Positive vibes

Autism advocate Ahsan Zulfiqar is using his professional experience to show society how employees with special needs can be valued members of the workplace.

The 24-year-old Pakistani expatriate, who was diagnosed with autism at the age of three, has started a YouTube channel named Ahsan’s Creation with the help of his mother, Ruqia, to promote a positive attitude towards hiring special needs adults in Bahrain.

“It is great getting ready everyday and going to the office like everyone else,” said Ahsan. “It makes me very happy and gives me a confidence boost. I hope to learn more skills and become even more independent in the future.”

Ahsan has previously also written a cookbook named What’s Cooking with Ahsan? that was published in 2019, and has previously showcased his artistic skills in exhibitions. The video initiative takes the message to a new dimension.

“The purpose of this channel is to showcase Ahsan’s skills and raise awareness regarding differently-abled adults,” explained Ruqia.

“They are entirely capable of having a job. Having challenges with mental health does not exclude people from the workforce. In fact, they should be accommodated.

“Everyone thinks about small children with special needs but they don’t seem to think about their lives after they grow up.”

The channel showcases videos showing Ahsan in a number of day-to-day situations – at work, immersed in a creative activity and having fun days out – as well as interviews with families of special needs individuals, to provide an insight into their experience.

Ahsan, who started approaching companies in 2019 in order to find part-time work, as previously highlighted in GulfWeekly, has since worked in the human resource departments of McDonald’s, Royal Bahrain Hospital and the American Mission Hospital, standing out for his exceptional computer skills. He also spent a day at Delmon Pottery in A’Ali, trying his hand at the traditional Bahraini craft.

He is currently working behind the counter of Ratna Jewellers in Riffa on a part-time basis, impressing them with his enthusiasm, and is sharing his experience through his YouTube channel.

“He is a good listener and is very organised,” said Anandi Sailesh, owner of the jewellery shop. “There is often a stigma in society that special needs individuals are hard to handle and need a lot of supervision, but this generalisation is false and stops employers from giving them a chance to showcase their potential.

“We are always open to welcoming more special needs adults to work with us.”

His professional experience has also helped Ahsan grow personally and develop a number of essential social and interpersonal skills.

Ruqia feels Ahsan has become an ‘extremely positive’ person who is ‘communicating with various people and enjoys being an active member of society’.

She believes that ‘there is hope that the change we want to see in our society is possible’ due to the appreciation Ahsan’s efforts have received.

“Our goal is to highlight how individuals with special needs can improve workplaces,” she added. “For families of special needs individuals, seeing their sons’ and daughters’ work recognised and compensated is crucial to them becoming contributing members of society.”