Microsoft is making a push into an area of diversity that doesn’t often receive a lot of attention with a new initiative for the company to hire people with autism.
In a blog post, Microsoft’s Corporate Vice President of Worldwide Operations, Mary Ellen Smith, laid out the reasoning for the initiative, which is just as much because autistic people often have unique talents to contribute as it is to level the playing field of the tech workforce. She wrote,
It’s simple, Microsoft is stronger when we expand opportunity and we have a diverse workforce that represents our customers. People with autism bring strengths that we need at Microsoft, each individual is different, some have amazing ability to retain information, think at a level of detail and depth or excel in math or code. It’s a talent pool that we want to continue to bring to Microsoft!
Smith, mother of a 19-year-old diagnosed with autism, also mentioned that Microsoft “believes strongly in diversity” and that “[t]his represents only one of the ways we are evolving our approach to increase the diversity of Microsoft’s workforce.” The program will work together with Specialisterne, a company that works to provide employment opportunities for those on the autism spectrum, to hire for full-time positions at Microsoft in Redmond.
(via Daily Dot, image via David_Jones)
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