The Sound of Success - How Aspiritech is Orchestrating the Future of Neurodivergent Employment
- David Ruttenberg
- Jul 22
- 5 min read
Updated: Aug 1
From Recording Studios to Research Labs: A Personal Journey
<5 minute read
Copyright © 2018-2025 Dr David P Ruttenberg. All rights reserved.

Forty years ago, I spent my days in Chicago's recording studios and working for some of the largest and most iconic manufacturers in the professional audio industry. I learned then how the city's collaborative creative spirit could transform raw talent into something extraordinary. The best sessions happened when everyone could be authentically themselves—when the introverted songwriter felt safe to share vulnerable lyrics, when the perfectionist drummer could channel their obsessive attention to detail, and when the synesthetic producer could describe sounds in colors that somehow made perfect sense to everyone.
Today, as a doctor studying and contributing to how neurodivergent individuals can thrive in workplace, academic, and social contexts (Ruttenberg, 2025), I'm seeing that same transformative power at work in Chicago's tech sector. At the center of this movement is Aspiritech (aspiritech.org), a nonprofit that's not just changing how we think about neurodivergent employment—they're proving that inclusive teams don't just work better, they innovate better.
"Neurodiversity refers to all of us—every single one of us, 100% of us. We all have 86 billion neurons firing in our brain, and we think and experience the world uniquely." Aspiritech, CEO Tara May
Recognition That Resonates: Forbes and Beyond
This year, Forbes named Aspiritech to their inaugural Accessibility 100 list, recognizing them among the nation's leading innovators in disability inclusion (Forbes, 2025).
Simultaneously, Crain's Chicago Business highlighted the organization as a key player in Chicago's evolution as an accessibility leadership hub, noting how the city continues its legacy from the early days of accessible curb cuts to today's cutting-edge neurodiversity initiatives (West, 2025).
But accolades aside, what makes Aspiritech remarkable isn't their recognition—it's their results.
The Anti-Masking Revolution in Action
As my research has consistently shown, neurodivergent individuals are often pressured to "mask"—to suppress their natural traits and conform to neurotypical workplace expectations. This masking behavior leads to exhaustion, burnout, and ultimately, the devastating statistic that 85% of college-educated autistic individuals remain unemployed or underemployed despite their qualifications.
Aspiritech flips this narrative entirely.
With more than 90% of their team members on the autism spectrum, the organization has created an environment where neurodivergent traits aren't just accepted—they're leveraged as competitive advantages. Their employees bring exceptional attention to detail, pattern recognition abilities, and innovative problem-solving approaches that have made them indispensable to Fortune 500 clients including JPMorgan Chase, Bose, and Goldman Sachs.
CEO Tara May puts it perfectly: "Neurodiversity refers to all of us—every single one of us, 100% of us. We all have 86 billion neurons firing in our brain, and we think and experience the world uniquely" (West, 2025). This philosophy permeates everything Aspiritech does, from their hiring practices to their client delivery models.
Building Employment Community, Not Just Careers
What strikes me most about Aspiritech's model—drawing from both my music industry background and my current research and contributions—is how they understand that meaningful work requires more than just a paycheck. In the recording studio, we knew that technical skill alone wasn't enough; artists needed community, mentorship, and a sense of purpose to create their best work.
Aspiritech has built exactly that type of ecosystem for neurodivergent professionals. Unlike the gig economy's approach of treating workers as interchangeable units, Aspiritech offers comprehensive training, ongoing mentorship, and genuine career progression paths. Their employees aren't just completing tasks—they're leading teams, developing innovative solutions, and shaping the future of accessible technology.
This approach creates what my research identifies as the key components for neurodivergent workplace success: psychological safety, authentic self-expression, and meaningful contribution. When these elements align, the results speak for themselves.
Chicago's Innovation DNA
Chicago has always been a city that values authentic talent over polished performance. From its blues clubs to tech startups, Chicagoans have always understood that innovation comes from diverse perspectives and unique approaches to problem-solving.
As Crain's noted, Chicago's accessibility leadership traces back decades—from Dr. Henry Betts advocating for curb cuts to the Great Lakes ADA Center establishing the city as a technical assistance hub (West, 2025). Organizations like LCM Architects continue this legacy by going beyond minimum ADA compliance to create truly inclusive environments, while architectural firms like HOK have spent nearly a decade researching neurodiversity in workplace design.
Aspiritech represents the next evolution of this tradition, proving that Chicago doesn't just talk about inclusion—they make it profitable, scalable, and sustainable.
The Business Case for Authenticity
From my perspective as both a former industry professional and current scientist, Aspiritech's success demonstrates something crucial: inclusive hiring isn't charity—it's competitive strategy. When organizations move beyond compliance thinking to capability optimization, they unlock talent pools that traditional recruitment approaches consistently overlook.
The numbers support this. Aspiritech has grown from a kitchen table startup to a nationally recognized nonprofit serving industry leaders. Their work in quality assurance, accessibility testing, data services, and AI demonstrates that neurodivergent teams don't just meet client expectations—they exceed them.
This aligns perfectly with my research findings on wearable technology for neurodivergent workplace support. When organizations provide the right environmental conditions and technological tools, neurodivergent employees consistently outperform their neurotypical counterparts in tasks requiring sustained attention, pattern recognition, and detail orientation.
The Sound of Change
Just as Chicago's music scene taught me that the most beautiful harmonies emerge when different voices blend authentically rather than trying to sound identical, the workplace transformation happening at organizations like Aspiritech shows us that innovation flourishes when we embrace neurological diversity rather than enforcing conformity.
The future of work isn't about teaching neurodivergent individuals to mask their differences—it's about creating environments where those differences become competitive advantages. Aspiritech has been living this future since 2008, and their Forbes recognition simply confirms what those of us studying this space have known for years: inclusive teams aren't just more ethical, they're more effective.
A Call to Action for Leaders
For business leaders reading this: the question isn't whether you can afford to embrace neurodivergent talent—it's whether you can afford not to. With labor shortages persisting across industries and innovation demands increasing, organizations that learn to optimize neurodivergent capabilities will have significant competitive advantages.
For neurodivergent professionals: organizations like Aspiritech prove that masking isn't mandatory for professional success. There are workplaces where your authentic self is not just welcome—it's valuable.
For my fellow researchers and advocates: Aspiritech demonstrates that sustainable change happens when we move beyond awareness to action, from accommodation to optimization, from inclusion to innovation.
Connect and Collaborate
If you're interested in exploring partnership opportunities with Aspiritech, I encourage you to connect with their Chief Growth Officer, Kayley Bogdan, at kayley.bogdan@aspiritech.org.
Whether you're seeking their specialized tech services or looking to learn from their inclusive employment model, they represent the kind of forward-thinking organization that's reshaping how we think about talent, capability, and success.
The future of work is neurodivergent. Chicago organizations like Aspiritech aren't just preparing for that future—they're creating it, one authentic hire at a time.
References:
Forbes. (2025, June 17). Accessibility 100: Innovation in accessibility. Forbes Magazine.
Ruttenberg, D. (2025). Towards technologically enhanced mitigation of autistic adults' sensory sensitivity experiences and attentional, and mental wellbeing disturbances. Thesis Submitted in Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. University College London. 1-828. https://bit.ly/4lzyWFD
West, C. (2025, July 14). Chicago is rethinking what accessibility really means. Crain's Chicago Business.
We appreciate you, David!