some of the issue.
36:29
So, let's come back, here are some
consideration for success for
36:33
people who are in the spectrum that
are employed in the high tech industry.
36:39
One of the area is that we think
the social coup in other points of view.
36:46
Many time, people with autism,
36:54
they will be not necessarily ECD look
36:59
into some of the sarcastic
come in a new one.
37:04
So sometimes it's easy to miss that.
37:10
Not that it's easy to do
it with that condition but
37:14
be aware that it is one of
the areas that I can tell I get
37:20
into how to weld people also mixed up-
>> [INAUDIBLE] but
37:25
sometimes it was taken in the wrong way,
so just appreciating that.
37:31
[LAUGH] Some people say that,
they may say very bluntly.
37:36
They actually pic a joke or humorous or a
sarcastic thing, but sometimes that very,
37:42
very few point like my son really
struggles to read facial cues.
37:47
So just hearing that tone of voice
sometimes very hard to miss, so
37:51
just be aware of that.
37:54
So always be open, and not necessarily
think that people are necessarily saying
37:55
something to you directly that
specifically about you, but
38:00
it could just be a joke.
38:04
And I know that's hard to anticipate and
understand, but
38:05
just kind of be open minded about it.
38:08
>> Yeah, the other area is your interest
versus other people's interests.
38:10
Sometimes, people with
autism may be very hold on
38:16
to their interests,
if that topic get into that and
38:21
they will be keep talking and
keep talking.
38:26
That's like my son.
38:30
A lot of times, he would just,
when he just talk about airplane,
38:31
he just keep talking and
talking and talking.
38:35
Other people has no chance to
interject in their perspective.
38:37
So listening to other
people's perspective and
38:42
also be aware of how much we involve
our interest into that conversation.
38:46
A small talk is also difficult for
people with autism.
38:51
So they may not be interested in some of
38:56
those small talk that
some other people may
39:01
treat them as like our group of people.
39:06
So, not necessary,
you have to involve in any type of
39:10
discussion, but
be aware that is one of the area.
39:16
And monitoring, I mean,
sometimes my son is very honest,
39:21
and some of the comments can be hurting,
39:28
how to interact with people.
39:33
One time, he went to a interview and
39:37
the interviewer asked him what
is your area of improvement?
39:41
And he has this procrastination
that he will tell
39:47
people I've missed my homework
many times in school,
39:53
and that's an internship position and so
39:59
That may easily make people associate
that, you missed your commitment.
40:03
So sometimes honesty, not that we
try to lie or cover up something,
40:10
but do think about how you
communicate that similar message.
40:15
And also the eye contact
in smile is difficult for
40:20
people with autism, my son,
sometimes they look at you,
40:26
and then all of a sudden it was tough not
40:33
feel comfortable in the icon that area.
40:38
Next slide, okay, sensory and
40:43
motor abilities an area
that needs to be aware.
40:46
Sometimes sensory can be overloaded in
terms of lighting temperature, noise.
40:51
I have a coworker that he is
sensitive to noise and lights.
40:58
So he has to put up
a tent above his office.
41:03
And as a manager,
I will ask him do you need to find
41:07
a corner in the area that
are more feel comfortable.
41:13
And he did want to do it, but
usually in the corner area is those
41:19
kind of high up manager location
that they want those situations.
41:24
So, he doesn't know how to
self advocate his need.
41:30
So that's also linked to self
advocate that if you have
41:33
any need concern to talk to the manager,
and so on.
41:38
We also need to wear
the noise cancellation
41:43
area to consider other
type of accommodation
41:47
that you need to work
with your supervisor.
41:52
So, next slide.
41:57
So this industry group called
autism at work is a kind of
42:00
consortium, a lot of high
tech company doing it.
42:05
The pilot thing or they already in the
journey of start that new diverse hiring.
42:10
I saw a question about how do I contribute
42:17
if I have skill but
now I need to find a job area.
42:22
A lot of this company has
a public website, Eli, Ernst, and
42:28
Young, which is a consulting firm,
Microsoft.
42:33
They have a neurodiversity hiring program,
and the way that they
42:37
structure of hiring will be a little
bit different from regular hiring,
42:42
because they know that interview
is very difficult for people.
42:47
So, they will be actually
bringing people into
42:52
some type of activity so
that they can evaluate
42:57
the candidates,
their skill set, and so on.
43:03
And avoid some of the pitfalls
area of company hiring and
43:08
expecting the same type of
behavior you will typical
43:13
employee will be doing in
the interview process.
43:19
With the COVID, I think is more and more
people can accept like virtual workforce.
43:24
And so, now physical location
may not even be so important.
43:31
And if you think that your local area may
not have Microsoft hear the important,
43:37
or other area, or
some other company to look into that.
43:43
Whether that's an option,
and then you can target for
43:47
companies that are open up for
new diversity hiring.
43:51
So that is one area that
I can look into to see.
43:55
Next slide, please.
44:00
>> I think we're just out
of time wrapping things up.
44:02
So, thanks for listening to us, [LAUGH]
as we talked about kind of a lot of
44:10
different aspects with
regards to what is ASD.
44:15
Thinking about why we're
passionate about this cause,
44:18
thinking about organizations, and
their efforts to become more neurodiverse.
44:22
And then, also things to just be aware of
in interviewing or thinking about working
44:28
in a workspace where they're
increasingly becoming more diverse.
44:33
I would just say, this is so new, really?
44:37
I mean, this is such a new thing,
as far as published first goes on,
44:40
in 2017, it was nothing.
44:45
It was non existence, neurodiversity
wasn't even a term that was used.
44:47
So I mean, we're we're just
like a couple years into this.
44:52
And that's what's exciting is that
the companies who have helped pioneer this
44:55
have seen what a great contribution
people on the spectrum can bring to
45:00
the workforce.
45:05
They have pioneered other
organizations to take notice.
45:06
So, thanks for listening to us, and
we know this isn't a simple fix.
45:10
Any company becoming diverse or
neurodiverse,
45:16
it takes effort, and
it takes passionate people involved.
45:20
But we're just really glad to collaborate
with other organizations, and
45:25
people that also believe in this,
and are championing this.
45:29
And just thanks for listening to us.
45:32
You guys are amazing, and don't forget
as we do go through interviews,
45:34
and analyzed, you have, [INAUDIBLE].
45:40
You deserve a space at
the table like everybody else.
45:43
And I think that's one thing is as
an educator working at George Fox,
45:45
I've noticed that young people
often sell themselves short.
45:48
And so whether you're on the spectrum or
not, [LAUGH] and just be aware of what
45:51
your talents are, and that you're
important, and you have your own gifts.
45:55
And talents that only you as
you as a person can bring, and
45:59
that you should be proud of that.
46:02
You're not trying to steal
somebody else's shoes,
46:05
no two people in this world are the same.
46:07
We all are entirely unique in the way that
we think, what we're passionate about,
46:08
what talents we have,
that what makes us a unique individual.
46:13
Remember that as you're job hunting,
and as you're interviewing, and
46:16
even if you're working in an organisation
that's trying to become more diverse.
46:20
Just remember, we're all different,
and we all have something to offer,
46:24
and so let's embrace that, and
46:29
let's work towards a common goal that
every person in this on this planet.
46:30
Should be able to use their skills,
their passions, and
46:35
their talents in a way
that's meaningful to them.
46:37
And that can bring that organization
success in what they're trying to do.
46:39
But also just as collaboratively as human
beings all working together towards
46:43
the same cause.
46:48
So thanks for hearing from us, as you can
tell, we're super passionate about that,
46:49
we'd love to hear from you.
46:53
I think there's ways for
you to contact us through Treehouse.
46:55
So, thanks again everybody,
it's been a pleasure.
46:57
>> Thank you so much, Justine, David,
and For, it was very informative.
47:00
I appreciate you answering a lot of
the questions from our attendees as well,
47:04
your work is so important.
47:10
And I wanna thank you for it, and
47:12
thanks to everyone who attended
really appreciate you being here.
47:14
Please check out FIDGETECH,
they're doing really good work.
47:18
Thanks everybody, we'll see you
at the next session, take care.
47:21
>> Bye, everybody.
47:24
>> Bye-bye.
47:26
You need to sign up for Treehouse in order to download course files.
Sign upYou need to sign up for Treehouse in order to set up Workspace
Sign up