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 press 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 Harvard Case Study and Neurodiversity Hiring is now a norm.
And I was invited to speak at SAPPHIRE along with my friend, champion advocate and parent Jose Velasco, and Haldis Gonsalves (on the spectrum) about the impact and future of the program. Before I boarded my flight, I got news of yet another award that the program had won — the HollyRod Foundation Award. This is one of the many awards SAP has won for the program, which has not yet run its path — this may just be the beginning.
When I look back on the 10 years of the program, the impact it has created surprises me. It is almost impossible to comprehend what it means to individuals (who are hired as part of the program) and their family members. The last time I spoke to Nicolas Vicenzo (on the spectrum) during a panel discussion, he could not believe that he was speaking to the person who had started the program. Nicolas was speechless but summoned up the courage to tell me, “You may not understand the impact of your work but all I can tell you is that you are doing god’s work”. A compliment that makes me embarrassed and swell with pride at the same time. I am quick to remind myself, “we are just actors in a series of coincidences”. I had not heard the word Autism until Vivaan was diagnosed. I had dropped into the valley of despair, like most parents do when they get the diagnosis for the first time. Then inspiration struck — thanks to many people including my mentor Dr Kiran Bedi and the inventor of the idea Thorkil Sonne (Founder of Specialisterne). I happened to be at the right place at the right time. The idea’s time had come. We at SAP Labs India, hired the first 3 people on the autism spectrum in 2011, but we had done our groundwork before — starting Prayas Lab to train and make them employable. Colleagues at SAP donated iPADs, volunteers built apps, we used Lego blocks for assessment of candidates, many employees became buddies, most people said it was a crazy idea — but HOPE prevailed. And goodwill went viral — I still get thank-you messages from mothers around the world! My Davos speech was heard by SAP co-CEOs Jim Hagemann Snabe and Bill McDermott (CNN had carried my speech verbatim) and the rest is history. I can never over-emphasize that it takes courage and leadership to take a leap-of-faith decision. SAP did that, and I have spent 24 years in the company and cannot imagine working anywhere else. There are few companies in the world with the heart and soul of SAP!
Early on in my career, the superficial started to feel important and the important started to feel superficial. After almost 25 years in the industry, I have come to realize that 99% of what happens in your day-to-day life does not matter. It’s what you do for others that does. Now, I am able to separate the noise from the signal. The awards matter less while a mother’s gratitude lasts forever! And nothing matters more than the AAW program. And as for the future of the AAW program, I see it in three areas: People, Product and Policies. Regarding people whom we hire, the focus will shift to long term career success (not just hiring numbers); on the product front, solutions (eg. Successfactors) will include accommodation's like sensory needs; and policies will include caregivers (including elderly care). I have also come to realise that true change takes time — at least 10 years!
Brewster Kahle, the legendary founder of the Internet Archive reminded me, “Pick a BIG project that you won’t finish, that lasts beyond your lifetime.” Expanding on the thought, he made a reference to Herman Melville’s Moby Dick: “Because if you achieve your goal, you may go down with it.” I hope to be around to celebrate the 25th year of the “Autism at Work” program or better still, we won’t need a program at all, because it has become the norm!
(Photo: Vivaan in 2023)
Vivaan is 14 now. He cannot speak but has words that he types on a letter board. His skills are not yet accepted even by the most progressive schools in the United States. While we seem to have accepted neurodiverse people at workplaces, the education system has a lot of catching up to do! When I asked him, what is his message for the world, he typed, “Hope stuck in a spiders web struggle’s to be free”
As the battle for inclusion continues…I dare to say, we are just at the starting line!
