Allentown company taps underused employee pool to fill staffing needs

An Allentown firm is bridging the gap to bring neurodivergent people into mainstream jobs, lifting their ability to make a living and offering companies a whole new pool of workers.

CAI Neurodiverse Solutions, 1390 Ridgeview Drive, Allentown, places neurodivergent people with companies looking to diversify their workforce.

Neurodivergent people include those with autism, dyslexia, ADHD and other neurological differences, explained Anthony Pacilio, vice president of CAI Neurodiverse Solutions.

Pacilio, who worked for JP Morgan Chase when the company created the Global Autism at Work Initiative, found that he could fulfill something he had promised to do after making a friend on the autism spectrum years ago.

“When I saw that [this person] was bullied by his peers and others, I promised I would do something in my life that would make things better,” Pacilio said. “He was talented in graphic design and art, but it was hard for him to get through school.”

While at JP Morgan Chase in 2014, Pacilio jumped at the opportunity to work with companies to employ neurodivergent people.

“I mean, why couldn’t we have done this 20 years ago?” he asked.

It is estimated that over 1 billion individuals identify as being neurodivergent.

It’s also estimated that unemployment for neurodivergent adults runs at least as high as 30 – 40%, which is three times the rate for people with physical disabilities, and eight times the rate for people without disabilities, according to The Center for Neurodiversity & Employment Innovation, University of Connecticut.

Pacilio joined CAI, a global technology services firm, when they started CAI Neurodiverse Solutions, which is designed to bring the untapped talent pool of individuals with neurological differences into the workforce.

“Several years ago, companies started looking for people who were different than [the norm],” he said. “They wanted people who look at things differently and get different solutions.”

The companies will tell Pacilio what their needs are, and he will match clients to the position. But that’s just the start.

Part of his job is to educate the companies about interviewing techniques, integrating the clients into the mainstream workforce and building the employee’s confidence.

He also works with potential employees on how to interview and interact with the company they will potentially work for.

“We have Talent Discovery Sessions where we teach soft skills, time management, and what employer expectations are,” he said. “These are entry level jobs, but they often lead to greater things.”

Pacilio said that, over the past year-and-a-half, the demand for neurodivergent workers has increased 38%.

Melissa Stafanyszya, IT director at Highmark‘s Pittsburgh office, works with 66 neurodivergent employees throughout Highmark’s network. Seven of those are located in Lehigh Valley.

“We started the program in 2018,” she said. “We use CAI for staff augmentation and employ many of them permanently.”

That’s because they become such a vital part of the teams they work with, she said.

Stafanyszya said research shows that people on the autism spectrum are indeed underemployed.

“We have some with master’s degrees that couldn’t find work and ended up working in movie theaters or grocery stores,” she said.

One of the problems neurodivergent people face is the interview process.

“It can be really hard, especially if it’s a panel interview,” she said.

With the help of CAI, Highmark will do on-the-job interviewing to see how they do in an office setting, or in the case recently [the past two years], remotely.

“I’m a sponsor of the work program,” Stafanyszya said. “The first group was under me, and we learned a lot from them.”

Many of those first employees would be tasked with putting information into the system. As their confidence grew, so did their ability to move into other jobs.

CAI does all the screening and recommends people for the positions Highmark has. They are contracted for a year, but the experience has been so positive, Stafanyszya said she tries to keep them on as full Highmark employees.

“We’ve had a few that came in very shy,” she said. “They wouldn’t be customer facing at first, but over time, they wanted to be. We have one gentleman who didn’t want any interaction at first. Now, he is running meetings alone. He loves being in front of people.

“It took about a year. He started doing small parts of meetings like taking notes or reviewing notes. I’m so proud of him.”

While many neurodivergent people are attracted to math related fields, Stafanyszya said the list of jobs they hold within Highmark is “impressive.”

“I love being able to watch them accomplish what they thought they couldn’t,” she said. “We mentor them and they become mentors. They are very loyal and so dedicated to doing a good job.”

As they learn, they are able to chase higher salaries and build resumes to get better jobs, Stafanyszya said.

“They find a team and love the people on it,” she said. “Then they grow their skill set so the retention rate is really high.”

Pacilio loves hearing this.

“This is a big thing,” he said. “Parents of neurodivergent kids are always asking what they are going to do with then when they get out of school. Neurdivergent kids have 504s and IEPs, [learning disability documents]. Colleges didn’t used to have them, but most do now.”

The company has researched and set up training to overcome the obstacles that used to stand in the way.

“I have depression and social anxiety myself,” Pacilio said. “The best part of my job is I can relate.”

The program teaches people what opportunities they have and shows companies the talents they have, he said.

“It allows people to be independent. Productivity aside, that is what makes me get up every day.”