Challenge
Creating jobs for people with autism, ADHD, ADD, OCD and Tourette’s
People with OCD have almost four times the unemployment rate of the general population due to the disabling nature of symptoms. In fact, OCD is considered one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. Only 15% of those with autism are shown to be employed. Additionally ADHD and ADD are also known to effect employment rates and hire-ability. This means millions of individuals who could be employed, aren't, simply because our society hasn't taken the time to find them need specific jobs. Starting the education about how to foster employable skills could also help individuals gain independence through employment later in life.
The Specialist People Foundation has set out to create one million jobs for people with autism, ADHD, ADD, OCD and Tourettes. These are people who have sophisticated technical skills that are exceptionally valuable to the labor market, but require special understanding and management for them to realize their potential.