Local business owner with autism advocates for workplace inclusivity
By Adam Klepp
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PHOENIX, Arizona (KNXV) — In the Valley, a non-profit group and local business owner are both proving everyone has something to contribute to our community.
Perry Stephens is the owner of SpeedPro Desert Valley signs. He looks over his giant printers as they push out boards for a client.
“It’s printing some foam board posters for an event,” Stephens said. “It’s running on a real high quality.”
His attention to detail is leading to a boost in sales and a growing business. Stephens took over the shop in 2020 and he says orders keep growing.
Being a successful business owner is just a small part of who Stephens is.
“I am actually on the spectrum,” Stephens said. “I didn’t find out I was on the spectrum until I was an adult.”
He doesn’t view having autism as a disability, saying it’s an advantage at work.
“I feel like I have a goals-driven attitude. I like to see things through, work, grind until we get it done and I get hyper-focused,” Stephens said.
As Stephens successfully runs his own business, Pathway to Work, a non-profit in Tempe, works to get people living with disabilities placed into jobs.
Lisa Silva is one of their program directors helping provide the pathway through training.
“The comments that we get from employers are the employee is very dedicated and that they care,” Silva said.
Silva believes a truly diverse workplace should also include different ways of thinking.
“We don’t always process things in the same way, approach things in the same way, and that’s cool.”
Back at the print shop, Stephens hopes other businesses see his community’s successes, urging them to think outside the box the next time they have a job opening.
“We’re all different in our own way. People see physical disabilities. But they don’t see the mental aspect of it,” Stephens said. “So keep an open mind.”
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