When writing about people with disabilities in the labor force, we spend a lot of time talking about how technology aids them in performing daily tasks, navigating the workplace, and communicating with customers and colleagues. But Drake Bennett’s article in Tuesday’s Bloomberg Businessweek examines a job opportunity where people with disabilities can aid in the development of technology that benefits all consumers.
For his article, “Outsourcing to the Autistic Rather Than to India,” Bennett, a regular staffer on the technology beat for Businessweek, focuses on a few companies employing people with disabilities to perform software testing duties. He looks in particular at a Los Angeles-based firm called Square One Solutions, which is training people with disabilities to do the same detail-oriented tasks that are typically outsourced to workers in India. Bennett says Square One co-founder Chad Hahn sought the help of experts in working with people with disabilities to develop a curriculum that could help these these people attune themselves to the particular challenges of the profession:
The course [Hahn] designed relies not on written instructions but on a software tool called iRise to create simulations of the sort of problems the trainees would confront in an actual work setting.
Bennett points out that similar ventures, both in the United States and Europe, have been done with the support of government subsidies or in a nonprofit structure. But in a supplementary comment to the article, Hahn says Square One’s goal is to spin the training program into its own for-profit entity competing for software testing contracts and hopefully bringing work that traditionally has been outsourced back to American workers.
Hahn acknowledges that in order to accomplish this goal they need to win the cost battle, which would mean paying the software testers a lower wage than their offshore competitors. By keeping it a for-profit venture, however, he can give the employees a shareholder stake in the business, leading to greater compensation as the business flourishes. It also allows Square One to invest in the workplace. Bennett writes:
Hahn is also trying to develop a work environment that would be friendly to those on the autism spectrum, for whom the social interactions of a typical workplace can trigger paralyzing anxiety. For some people, Hahn says, that might mean ensuring that there’s a quiet room or a set of headphones they can put on to block out the buzz around them; for others it’s making sure there’s a counselor there to talk to whenever they need it.
While accepting below-market salaries in exchange for an equity stake is somewhat a standard practice in the world of startup business ventures, some commenters express concern over wage-equity for people with disabilities; while others worry that rising above a certain income level will negatively impact the government benefits a person with a disability receives. Share your thoughts in the comments section.
Image by IvanWalsh.com, used under its Creative Commons license.
nice information keep up good work
This story flips the usual narrative in a really meaningful way — instead of only seeing people with disabilities as beneficiaries of technology, it shows them as skilled contributors shaping the tools the rest of us use every day.
This initiative highlights a powerful shift in how we think about inclusion—not just helping people with disabilities adapt to technology, but recognizing the unique strengths they bring to building better technology for everyone.
This is a powerful example of inclusion moving beyond accommodation and into meaningful participation. Instead of viewing people with disabilities only as recipients of workplace adjustments, this model recognizes their strengths
This is a fascinating shift in how we think about both outsourcing and inclusion. Instead of framing people with disabilities as passive recipients of support, this model positions them as highly valuable contributors—especially in fields like software testing where precision, focus, and pattern recognition are critical strengths.
This is a really interesting shift in perspective—rather than just designing technology for people with disabilities, it highlights how they can play a critical role in building and improving that technology. Software testing, especially, seems like a natural fit for individuals who excel in pattern recognition and attention to detail, which many people on the autism spectrum are known for.
This is a really thought-provoking example of how inclusion can move beyond accommodation into true participation. Instead of only designing technology for people with disabilities, initiatives like this show the value of designing with them. Software testing, especially detail-oriented and pattern-based work, can align well with the strengths of many individuals on the autism spectrum, making this a meaningful and strategic employment pathway.