Neurodiverse Solutions

Meet Wayne

Everyone involved in CAI Neurodiverse Solutions has seen Wayne’s talent for teaching – and his unique ability to instill confidence in neurodivergent individuals.

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“It makes me proud to be able to positively impact the lives of others – and to see that impact.”

I came to CAI from a career in quality assurance, and my third assignment at the company was with CAI Neurodiverse Solutions, which had recently started as an engagement with the State of Delaware providing neurodivergent individuals with meaningful work.

Whatever you give me to do, I accept it and embrace it wholeheartedly. So, when I was entrusted to lead a CAI Neurodiverse Solutions team, I went to the client site ahead of time to understand the environment and the scope of work. I remembered all the times work was thrown over the fence at me and I had to figure out the answers. I didn’t want that to happen to my team members. I felt strongly about putting in the right structures to make sure the team and client were successful.

When the team members came out of CAI's Talent Discovery Session, they were very eager to take advantage of the opportunity to work. In the first 40 days in the client environment, we had unbelievable success. We showed the client the performance metrics for the team’s first 6 months, and the client couldn’t believe it. They elected to turn what was just a pilot program into a full-blown program.

As we expanded, I went from being a Team Lead to the Executive Director. Today, I handle all operations for CAI Neurodiverse Solutions: placement, onboarding, and ongoing support for the client and the whole project team. My goal is always to put the right candidate in the right role, in the right environment.

“To watch someone’s confidence develop as the trust level grows, as their capabilities increase, and they can see their progress – that is something I cannot express in words.”

Wayne McRae
Executive Director, Neurodiverse Solutions

This is one of the things that makes CAI Neurodiverse Solutions different from other employment programs. We customize the relationship to support both the team members and the client. We work closely with the client to make sure they understand how to build trust and interact with our team members – this way, everyone succeeds. We have spent a lot of time figuring out what works, and it’s our job to eliminate the risk for everyone involved. I'm proud to say that every team we’ve ever placed has been successful.

More and more organizations are aware of the benefits of cognitive diversity, but I get to see it every day. For one client, the team exceeded in the first month the service level agreement the client expected to see in the third month. The client had to reexamine its idea of productivity and raise the bar for other employee teams. For a healthcare client, the access management team handles 30 percent of the volume of work even though the team makes up just a small fraction of the overall access management division.

What I see with the CAI Neurodiverse Solutions associates is honesty, a strong desire to please, and dedication to take advantage of an opportunity presented to them. Many neurodivergent individuals don’t realize how competitive they are in terms of productivity. Once I was sitting with an associate, he was a very quiet guy – but very capable. He had earned a mechanical engineering degree but had a difficult time finding a job. He said to me, “Wayne, 6 months ago, I was sitting on my mom’s couch not knowing if I’d ever find a job. My phone almost never rang in response to an application or résumé submitted; now I'm working as a full-time software engineer for a major bank. I can’t believe how far I’ve come.”

It makes me proud to be able to positively impact the lives of others – and to see that impact. To watch someone’s confidence develop as the trust level grows, as their capabilities increase, and they can see their progress – that is something I cannot express in words.

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Interested in learning more about how we can help your organization build or expand your existing neurodiversity employment program? We'd love to talk.

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