Business
David Aspinall advocates for people on the autism spectrum to explore the full range of their natural talents, while making sure not to clump the entire community into a stereotype. David is the CEO of Auticon US, which is a technology company focused on creating jobs for people with autism by tapping into their natural skills and abilities. As the company developed, they found a great model for those on the spectrum to overcome barriers to employment and thrive in better suited positions. Among a few common skills that seem to flourish in the technology field, David says the people who usually find their way to the initiative tend to show phenomenal attention to detail, ability to spot patterns, and launch amounts of data, sheer cognitive strength. Auticon has an expansive view of the stakeholders they hope to help into better suited positions. David shares Auticon’s open-minded outlook: “... we employ people that are really at every stage of their career, from individuals that are just starting on their technology career to mid-level tenure individuals up to 15-year kind of principal architect type roles. In our mission to employ as many people as possible, we do try to employ people that are junior, mid and senior.”David Aspinall, CEO, Auticon US Identifying the level or range of a person’s capabilities can help avoid the person from being underemployed. Underemployment where the a person is fulfilling a role that is below their capacity to naturally perform. Someone could have a higher skill capacity or have a wider range of ability than a position calls for. If left in that position, the person’s valuable contributions will be misplaced, and their skill level may possibly decline. David explained that people on the spectrum frequently experience underemployment, and he expressed his thoughts on addressing the concern through Auticon. David explains how Auticon approaches another close concern in proper employment: an autism friendly work environment. He delves through the process the initiative uses to screen candidates, and how the process matches with the needs of their stakeholders. Reflecting the needs of the stakeholders can be found in how the initiative families their interview, or in the coaching done with the companies hiring people on the spectrum beforehand. In this social enterprise model, Auticon is assisting companies in developing an autism friendly environment so that people in the company can see the process, and it can grow from there. Auticon operates the initiative globally. David discusses how the global team communicates, and what topics come up in meetings. He also gives his perspective of what it is like to discuss initiative frameworks with a global team while having the freedom to keep the autonomy of the local US portion. David expresses his satisfaction with working within the US, particularly in Columbus, OH. He talks about how support from the community helps the initiative, and he touches on why the awareness of social enterprise makes Columbus, OH an easier community for building connections. If your would like to learn more, you can visit auticon.us or find them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Linked-in. Also, please check out Auticon's in-person event Tuesday, September 14th, at the Fawcett Center in Columbus, Ohio to learn more. Read Full Transcript Adam: [00:00:00] Welcome to People Helping People, the podcast to inspire greater social change and give you ideas on how to take action. I'm your host, Adam Morris. Today, our guest is David Aspinall, CEO of Auticon a technology company focused on creating jobs for people with autism. They found a great model for those on the spectrum to overcome barriers to employment so that they can thrive in position suited to their natural talents and abilities. So to speak about this company, David, welcome on the podcast. David: [00:00:28] Thanks, Adam. It's great to be here.