Sydney, 1 April: ACS and DXC Technology (NYSE: DXC) today announced a series of national events for World Autism Awareness Day on 2 April, including a major event at ACS’ Technology and Innovation Hub in Sydney’s Barangaroo, designed to highlight opportunities in ICT for people on the autism spectrum.
Additional events are being held on 2 April and throughout April for World Autism Awareness Month, in Canberra, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth and Brisbane.
DXC has been a leading advocate for inclusive employment for people on the spectrum since 2014 when it started the DXC Dandelion Program, focussed on building valuable technology, life and executive functioning skills to help establish careers for people on the autism spectrum.
“The launch of these events with ACS to mark World Autism Awareness Day will help us share our knowledge and learnings from our DXC Dandelion Program and our neurodiversity hubs to allow other organisations to establish sustainable employment programs,” said Seelan Nayagam, Managing Director, DXC Technology Australia and New Zealand.
“Our goal is to make a greater social impact from the work we have done over the last five years and ACS is an excellent platform from which we can collaborate with the broader industry.”
“It’s a tremendous opportunity to highlight the value of a marginalised group of people,” said ACS President Yohan Ramasundara. “People on the autism spectrum represent an untapped resource and an opportunity to expand a business’ diversity and inclusion.
“Far from being a liability, many people with autism excel in the kinds of tasks required by ICT professions. They often have a very high attention to detail, an eye for detecting patterns, the capacity for lateral thinking and the ability to sustain superior levels of concentration. As we see with so many forms of workforce diversity, it’s actually to a business’s benefit to look at people on the spectrum as a source of business value.
“We really wanted to highlight on World Autism Awareness Day that there is this huge source of talent, with people who aren’t just capable, but excel in certain kinds of tasks.”
DXC’s Social Impact Practice Leader and Dandelion Program Executive, Michael Fieldhouse, will be hosting the event at Barangaroo at 12pm on 2 April, which will also showcase panellists Mike Tozer, CEO and founder of Xceptional; Natalie Phong, Human Resources Business Partner, SAP; and Susannah Pondekas, Senior Manager, Strategic Initiatives at CBA.
For more information around the event or to register visit www.acs.org.au
-ENDS-
About ACS
ACS is the professional association for Australia's Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector. More than 40,000 ACS members work in business, education, government and the community. ACS exists to create the environment and provide the opportunities for members and partners to succeed. ACS strives for ICT professionals to be recognised as drivers of innovation in our society, relevant across all sectors, and to promote the formulation of effective policies on ICT and related matters. Visit www.acs.org.au for more information.
About DXC Technology
As the world's leading independent, end-to-end IT services company, DXC Technology (NYSE: DXC) leads digital transformations for clients by modernizing and integrating their mainstream IT, and by deploying digital solutions at scale to produce better business outcomes. The company’s technology independence, global talent, and extensive partner network enable 6,000 private and public-sector clients in 70 countries to thrive on change. DXC is a recognized leader in corporate responsibility. For more information, visit dxc.technology and explore THRIVE, DXC’s digital destination for changemakers and innovators.
About the DXC Dandelion Program
The DXC Dandelion Program employs over 80 people on the Autism Spectrum in Australia and provides leading research on autism in the workplace. Over 290 organisations across 77 countries have now shown an interest in the DXC Dandelion Program.
Of those that have participated in the program, there has been a 92 percent retention rate.
Further information
Troy Steer
ACS Director of Corporate Affairs and Public Policy
M – +61 417 173 740
E – troy.steer@acs.org.au