Employers not actively seeking to hire disabled people face missing out on a huge pool of untapped talent, North Swindon MP and Minister for Disabled People Justin Tomlinson has said.
Justin Tomlinson’s comments came as he visited a chocolate store in Cambridge that was created specifically as an autism-friendly workplace. The Grafton Centre-based store has provided jobs for nearly 150 autistic people through free work experience placements and paid employment.
With 7.9 million disabled people of working age in the UK, the Minister called on other employers to follow suit.
Justin Tomlinson said:
“It’s clear, from meeting with Harry Spector’s founders and staff, how their employers are thriving from having fulfilling employment.
“Crucial to this was the founders’ dedication to creating a comfortable autism-friendly working environment.
“It is also a reminder that while great strides have been made to close the disability employment gap, there is plenty more to be done.”
Mona and Shaz Shah were inspired to found Harry Specters in 2012 by their son Ash, who is on the autistic spectrum.
Last year Harry Specters produced over 238,832 chocolates in 2018 – enough for a chocolate for every person in Cambridge.
This provided 5,048 employment hours for 11 employees, and 511 work experience hours for 13 young people.
Greg, an Assistant Chocolatier who started in November 2017, said:
"You’ll never know how much I’m extremely grateful for the chance to be trained as an Assistant Chocolatier. Harry Specters gave me a chance when no one else would. This job has made such a difference to me.
"It has made me a very happy young man to represent Harry Specters and I will never forget the first day I came through these doors."
Founders Mona and Shaz Shah said:
"Like many other parents with autistic children, we wanted our son to be able to access sustainable employment in his adult years. We decided to create a company to enable people on the autism spectrum to thrive in an environment which suits them.
"We are aware of the many positive qualities a neurodiverse workforce brings, including sustained concentration, precision, and adhering to structured routine – all essential for luxury chocolate production.
"I realised I could combine my passion and skills as a chocolatier with making a positive change to young autistic adults. Harry Specters was born and named by our son Ash, and we continue our journey to create even more positive social change and help bridge the autism employment gap."