Unlocking neurodiverse potential

Creating an environment to nurture the neurodiverse is a pipedream in India, where the realities of work for 'ordinary' folk leave much to be desired. For those with Neuro-Developmental Disorders (NDDs), the scene is that much more dismal. 

A recent Nimhans study states that nearly two million Indians are neurodivergent. Another study states that approximately 1 in 8 children in India, aged between two to nine, may have a neurodevelopmental disorder, with prevalence rates ranging from 12 per cent to 18 per cent. What happens to these children without guidance and support when they turn 18? The Indian workplace and neurodiversity, sadly, are distant strangers — some baby steps have been taken from time to time, but it has not created the much-needed ripple of change.

Meanwhile, elsewhere

In this context, Netherlands-based company Carapax has set an example for the rest of the world to follow. The company has hired 550 developers on the autism spectrum to build highly innovative software for its clients.“All our developers are autistic while our project leaders are not, to galvanise support, and a work environment that optimises talent,” explains Hugo Van Der Linde, CEO of Carapax. “They are extremely talented, yet vulnerable because they are socially shy, often unable to work with noise, people, etc. We have created an environment that is conducive for them to work well," he explains. Many of these developers are graduates from top universities.  

At Carapax, Linde’s team offers a nurturing support system for its full-time developers. “It's up to us to find the proper assignments, contracts and projects. We conduct regular assessments. We support them quietly and help them find the best working environment,” says Linde, who cites the example of a company that used VR glasses to train and learn what it feels like to be autistic.

Carapax is part of an International Alliance — neurowrx.org, with member companies that believe in fostering and inspiring employment for people on the autism spectrum in STEAM industries. 

'What after us?'

Neena Wagh, a vociferous advocate for autism whose NGO addresses the crucial question haunting every parent of a special needs child, “What After Us?” says, “Only one per cent of the autistic are being assimilated into the mainstream. Everybody is expected to fit into factory settings. If they are not earning, their life is not worth living. It's a sad story.”

Hiring individuals with NDDs remains largely only on paper. A huge chasm exists. While companies are required to make reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities, in the din of cubicles, overflowing office desks, and ease of doing business, the government and private sector are both often bystanders.

The numbers are telling. A survey conducted in 2017 by the Centre for Talent Innovation found that in India, among all employees with disabilities, 93 per cent expend energy repressing their persona, 50 per cent felt misjudged, 56 per cent were subjected to insults, 37 per cent felt avoided and 57 per cent felt that other employees are uncomfortable around them. Most crucially, though, intellectual disorders don’t make the cut at all, thanks to the stigma around them and the severe lack of awareness. Apart from battling extreme stress and rejection, opportunities are sparse, pay is a pittance, and merely hiring neurodiverse talent without a support network is actually detrimental.

Skill them right

Creating a safe work environment is imperative. The study also indicated a need for organisation-wide sensitivity training to promote a culture of empathy, acceptance, and understanding. For that, though, foremost is the need for skill assessment, which is near non-existent.

“Aptitude testing in India is zero. If out of the 85 per cent, even if 15 per cent can be assimilated into the mainstream workforce, that would be great,” says Wagh.

The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment’s scheme (2008) encourages private employers to hire individuals with disabilities by sponsoring the employer’s contributions for three years up to Rs 25,000. Yet, this is wholly dependent on a parent’s ceaseless search to embellish their child’s skillsets — find glimmers amid the dark and endless challenges.

The yawning gap only grows wider

For companies, profit and adaptability are key metrics, and giving work-from-home opportunities or placements to such individuals is rife with challenges. Meera Shenoy, founder of a job service for youngsters, observes: “Companies measure productivity, and they find it tough to measure productivity if not visible, especially for a person with disability. Thus, they are not confident about outsourcing jobs.”

A nurturing environment is non-existent. Developmental behavioural paediatrician Dr Samir H Dalwai finds the situation bleak. “Organisations must wake up to the fact that their needs are best served when the workforce is equipped with a spectrum of qualities to fulfil different functions. Human beings are all developmentally and behaviourally different; some excel in certain skill sets, or are deficient in others. Organisations must adopt an individualistic approach —  regard each function and job profile with a nuanced lens, to understand who is best suited to the task at hand. This creates a win-win situation which optimises output while also offering gainful and purposeful employment to neurodivergent individuals.”

Neena Wagh has been advocating for tiny wins — be it placing individuals in an IT café, making customised bags, pot painting, or training them to find gainful employment. She recognises the gap between the education system and a job, and suggests a need for an agency that analyses skills, imparts training and then placement. “Wire these individuals up. What cognitive abilities can be translated into something tangible? Whatever little success we have gotten, we have put our foot in the door of corporations, and that is only because of driven parents in terms of advocacy and policy,” Wagh observes.

While there have been attempts at inclusivity, most have not stood the test of time and practicality. “An IT company had such a campaign, but the programme did not last. The reason given primarily was that the tolerance level of employees was low,” explains Ali Khwaja, counsellor, Banjara Academy.

Setting an example

A multinational company's initiative 'Autism at Work', launched in 2013, employed 240 colleagues from 16 countries. Preksha was chosen for its pilot, and today is only the better for it. Her mother, Vaani Rajendran, a parent and autism activist, identified her daughter’s talent and explored how it could be turned into a profession. Preksha, who turns 35 soon, was diagnosed with autism at 4. A pro at word games, jumbles, with a photographic memory, today, she thrives at her job, working on coding and software testing.

“We worked on her strengths and ignored her weaknesses. She lacks gross motor skills yet is a sharp cookie,” smiles Vaani Rajendran. “I like AI, and that is the best part of my work. My office is nice. I have made friends now, and we plan outings, discuss where to go for food,” grins Preksha, talking about working in a software testing and coding firm. 

Incidentally, the Spastics Society has enhanced the lives of many through its skilling and vocational training. Dr Chetan Shiva, an alumnus with cerebral palsy, is today a PhD in management, an entrepreneur, stock market guru. Jijo Das, with Down Syndrome, is a graphic designer and a social media icon, while Latha, with cerebral palsy, currently works at an MNC. 

Explaining the lens one should look at while nurturing or hiring the intellectually disabled, Vaani recalls, “My husband once explained Preksha’s mind beautifully: She works on a different operating system, we need to understand the way she works, and relate to and learn her operating system.”

For most NDD, their extraordinary abilities and brilliance lie dormant unless identified and honed, instead of weighing them down with the heavy burden of societal expectations of “how we work.” 

“Individuals with ADHD understand social behaviour and social communication, but may be challenged in sustaining focus, especially on repetitive tasks. They can be extremely energetic, charismatic and persuasive, in short bursts. Organisations must seek ways of using their input effectively, suitably. They are not as impactful in long-drawn processes or executive functions, and are better suited to roles like marketing or those that are dynamic and fast-moving,” explains Dr Samir Dalwai.

There is a severe lack of skill assessment, education, and customised training, and worse, there are no protocols. Very few companies venture into this largely untapped skill pool. As one IT CEO says, “It can be tough in an office environment and with other employees.”

Needed: Hiring managers with open minds!

“In the context of autism, hiring managers must understand that such individuals are endowed with good pattern-learning, which can be a boon or a bane. The boon is that if they work in areas which are pattern-based — such as mathematics, economics, physics, accounts and graphic art — they may excel. In fact, their performance will exceed that of others because of their pattern-learning skills. The bane is that these very patterns can come in the way of social cognition, relationships and communication. This is because autistic individuals rely on patterns in their interactions with people. As a result, they may not be best-suited for client-facing roles needing social dexterity and manoeuvrability, especially in functions such as marketing. Adjusting with other team members is not a strength, as they will inevitably be used to patterns. Thus, they may need more training and hand-holding. Once they have received this training, their performance might surpass that of those who trained them! And they will be far away from politics and office gossip!” explains Dr Dalwai.

Shenoy's firm created an AI-based platform called SwarajAbility that searches for a hiring path and vocations for persons with disabilities. The first of its kind in Southeast Asia — it includes all disabilities though “we have yet to put neurodiverse on it. We have to look at the solution in a different way,” adds Shenoy whose team works with the National Institute for Empowerment of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities in Hyderabad to help train and prep youth to find the right opening.

Financial skills, bank work, product design, graphic design, music, and data entry are a few careers that can be explored, depending on the individual’s proclivity. "Their competencies are diverse. Some can be easily placed in quality testing, cashiering, as they are not easily distracted," she explains. Aditya, who had personal integration issues, found placement in a private sector bank, and more recently, a severely NDD girl from Vellore found a job at an MNC.

“A job is not a job. A job for one member of the family takes the entire family out of poverty in a sustained manner. That's what drives me to this work,” Shenoy adds, but also cautions that, “It's not a number game — be it in skill assessment, coaching, placement, or prepping. Each individual has unique strengths."

Most NGOs and individual success stories are parent-driven. Wagh got drawn into this world as her son Amogh, 24, was on the autistic spectrum, non-verbal. Today, her NGO trains and scours for anyone willing to give them jobs, a place to live and work. Unfortunately, most institutions only support them till they turn adults, while in reality, 75 per cent to 85 per cent of the population needs lifetime support.

The need of the hour is to first research best practices (there is little). Dr Dalwai feels that putting someone in a room does not mean inclusion if it is not followed up with efforts to enlist participation, and recognising and working with their strengths and weaknesses. “A huge part of this involves overcoming biases deeply ingrained where we are taught to regard people in binary terms,” he adds.

Stigma and agony

Wagh highlights the mental agony parents go through. In many cases, families self-isolate, unable to deal with the immense stress and trauma. What is the solution? Sensitising the population and governmental support is key. "We need job creators. Give them real work; they are not looking for charity," Wagh implores, adding that most NGOs are still stuck in the "diya-painting-candle-making charity economy."

“While we do have the Disability Act, it doesn’t cater to neurodiversity or learning disabilities; instead of forced symbolic inclusion, we need an individualistic approach which celebrates differences, and learns to work with everyone,” stresses Dr Dalwai. He believes IT majors ought to come forward to research skill mapping and assessment, think out of the box and enable these brilliant individuals to fit diverse roles. 

However much like a pipe dream it sounds today, it is time the country woke up to the untapped talent pool among the neurodiverse — talents that do not fit into cliched boxes but can flourish splendidly in an ecosystem that learns, accepts and supports those who are built differently. 

Numbers speak of a woeful lack

A Youth4Jobs Zoom study on Flexible Work for PwDs found that technological solutions suggested to improve growth in organisations include virtual training programmes, remote collaboration, use of advanced software and other digital resources. Addressing invisible disabilities is the need of the hour, as the study estimates that about 12 per cent of school-going children in India are likely to have some form of learning disability.

National data on employment released by the Ministry of Statistics, Government of India, in 2021 notes that nationally, out of 2.68 crore Persons with Disabilities (PwDs), about 97 lakh are unemployed, which means that unemployment among PwDs is 64 per cent, or two-thirds of the population. Only 23 per cent of women with disabilities and 47 per cent of men with disabilities have a job.

What is the SC's take?

In July last year, the Supreme Court sought the government's input on improving the employability of persons with autism. The court was considering a petition that sought the formulation of guidelines for persons with autism to help them find jobs. The stated goal for seeking such inputs is to improve job prospects and overall employment rates for autistic adults in the country.