Making a Difference: Inclusion, Innovation, Opportunity … Success – Profiles of Two Inclusive Companies
Meticulon Consulting & Project Services Calgary, Alberta bh IN BRIEFMeticulon Consulting & Project Services offers quality assurance and software testing, data analysis and security services, and data migration and management. It is the first business in Canada to focus solely on leveraging the unique gifts and capabilities of people with autism to create a self-sustaining, profitable enterprise in the ITC sector. In a world where up to 90% of people with autism do not have a job and many live below the poverty line, Meticulon successfully employs 24 consultants with autism, along with four additional staff members who are typically able, and who have administrative duties and work as employment coordinators. “People with disabilities don’t need help, they need opportunity.” | Meticulon Consulting & Project Services is an IT consulting company. It is registered as a non-profit social enterprise with a board of directors from the community, but operates as a for-profit business that CEO Garth Johnson prefers to describe as a “for-purpose” business, saying its purpose is “to create employment opportunities for gifted people with autism.” Finding a Fit Although the company’s efforts lead to doing good for people in need of support, Meticulon’s primary focus is providing solutions to real business problems. It starts by analyzing the needs of its clients, then works to find a consultant who can meet those needs. All of its consultants have autism and each is assessed for strengths and weaknesses that might surface in workplace situations. Each has a coordinator who functions as a job coach who helps behind the scenes with specific IT issues or personal problems associated with autism. The coordinator is also available to assist the employer and provide management coaching to the company. From its inception, Meticulon has looked first to identify needs, then to find people who could meet them. It started with a market assessment to learn about the needs of Calgary employers and identify tasks people with autism might be trained to carry out. The company knew, generally, that many people with autism were suited to working with software because of their high intelligence, endurance, attention to detail, joy in repetition and routine, and their drive to complete tasks. Based on its analyses of potential employers and consultants, Meticulon developed a tool kit, which it now gives away freely, to help people analyse work situations and identify jobs for potential employees with any type of disability. Making a Difference Meticulon is making a difference. Consultants who were previously unemployed or underemployed now have meaningful employment working in the field at market rates. One with a degree in nano physics was previously working at a job in a grocery store. Also, their work is valued. In the oil and gas turndown, a company that was forced to downsize by over 50% kept two out of three Meticulon consultants because they were more productive than a team five times larger. Advice for Others According to Johnson, as long as they are hired to meet real business needs, people with disabilities are well suited to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) where the biggest challenge is often costly employee turnover. “People with disabilities stay at their jobs longer, work harder and feel better about their jobs. Typically, they are reliable and don’t take unnecessary sick days. At the same time, they are role models whose positive attitudes can change workplace culture. They may even cause others to use fewer benefits. Thanks to our rigorous assessment for workplace/consultant fit, our people love what they do and excel at it.” bh | |
| Dolphin Digital Technologies Inc. is a professional ICT consulting firm specializing in virtualizing on premise networks. Co-founders Scott and Jamie Burton had a vision that Dolphin could operate not only as a business that expands and maintains a profit, but also evokes social change. Utilizing their expertise in technology, they were able to design an innovative IT support solution which became the first barrier- free employment strategy for people with disabilities in Canada. “We have become a better business by meeting a social need.” Finding a Fit Dolphin analyzes business logic as it pertains to technology and provides solutions to suit client’s individual needs. By developing a virtual office environment, and providing services through virtualization, Dolphin has made it possible to eliminate the employment barriers that people with disabilities too often encounter. Its innovative Virtual Technical Assessment Solution (ViTAS) is a virtual lab workspace that enables candidates to present actual skills for consideration. Dolphin hires the best person for the job, least likely to be hired by someone else. “We have a vision for our future and we want other people to realize their own visions too.” Whether around their virtual water cooler or as part of a change management team or a dB implementation project, Dolphin employees are encouraged to share perspectives, intuition and expertise to help Dolphin succeed. As the technical landscape has changed from support centric to cloud centric architectures, Dolphin has become more of a consulting and product development company. This transition has been fluid and relatively easy, largely because of its ability to continually innovate and incorporate past experience while being a diverse and inclusive employer. Making a Difference Dolphin’s primary vision for the future is its Citizen Pathway algorithm. This software solution will reinvent how we “see” people and help identify other areas where proactive investment can support evidence based decision making. “Statistics demonstrate it is more cost effective to invest in people’s outcomes, than support them for a lifetime.” Dolphin is working on two Pathway purposes: disabilities, as we conventionally think of them, and homelessness. With the realization of Citizen Pathway Dolphin hopes to once again utilize technology to remove barriers, to give people the tools necessary to elevate others, while maintaining a focus on responsible qualified decision making. As always, Dolphin intends to Make a Difference. Advice for Others “Innovation is key to success,” concludes Burton. “Don’t limit your business potential by sticking to what is known. Explore what is possible by seeking to be inclusive in hiring and barrier free in product design and service. Focus on a person’s potential and that person may lead you to your next step. Together, we have to consciously change how we think as leaders and innovators at all levels. We need a culture shift away from disability, challenge, and difference, toward the ability and potential of all.” bh |
