On April 2nd, World Autism Awareness Day is celebrated., a date dedicated to increasing the population's awareness of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and thus combating the prejudice and discrimination that still surround people with the disorder.
Despite the advances and the expansion of the debate on ASD in recent years, especially in new spaces within society, it is still necessary to fight for equal opportunities. According to data from IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics), it is estimated that 85% of people with ASD are unemployed in Brazil — an alarming figure that reveals the lack of inclusion and unpreparedness of the labor market.
With the purpose of transforming this reality, theSoulCode AcademyIt emerged during the pandemic with the mission to develop digital literacy and democratize access to technological training for minorities. Since then, the edtech has trained more than 800 people with disabilities (PWDs). Among them isAlexandre Caus Haddadediagnosed with ASD.
"Inclusion is still beginning in the technology market, and training opportunities like this show that we are making progress in this fight. A person with Autism Spectrum Disorder is neither better nor worse than anyone else, they just see the world differently — and that can be very valuable to a company," says Alexandre.
On the other hand, it is essential that companies are truly prepared to promote genuine inclusion of diverse people — something that goes far beyond merely complying with the quota law outlined in Brazilian legislation. An example of an initiative in this regard is the work of theMental Clean, a pioneering company in Brazil in applied psychology for worker health, which develops actions focused on mental health and diversity in organizations.
