Microsoft announced Monday that it would be implementing a pilot program aimed at helping the computing giant bring more autistic people into its ranks.
The company will be working with Specialisterne, an organization dedicating to help people with an autism diagnosis find jobs, to run the program, reported Mashable.
Mary Ellen Smith, Microsoft’ corporate vice president for worldwide operation, wrote a blog post about the genesis new program:
At Microsoft, we believe that diversity enriches our performance, our products and services, the communities where we live and work, and the lives of our employees. We provide an inclusive environment where everyone can do their best work and have been investing in these programs for many years. In fact, this was one of the things that attracted me to Microsoft.
We have been committed to enabling people with disabilities to be successful for a long time. We also work with Supported Employment and vendor partners to hire people for roles in event services, transportation, and food services. In these roles, we see only 1 percent attrition level. Today, people can consider a wide range of opportunities in supported employment with our vendor partners at Microsoft.
The program is designed to bring autistic employees on as full-time workers based in Redmond, Wash.