The Speed of Dark

Over in another blog,  Lavanya posted a comment that was off-topic there but definitely on-topic here, so I’ve ‘ported it over.

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lavanya.v.raghavan@gmail.com
2012/03/29 at 8:40 am

dear ms. moon,
i came across this article – “Outsourcing to the Autistic Rather Than to India” an thought of ‘speed of dark’ at once. I wonder if the people at Square One (the tech company) have read your book. there’s quite a lively discussion going as well.
the article link & text are pasted below.
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-03-27/outsourcing-to-the-autistic-rather-than-to-india

I am not including the text here, as  said above, because the entire article was quoted and that’s against policy in my blogs.   However, it’s an interesting article on the use of autistic individuals to test software.  There’s a new pilot program called Square One.   So far all we’ve got are pilot programs here and there–in the midst of widespread unemployment for most skillsets, it’s hard to get anything bigger going.  But those in California might well check out Square One.

You’ve probably heard of this movie.   If not, or if, having heard of it, you had reservations about it (I did), here’s the good news: it’s better than you think.  It’s an incredible, brilliant movie that shows Temple Grandin’s triumph over both the problems autism gave her, and the society that did not have a clue and did not believe autistic people had a future.   And it shows the value of her life’s work, her designs for livestock management.  Because of her, half the livestock facilities in the world–not just here–handle their stock more humanely.  And–(yes, there’s more) it shows how she thinks–because it is a visual medium, a movie can show the pictures she thinks with. Read the rest of this entry »

One of the things people sometimes complain of with persons on the spectrum is their “rigidity” and their strict interpretation of,  and adherence to, rules.   Rules they’ve internalized, that is.  But the flip side of “rigidity” is “reliability”–a trait prized by employers.    I was strongly reminded of that today, when our son left me an email (at 7:30 am, that I didn’t see until much later) that he was going out with the man who takes him to interview for other jobs–and I knew he needed to be back in the afternoon to work a shift at his current job.

Read the rest of this entry »