A meet up proposal for SXSW 2020

1. Autism in the Workplace
Presentation by David Welsh

2. 18%
That is the percentage of people who are the spectrum who are gainfully
employed. How can we get this closer to 35-40%, and help to make people on
the spectrum enter fulfilling careers?

3. The Interview
● The most difficult part of the job hunt
for anybody is the in person interview.
● For people on the spectrum, this is
further complicated by being physically
and emotionally overstimulated, which
clouds their judgement and impairs
decision making.
● How could we design an interview
process for candidates who identify as
being on the Autistic Spectrum?

4. In the Workplace
● “How is this person going to function in
the workplace?” Is a question that many
hiring managers ask after interviewing
candidates with ASD.
● This often ignores the fact that these
candidates excel at detail oriented and
attentive tasks such as design, coding,
and engineering.
● How could we channel these into an
effective working environment?

5. The Long Term
● The challenges that people who are on
the Spectrum most often report are
dealing with overstimulation, but are
dedicated employees otherwise.
● Studies have shown that employees
who are on the Spectrum stay loyal to
firms that hire and support them in the
long term.
● How could we create an environment
that fosters the talents of people on the
Spectrum and encourage them to stay
with their respective companies?

6. Thank You for your
consideration
I look forward to joining you at
SXSW 2020

7. Works Cited
● Interviewing People on the Spectrum (candidate)
● Interviewing People on the Spectrum (Employer)
● Autism in the Workplace
● Autism Strengths
● Autism Strengths BBC
● Autism Strengths NPR
● Employee Turnover Rates