A Leeds-based lawyer is challenging businesses to change the way they think and operate by recruiting from the ranks of people with autism.
Ian McCann, founder of Leeds-based Legal Studios, told the Yorkshire Post the under-represented group could have a key part to play in a post-coronavirus world by bringing a different perspective.
Ian was diagnosed as being autistic in 2017 and was interviewed by Yorkshire Post business reporter Ismail Mulla to mark the recent World Autism Day. The article quoted figures from the National Autistic Society which revealed that approximately 700,000 people in the UK are on the autism spectrum but only about 16 per cent of autistic adults are in full-time work.
Ian spoke of the lack of understanding amongst the general public when it comes to hidden disabilities and he told of the difficulties which he has experienced by the change of routine which has been enforced by coronavirus.
But he added that autistic people offer great potential which businesses can access by making a few reasonably adjustments.
He said: “Traditional business thinking may not be suitable in the current climate or in the new climate that we’re heading for. How do you get non-traditional thinking? With different perspectives.
“They are available with people who have neurodiverse conditions. We perceive and see the world differently to everyone else. That’s not to say that neurodiverse people are the magic bullet or that they are the complete answer. They are certainly a resource that people should be thinking about using.”
