“I didn’t know Ron had a disability. We had a vacancy and, out of all the job applications we received, we chose three candidates to come for an interview. Ron was one of them. His letter was impressive; it showed strong motivation and used strong arguments to demonstrate why he was suited to the job. During the interview, however, he was very quiet, just answering my questions with ‘yes’ or ‘no’, and not asking any questions himself. It was an exhausting interview. Afterwards, I was almost ready to reject him. But then his job coach called.
I wasn’t aware he had one. He asked for a second chance. The other two candidates were even less promising, so I offered Ron this second chance.”

“This second time, Ron was much more open. His job coach was clearly someone he trusted, and he encouraged Ron to talk. I got a much better impression of his skills, and he seemed motivated. Also of his ‘demands’. He was quite firm about the conditions under which he would like to work for us. He wanted to work four days a week, starting late in the morning because of his night-time gaming, and he did not want to work on Thursdays as that was his ‘game day’. I was intrigued that Ron told me gaming was more important to him than work. Although I did not want to make exceptions for him, I ultimately hired him on a temporary contract. I wanted to give Ron a chance, and hiring him also meant a higher score on my CSR ranking, which was an added incentive.”

“I trusted his skills and liked him. I just needed to be sure that he could work well with his colleagues. We are a no-nonsense company. Our employees work closely together and enjoy each other’s company. I wasn’t sure if he would fit in. At first, colleagues had to get used to Ron’s presence, as he looks disinterested in everything, both in his eyes and in his body language. He hardly shows emotion. Then the job coach had a meeting with his colleagues to explain what it means to have a disability like Ron’s. That went very well. Ron joins them for drinks on Fridays. He is much quieter than his colleagues, but they accept that as part of who he is and they all respect him.”

“At first, it became clear that Ron needed more time to learn things. It took about 5–15 minutes to explain what was needed in the work to him. I was afraid that Ron would be slower because he needed so much time for explanations. His team leader had a meeting with the job coach, who advised starting slowly and then gradually increasing the production speed. However, this did not seem to be necessary. It turned out that Ron was the fastest person in the company. He works at a constant speed, is not easily distracted, stays focused and works in a very organised way.”

“Ron likes working for our company. He knows he is faster than others and sees this as a fact, not something to be proud of. As he puts it, ‘It’s my job, and I should do the best I can in it’. He works well with his colleagues, though.
When they chat or joke around while working, however, he creates a distance. He doesn’t mind; he just wants to continue working, and this chatting slows him down. He told me that he would like to stay for a few more years. The salary makes him independent of his parents, enabling him to live in his own apartment and go on holiday by himself. He really appreciates that.”

“The job coach is important for Ron. He trusts him as a person and values his support. Whenever there is an issue, which is rare, I can call the job coach for support, which I highly value. It was also the job coach who informed me that I was entitled to a subsidy for Ron. I wasn’t aware of it; that was an added bonus.”

“Of all my colleagues, Ron makes the fewest mistakes. He is also very loyal and quick. Ron now has a permanent contract. He can stay as long as he wants. I am happy that I gave him a chance and would do so again. Having Ron as an employee has been a real eye-opener for me. I have learned a lot about my own prejudices. I am now much more open-minded and focus on people’s abilities rather than their perceived limitations. We all tend to categorise people and form opinions about what they can and cannot do. It’s something I would never do again, and I would recommend that all my fellow SME owners do the same.”