World Autism Awareness Day 2022
Authored by Mahesh Narang Mahesh is Vice President and President of Components, Cummins Inc. and the executive sponsor of Cummins' global Disability Inclusion Employee Resource Group network
April 2 is World Autism Awareness Day (WAAD) when we promote equal opportunity, and full and effective participation in society, for people with autism.
Autism, a form of neurodiversity, is a spectrum of developmental differences that can affect the way people communicate and experience the world around them. It is estimated about 1% of the world population has autism and that 85% of working age people with autism are underemployed or unemployed.
At Cummins, we aspire to eliminate barriers to employment for people with disabilities – including autistic people – in our workplaces and in our communities. As the Executive Sponsor of Cummins global Disability Inclusion Employee Resource Group (ERG) network, I am excited to share that we have recently launched the first part of a planned series of neurodivergent talent pilots.
In this first pilot, the Cummins project team, working with our external partner, Specialisterne, will place individuals in roles with Cummins Electronics and Fuel Systems. Following several months of thoughtful planning and preparation, we initiated the pilot process in February 2022 and the team will be working through phases to wrap-up in early September 2022.
The neurodivergent talent pilots build upon ongoing disability hiring initiatives at Cummins Emissions Solutions sites in the United States, Mexico and India, positioning Cummins to attract, retain and fully leverage a diverse workforce that is reflective of the communities in which we operate. Increasing the representation of persons with disabilities employed at Cummins is a priority focus area under our Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) Strategy and is critical to our ability to win in the global marketplace.
I hope that you too will act on the opportunity to learn more about autism. There are many ways to get involved and further a more inclusive culture wherever you work. You can help your company launch a site/organization-focused initiative; join/start your own disability employee resource group; participate on a disability-specific community involvement project; and join Cummins in practicing our Five DE&I Actions:
- Grow your circle
- Use inclusive language
- Facilitate an environment where everyone feels welcome
- Get involved
- Commit to growing
Thank you and take care.
- Mahesh Narang
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