Client: Business for Social Responsibility
Item: Informational Report
Purpose: Encourage more workplace inclusion of adults with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) by engaging employers and communities with a fact-based narrative centered on common employment challenges; guidance, recommendations, and resources for providing support and workplace accommodations to empower autistic employees throughout their employment lifecycle; and uplifting success stories from companies that have shifted their hiring practices to create a more inclusive hiring and employment experience.
Background
The Global Impact Sourcing Coalition (GISC), an in-house initiative of the Business for Social Responsibility, recently partnered with its members to publish a series of reports on the inclusion of diverse individuals in the workplace. I was honored to receive the opportunity to create the design for the Autism Empowerment Kit, the first report in the series, which aims to encourage and support workplace inclusion of adults with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
The report was sponsored by well-known companies such as Microsoft, Bloomberg and Eriksson, as well as Autism Speaks, a community-based autism advocacy organization.
Design Strategy
GISC requested a clean, contemporary design able to communicate the gravity of the subject, yet bright, uplifting and energetic enough to underscore the ultimate goal of encouragement and improvement.
Because the Autism Empowerment Kit would be the GISC's first major publication, the creative director and I determined that the project was an excellent opportunity to increase awareness of GISC's relatively new brand by leveraging its vivid color color palette. GISC's bright, saturated blue offered greater visual dominance, making it well-suited for larger elements such as headlines and image overlays.
The Autism Empowerment Kit is based on hundreds of pages' worth of research and reporting from respected organizations like the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, and others.
The most relevant data was pulled from each sources to form the report, but the depth of that information made it easy to overlook key facts integral to the overarching narrative. GISC's vibrant green was used in different ways to visually differentiate that information and attract the reader's attention. For example, a solid green background and clear, easily legible layout at the end of the first and second chapters helped to distinguish foundational statistics from other supporting information and provide a strong conclusion for the chapter. To underscore the report's emphasis on workplace inclusiveness, I selected a mix of imagery, which included business settings directly tied to chapter content and diverse groups of professionals working together in uplifting, dynamic environments.
Accessibility
The Autism Empowerment Kit revolves around workplace inclusivity, so accessibility was considered at every step of the project. A high degree of legibility was ensured through the use of Century Gothic, a highly readable font. The great majority of content throughout the report used 10pt or larger. The interactive digital version included extensive bookmarking and hyperlinks to important sources. All images included short, descriptive ALT text.
Conclusion
As a designer, I'm constantly seeking new opportunities to use my skills in positive, beneficial ways that can suppport and improve the world I live in. I was honored by the opportunity to contribute to the evolution of the Autism Empowerment Kit. This unique and challenging project allowed me to utilize my creativity and design expertise in support of an underserved community - adults with autism – and support GISC's goal of improving access to employment and career opportunities for disadvantaged communities.
The final result was distributed in print form at the 2017 annual Microsoft Supplier Program (MSP) Summit and to GISC members. The digital version was offered as a free downloadable PDF via GISC and member websites and on prominent social media channels.
• Tim Hopper, Microsoft’s manager of responsible sourcing initiatives spoke about the Autism Empowerment Kit, disability inclusion and GISC in this interview.
• Mr. Hopper also shared the Autism Empowerment kit on his LinkedIn profile in a post about Global Accessibility Awareness Day.
• Autism Speaks published a blog post about the the release of the Autism Empowerment Kit on their website.
• In her May, 2018 testimony before the US House of Representatives Committee on Small Business, Angela Timashenka Geiger, President and CEO of Autism Speaks, spoke about the Autism Empowerment Kit.
