In his article, “50,000 People With Autism Need Jobs This Year: Here’s Why You Should Hire Them” (http://www.inc.com/magazine/201506/jeff-chu/making-it-work-the-spectrum-of-debate.html), Jeff Chu makes a compelling case for small businesses to see opportunity in (employing) people who are different. While the article points out that small businesses can successfully create supportive environments by among other things, tailoring the job to the individual; so could big business houses. Physicians Interactive is headquartered in Reading, MA and has an India office at Vashi, near Mumbai. Recently, having agreed to take on and train a young engineer with autism, a team consisting of the Managing Director and persons who would be working in a supervisory and support capacity for the individual, sat across the table for an hour and a half to understand autism and what they would need to do differently to support this young man and his unique needs. The team arrived at an action plan and set the wheels in motion. It is a work in progress, no doubt. There will be frequent trips back to the drawing board; but the will to be more inclusive is strong and that is the most important aspect of this whole endeavour.
An old Nigerian proverb says “It takes a village to raise a child”. It also takes a `village’ to support and provide opportunity for persons with disabilities to become responsible and productive members of their community. We, at Arpan, believe they (persons with disabilities) absolutely can. Let’s give them a chance.