Meet Ingrid: a Neurodivergent QA Specialist and Proud IBMer

IBM thinks about inclusion the way we think about innovation—both are essential to the success of our business. When we innovate, technology becomes smarter for clients and creates new opportunities for growth. When we incorporate inclusion into our business, we create better innovations and outcomes.

In 2017, IBM partnered with Specialisterne to deploy IGNITE Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), a program that helps transform spectrum talent by employing them locally to bring differentiated value to our clients.

To give our readers a glimpse of the work environment and experience, we interviewed IBMers who have self-identified as being on the Autistic spectrum and are part of the IGNITE ASD program.

“My name is Ingrid. I was one of the lucky ones diagnosed young at around seven years old. My head was in the clouds as a kid—everything from wanting to be an artist, graphic designer, six different kinds of scientists, and a video game developer. In college, I started out in Physics but changed to Informatics as I found it fit my love of merging creativity and technology better.

Everything about interviews—whether seeming to need to read minds over the phone, following dozens of unspoken guidelines, or getting dressed in uncomfortable clothes—was always an intimidating experience. It was tough getting rejected repeatedly despite being told how good my resume looked for my age. I got a few internships here and there, but those didn’t really seem to change much from where I was sitting at the time.”

“I’ll be honest, my mom brought the 2017 IBM Specialisterne program to my attention while I was deep in my job hunt, and I mostly applied for it so I got something done that day. The major difference is that the interview process wasn’t a one-and-done affair. It took place over the course of a whole month where we could ease into a working schedule and display our unique talents, which felt good. Finally getting work felt amazing and terrifying because now I could finally make it on my own in the adult world without training wheels. That meant new opportunities for both success and failure. Thankfully, my experience has more been the former than the latter.

“IBM has been a unique and balanced workplace compared to the experiences I had with internships that were either strict or too hands-off. I know what’s expected of me from the project and the center, and they’ve been willing to listen and work with me when things were unclear. There’s a good structure so I know what to expect, but enough freedom to learn and grow through the many learning resources and knowledge-sharing events. I’ve made friends both inside and outside the project, got to see tangible good at the end of the day, month, and year, and that helps a lot with self-confidence. Going forward, I see myself as a person who can bridge the gap for clients hoping to bring legacy infrastructure and programs up to the current leading edge.”