Harness the Atypical Advantage this World Autism Awareness Day

World Autism Awareness Day is celebrated on 2nd April every year to let the world focus on the problems faced by people on the Autism Spectrum and to find innovative ways to bridge the widening gap. The theme of this year’s World Autism Awareness Day is “Inclusion in the Workplace: Challenges and Opportunities in a Post-Pandemic World”. 
 

As per the Centre of Disease Control (CDC) in the United States, 1 out of every 68 children are diagnosed with autism and experts estimate a similar figure for India. No data is available in India to provide a exact estimate. There are many youngsters with Autism who are graduating but again, job offers are minimal.
 

"Autistic children have dreams that are actualized by the belief that nothing about them has to change for those dreams to be possible."

People on the Autism Spectrum have faced this discrimination for a long time, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic just added more fuel to the already raging fire. They face unemployment and underemployment issues because the employers don’t consider them as equals and refrain from hiring them.

Atypical Advantage is here to prove them wrong, and to tell the world that the abilities and the skills of a person are far more superior to their identity than their disability, which in no way defines them. 

We also featured 3 outstanding personalities with Autism on this special day and would appeal all of you to push for hiring of individuals with Autism.

Naman Misra: Master of Versatility
 

Take Naman Misra for example, the handsome and dashing model who is breaking stereotypes and working professionally. Naman loves the camera or the camera loves Naman? We are still trying to figure. Here is a straight and evident fact though, Magic and oodles of glamour are produced when Naman and the camera lens unite! From his light, bouncy modeling campaign for Earth rhythm to his dark and mysterious headshots for Harshita Mahajan, he's a proven master of versatility and takes direction with ease. Once he connects with the camera and you look at him through the lens you see a star in the flesh! We would safely call him the magic ingredient of tasteful photoshoots. For him, easy definitely does it! 

Naman has very strong views and opinions when it comes to the inclusion of people on the autism spectrum in the Indian work landscape. He says, “The employers think that we might not be able to finish the work before the given deadlines, or we might not be able to work in a stretch to finish a crucial task. They make up their mind and form perceptions about us without even knowing who we are and how we work. Moreover, the government should have stepped in to offer support when the pandemic hit as many people underwent unemployment.”

Hire him here. 

Anshuman Kar: Keen eye for detail.

We also have Anshuman Kar, a young autistic photographer and artist, who loves to live life as it comes. He is compassionate and a keen learner who uses his art and photography skills to communicate his thoughts and ideas. He is a budding photographer currently residing in New Delhi. He is getting confident day by day, attending online sessions and webinars on photography. His readiness and willingness to start off something new is praiseworthy. He enjoys the full process of clicking multiple pictures of a selected object which is mainly a bright colored daily use material of various shapes and textures, reviewing his own clicks and describing them in his own ways. Photography has opened up a whole new world of communication as well as a sense of belongingness for him. He is interested in food photography, still photography and loves to capture flora and projections.

“Many people do not fully understand Autism. Opening up 'Autism Friendly' workspaces for our Sensory Sensitivities will be good. We have unique Skills and Strengths. We work well in our own bubble when we have a good Support System.” says Anshuman. Hire him here.

Debashree Mishra: One with the melodious voice.

The list doesn’t end here. Debashree Mishra was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder at the age of 3 years. With the help of lots of therapy, she improved a lot and successfully completed her 10th class in CBSE by scoring 9.4 CGPA. Debashree believes that disability is just another term in the dictionary and one is actually disabled if they stop trying. She has always actively participated in various events and has represented her school in Solo Music and won many prizes during her teenage years. She has also won several prizes in Jigsaw Puzzle (Senior Group) and International Event for the Visually, Mentally, & Physically Challenged held at Lucknow in the year 2011 & 2012 respectively. She participated in an International Talent Competition organized by a Hong Kong Based NGO in 2019-20 and her song was selected as the “Most Popular Song”. Debashree didn’t leave any opportunity during the lockdown and participated in an Online Song Competition for differently-abled persons organized by Drzya, Mumbai in Aug 2020 and won the most popular singer award. 

Even though she is not currently employed or looking for job opportunities, she says, “I hope the place where I choose to work is safe and offers equal opportunities to people with or without disabilities.”

Book her for an event here.

So, to show our solidarity, Atypical Advantage has positioned the profiles of people with autism at the top of the category pages so that employers and individuals can browse through their profiles with ease and hire them for events or for freelancing assignments. Visit here to browse through the category and hire people with Autism to celebrate the essence of World Autism Awareness Day.

These Atypical people might be disabled, but their spirit is not. They are living examples of how perseverance and faith in oneself can help you achieve heights in life! So, what are you waiting for? Hire these talented individuals here and harness the power of Atypical!

Atypical Advantage is Planet’s first Talent platform for People with Disabilities. Explore our website to hire diverse talent, shop for products made by people with disabilities, browse through exquisitely curated art. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter, read more about us on our blog, sign up for mentorship, volunteer with us or feel free to contribute here.