Fredericton’s Shawn Smith Joins $2-Million Project With U.S. University
FREDERICTON – The founder of startup Don’t dis-my-ability Consultation Services is entering a $2-million, five-year neurodiversity initiative in an “untapped” American market.
Entrepreneur and CEO Shawn Smith will help the University of Connecticut to increase recruitment and retention in the civil and environmental engineering department. As part of his first contract of this kind in the U.S., he’ll be a guest lecturer on neurodiversity, sit on an advisory board and provide consulting.
“This is huge. This is massive for my company,” he said.
Through his startup, Smith has emerged as a leader in the growing field of neurodiversity recruitment. His Fredericton-based company offers counselling for individuals and families, keynotes, workshops and consulting for businesses.
Smith said the demand for his type of expertise is high in the United States as large companies including Verizon and SAP try to leverage uniquely-gifted individuals.
“I actually have more of a following in the States and I do have my own province or country,” he said in an interview with Huddle. “So who I am and what I do is a really specialized niche that has not taken on here, but it’s huge business in the States.”
The term neurodiversity represents people labelled with a disability, but who have strengths which exceed any deficits they may experience. This can include those diagnosed with autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and learning disabilities.
The cutting-edge project at the University of Connecticut is titled “Beyond Accommodation: Leveraging Neurodiversity for Engineering Innovation.” The initiative, which aims to be part of a larger cultural shift, was spearheaded by professor Maria Chrysochoou, the department head.
“Shawn’s strong belief in the unique abilities of neurodiverse individuals, along with his passion for his work makes him a natural fit for our project,” she said in a news release.
That interest in neurodiversity recruitment has yet to take off in New Brunswick and other parts of Canada.
“We operate from a charity based deficit model of ‘poor them, this is where we need to focus our time and energy,’” Smith said. “So we really haven’t acknowledged the gifts that these individuals have, and we also haven’t learned how to leverage them to help them in employment, education and other experiences.”
He describes science and engineering as fields where neurodiverse individuals can excel, pointing to American animal science professor Temple Grandin as an example. As an individual on the autism spectrum, she has conducted groundbreaking research on the livestock industry.
Smith said the contract will help him gain exposure in the U.S. market and open the door to future international work as a speaker and consultant. His approach to starting a cultural shift is to share stories that challenge traditional perceptions of people with disabilities.
“What’s really exciting about this is that inclusive education is a hot topic here in New Brunswick, and here I am at the forefront and being recruited by a prestigious American University,” he said. “Yet I’m barely recognized in my home province.”