According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one out of every one hundred children in the world has autism. During their life, they will face countless challenges; for example, the inclusion in the workplace, which will be possible and beneficial with the active involvement of all related parties. No one better than Isaac Lopez, Analyst in the Cost Attack Team Department of Bronco Sport and Maverick in Ford of Mexico -who lives on the autism spectrum- could tell us these challenges.
“I was diagnosed late at the age of 15; since then, I understood many things about myself,” he said. “My career at Ford has been an extremely stimulating experience; the number of tasks and areas where I can contribute, without a doubt, are some of the things I enjoy the most.”
During his career with Ford, he has participated in different activities; one of them was a “PD Academy” project, which for him meant an outstanding achievement because he had to speak in front of a significantly large audience, testing some social skills that he considers on of his biggest opportunity’s area. Often, people with autism have trouble reading social cues or communicating effectively with others. However, Isaac feels he has an excellent working relationship with his team; the secret is clear communication from everyone to establish a workflow. Besides, the guidance and patience of his supervisor have been essential in helping him understanding all the processes within the company.
Ford has a group of employees of diverse areas called Ford Empowering Diverse Abilities (FEDA), which seeks to include people in the workplace. This month they carried out different activities to explain the myths and realities about autism, give support to parents with children with autism and organized a sensory rally in the Global Technology and Business Center (GTBC) in the State of Mexico to know more about this spectrum. Likewise, other campaigns will be carried out during the year to raise acceptance about more conditions like this one. All this is possible thanks to the support of Rosangela Guerra, Ford Managing Director of Puerto Rico, Central America & Caribbean and FEDA Sponsor.
Isaac considers that it’s crucial to be aware of how to treat an autistic person or someone with a neurodivergence; for this reason, he gives three advices that he considers vital to be able to collaborate effectively:
- Be curious: we all must know more about autism or some neurodivergence, how it affects people, and their daily challenges. This will help you to better understand the needs and behaviors of your colleagues.
- Identify individual differences: people with this condition have different needs and preferences. We must learn to detect them to develop a positive working relationship.
- Encourage clear communication: within the autism spectrum, some may have communication difficulties; therefore, if you have any questions, kindly ask that person.
During April, our Ford and Lincoln dealers in Mexico joined the autism acceptance movement by lighting up their facilities in blue. Also, Lucien Pinto and Sebastián Casanova, the respective brand managers, promoted awareness of this topic through their social media.
“Building a better world is one of our purposes; that’s why having work teams with different perspectives and opinions about the world enriches the practices that we create in engineering field,” said Marcos Perez, Product Development Director & Autism Campaign Sponsor.
