Employment rates in autism are among the lowest of all disabilities, contributing to an overall economic cost of £32 billion in the UK alone – more than cancer, heart disease and stroke combined; yet with reasonable adjustments their contribution could be phenomenal.
Autism is rapidly rising up the employment and corporate agenda. After years on the fringes, adults with autism are finally being accepted as a potentially valuable part of the workforce. As our scientific understanding of autism advances and it becomes clearer that many people affected have unique abilities alongside their challenges, research is also showing that certain sectors already employ large numbers of people with these conditions themselves or in their families. A recent study from Cambridge University suggests that autism is strongly over-represented in financial services, technology and engineering where commonly observed autistic traits like strong attention to detail, a preference for consistency and a special ability for seeing patterns in data are genuine advantages.
This talk, led by Jon Spiers, CEO of Autistica is for firms who want to capitalise on this untapped pool of extraordinary talents for commercial advantage and social good.
About Autistica
Autistica is the UK’s largest and leading autism research charity. Autistica both funds and campaigns for medical research to understand the causes of autism, improve diagnosis, and develop new treatments and interventions. Last year Autistica launched a successful internship scheme at Deutsche Bank for autistic graduates.
Jon joined Autistica in 2015, after several years as a consultant advising senior leaders in charities, pharmaceutical firms and biotech. He specialised in devising and delivering innovative policy, public affairs and media campaigns in areas including lung cancer, leukaemia, genomics, HIV, meningitis, infectious diseases and ADHD. Prior to that he worked for almost a decade at Cancer Research UK, working his way up from a graduate trainee to Head of Public Affairs and Campaigning. His very first campaign was the introduction of smokefree legislation in England and Wales, a policy hailed as “the biggest step forward in public health for fifty years”.
Christmas should be the happiest time of the year. And yet, it can be an incredibly stressful time for families living with autism. Help Autistica change this by buying our Paperchase cards here: http://bit.ly/2yLdGFQ Proceeds will go towards their crucial work to build long, healthy and happy lives for everyone affected.
Agenda:
- 12.00pm: Registration over coffee and breakfast
- 12.30pm: Speaker: Jon Spiers, CEO, Autistica
- 1.30pm: Further networking
- 2.00pm: Event close
To attend:
Members:
Any Cambridge Network member or non-member may attend free of charge.
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