Specialisterne
Encyclopedia
Specialisterne is a Danish social innovator
company using the characteristics of people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as competitive advantages in the business market.
Specialisterne provide services such as software testing, quality control and data conversion for business leading companies in Denmark
.
In addition Specialisterne assess and train people with ASD to meet the requirements of the business sector.
The company provides a working environment where it is ‘normal’ to have ASD and where the role of the management and staff is to create the best possible working environment for the employees with ASD.
, normal intelligence” at age 3.
Thorkil became president of a local chapter of Autism Denmark for three years where he learned that people with ASD seldom have a chance to use their special skills in the labour market.
After 15 years working with IT within telecommunication companies Thorkil knew the value of the skills he saw in people with ASD.
Thanks to the support of his family Thorkil was able to start up Specialisterne based on a loan in their house and his family’s belief in his vision.
Enabling Centre Services include training programs to access and build up personal, social and professional skills for people with ASD – no formal education or job experiences are expected.
LEGO Mindstorms
robot technology is used as a tool to detect the strengths, the motivation and the development opportunities of the individual with ASD.
Business Centre Services include software tests, quality control, documentation and data entries with a high attention to details and accuracy for Danish and international customers like TDC
, Grundfos
, KMD
, CSC
, Microsoft
and Oracle
.
Academy Centre Services focus on transferring knowledge on how to turn disabilities into abilities.
The services are speeches, workshops and courses based on the method of positive thinking called The Dandelion Model.
In December 2008, Thorkil Sonne donated all shares of Specialisterne to the Specialist People Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded by Sonne.
In September 2009, Specialisterne started a school where youth with ASD could get an education with focus on social development and interaction with its offices. The school is funded with help from the Lego Foundation and the Danish Ministry of Education.
In August 2010 Specialisterne opened in Scotland with David Farrell-Shaw as General Manager. The Scottish company is a subsidiary of social enterprise company Community Enterprise in Scotland (CEiS), funded by £700,000 from the Scottish government, the project has also received £407,036 from the Big Lottery Fund and £30,000 from Glasgow City Council.
[source BBC]
In October 2010, assisted by funding support from a European Commission's Lifelong Learning Programme called the Leonardo Da Vinci Programme (project number 2010-1-IS1-LEO05-00579), a project began to link Scotland, Denmark, Germany and Iceland. The Icelandic offering went live in January 2011.
Thorkil Sonne has been presented with:
Social innovation
Social innovation refers to new strategies, concepts, ideas and organizations that meet social needs of all kinds - from working conditions and education to community development and health - and that extend and strengthen civil society....
company using the characteristics of people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as competitive advantages in the business market.
Specialisterne provide services such as software testing, quality control and data conversion for business leading companies in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
.
In addition Specialisterne assess and train people with ASD to meet the requirements of the business sector.
The company provides a working environment where it is ‘normal’ to have ASD and where the role of the management and staff is to create the best possible working environment for the employees with ASD.
Background
The son of founder Thorkil Sonne was given the diagnosis “infantile autismAutism
Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...
, normal intelligence” at age 3.
Thorkil became president of a local chapter of Autism Denmark for three years where he learned that people with ASD seldom have a chance to use their special skills in the labour market.
After 15 years working with IT within telecommunication companies Thorkil knew the value of the skills he saw in people with ASD.
Thanks to the support of his family Thorkil was able to start up Specialisterne based on a loan in their house and his family’s belief in his vision.
Today
Specialisterne has 50+ employees of which approximately 75% have a diagnosis within the Autism Spectrum. The head office are in Copenhagen, Denmark.Enabling Centre Services include training programs to access and build up personal, social and professional skills for people with ASD – no formal education or job experiences are expected.
LEGO Mindstorms
Lego Mindstorms
The LEGO Mindstorm series of kits contain software and hardware to create small, customizable and programmable robots. They include a programmable 'Brick' computer that controls the system, a set of modular sensors and motors, and LEGO parts from the Technics line to create the mechanical...
robot technology is used as a tool to detect the strengths, the motivation and the development opportunities of the individual with ASD.
Business Centre Services include software tests, quality control, documentation and data entries with a high attention to details and accuracy for Danish and international customers like TDC
TDC A/S
TDC A/S is the former telecom monopoly in Denmark. It is now privatized. Thus, it is the biggest company in all aspects of telecommunications in Denmark with landline, mobile, Internet, VHF maritime borderline-radio etc.By the end of 2004, the TDC Group had more than 13.4 mil. customers in Europe:...
, Grundfos
Grundfos
Grundfos is one of the world's largest pump manufacturer, based in Denmark with more than 18,000 employees globally. The annual production of more than 12 million pump units, circulator pumps , submersible pumps , and centrifugal pumps is approximately 50% of the world market for these pumps...
, KMD
KMD (company)
KMD develops IT solutions for Danish municipalities and others, and is owned by the municipalities country association .Kommunedata was established in 1972 by a merger of municipal IT centres....
, CSC
Computer Sciences Corporation
Computer Sciences Corporation is an American information technology and business services company headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, USA...
, Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
and Oracle
Oracle Corporation
Oracle Corporation is an American multinational computer technology corporation that specializes in developing and marketing hardware systems and enterprise software products – particularly database management systems...
.
Academy Centre Services focus on transferring knowledge on how to turn disabilities into abilities.
The services are speeches, workshops and courses based on the method of positive thinking called The Dandelion Model.
In December 2008, Thorkil Sonne donated all shares of Specialisterne to the Specialist People Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded by Sonne.
In September 2009, Specialisterne started a school where youth with ASD could get an education with focus on social development and interaction with its offices. The school is funded with help from the Lego Foundation and the Danish Ministry of Education.
In August 2010 Specialisterne opened in Scotland with David Farrell-Shaw as General Manager. The Scottish company is a subsidiary of social enterprise company Community Enterprise in Scotland (CEiS), funded by £700,000 from the Scottish government, the project has also received £407,036 from the Big Lottery Fund and £30,000 from Glasgow City Council.
[source BBC]
In October 2010, assisted by funding support from a European Commission's Lifelong Learning Programme called the Leonardo Da Vinci Programme (project number 2010-1-IS1-LEO05-00579), a project began to link Scotland, Denmark, Germany and Iceland. The Icelandic offering went live in January 2011.
Awards
Specialisterne has been presented with:- Initiative Award 2005, Mid Jutland IT Association
- Network Special Award 2005, the Danish National Network of Business Leaders
- Best Large Social Firm Europe 2006, CEFEC, the European confederation of Social Firms
Thorkil Sonne has been presented with:
- Autism Award 2004, Autism Denmark
- Best Track Presentation, EuroSTAR 2005
- Best Keynote Presentation, EuroSTAR 2006
- ARTE as European of the Week, June 2007
- IT Award 2008, Danish IT Industry Association