Autism at Work: 10 years Young!

It was May 2013. Vivaan was 4 years old. I had just transitioned from my role as Managing Director of SAP Labs to Head of Globalization Services in Bengaluru. The <a href="https://news.sap.com/2013/05/sap-to-work-with-specialisterne-to-employ-people-with-autism/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">press</a> release that I had drafted for SAPPHIRE about the “Autism at Work” program had gone viral. SAP’s announcement of hiring 1% of its workforce (650 individuals) was lauded as landmark and breakthrough in the disability inclusion movement. The word Neurodiversity was not yet in the vocabulary of most people. It is May 2023 now. The world has changed a lot in 10 years. We have survived a Pandemic and a Trump Presidency! SAP has fallen short of its commitment of hiring 650 people on the autism spectrum (we are around 220 now). But we have also exceeded the reach of the program in unimaginable ways. More than 100 companies have started their own Autism at Work program, inspired by SAP. We have provided opportunities for many including high school students. We have spoken at the United Nations; the program is a <a href="https://store.hbr.org/product/sap-se-autism-at-work/616042?sku=616042-PDF-ENG" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">Harvard Case Study</a> and Neurodiversity Hiring is now a norm. <a href="https://ferosevr.medium.com/autism-at-work-10-years-young-4ba6a45c55a9">Read More</a>