How inclusivity can scale with financial sustainability

The Danish organization Specialisterne was founded in 2004 by Thorkil Sonne, based on a simple, yet radical idea: people with autism could actually thrive in the workplace if employers changed the work environment to help them succeed. Back in 2004, it was common for businesses to view autistic individuals as people requiring social or medical care rather than as a valuable source of talent. But Sonne wanted to disrupt this limiting idea. Traits often seen in autism, such as intense focus, attention to detail, and precision with repetitive tasks, could be highly useful in sectors such as data processing and technology.

Sonne realized his vision, and two decades later, Specialisterne has grown into a global social enterprise spanning 26 countries. It has helped more than 10,000 neurodivergent people find employment. In 2025, Forbes included it on its ‘Accessibility 100’ list, recognizing Specialisterne’s influence in accessibility.

For Ramon Bernat, President of Specialisterne, the organization’s mission has always gone beyond employment statistics. “The moment you facilitate the process and neurodivergent people begin working at a client’s premises, something truly transformational takes place,” he says.

But Specialisterne’s success has resulted in a new challenge. There’s no longer a question of whether neurodivergent people can succeed in the labor market; now the organization has to figure out how to scale inclusion in a financially sustainable way.

From social enterprise to global organization

A case study by Alfred Vernis, Strategy and General Management Associate Professor at Esade Business School, Jaume Iglésies, Adjunct Professor of Social Entrepreneurship and Sustainable and Impact Investments, and Dalia Silberstein, Manager of the Esade Center for Social Impact, examined Specialisterne’s evolution from a niche consultancy into an international organization operating at the intersection of business strategy and societal impact.

Initially, Specialisterne positioned itself as a service provider. Neurodivergent individuals were directly employed to work on tasks aligned with their skills, such as software testing, quality control, and data entry. Projects were managed in-house by Specialisterne, and importantly, coaching and support were also provided. This model worked well to create stable employment while allowing the organization to control working conditions and employee wellbeing.

Neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and Tourette’s syndrome affect a significant proportion of the population. Vernis and his co-authors note that levels of unemployment among these individuals are estimated to be more than 80 per cent. This presented a challenge on a huge scale that Specialisterne was unlikely to address through its ‘direct employment’ model alone.

This realization grew among the leadership as the organization continued to expand. By 2025, despite placing more than 10,000 people into jobs, it was becoming clear that millions more neurodivergent people still needed to be reached.

Impact vs sustainability

The central dilemma for Specialisterne is familiar to many social enterprises: the business models that bring stable revenue don’t necessarily lead to the greatest long-term social impact.

Specialisterne’s original business models focused on direct employment. In one model, the organization acted as a service provider, delivering projects through teams of neurodivergent employees. In another, staff were leased directly to client companies while still employed by Specialisterne. These approaches provided recurring revenue, long-term client relationships, and direct oversight of employee support systems.

As the organization grew, two new models were introduced. One approach saw Specialisterne serving as a specialist recruiter for neurodivergent talent, which businesses would then hire directly. The other centered on diversity and inclusion consultancy, helping organizations redesign recruitment processes, management practices, communication systems, and workplace culture to become more neuroinclusive.

The newer operational models brought the potential for a far broader impact. Instead of directly employing a limited number of people, Specialisterne could theoretically influence how thousands of companies recruited and supported neurodivergent employees.

But it wasn’t a win-win situation. Shifting to the models with broader impact introduced financial uncertainty. Consultancy results in shorter, less predictable projects compared to ongoing service contracts. Would Specialisterne cannibalize itself? Some managers worried that expanding consultancy services could reduce demand for the organization’s traditional business lines.

A debate, which was both philosophical and operational, arose: should Specialisterne prioritize direct job creation or the transformation of labor markets? As one manager argued, “If our mission is to transform labor markets, we cannot do it one project at a time.”

The consultancy model posed a specific threat to the ongoing existence of Specialisterne. Once companies learned how to create inclusive environments independently, they would need less support from Specialisterne in the future. This could be viewed as a huge success and the ultimate expression of social impact. But it also raises difficult questions about financial sustainability and organizational survival.

Why this matters beyond Specialisterne

Beyond Specialisterne, more and more companies across sectors are recognizing neurodiversity as a potential source of innovation and competitive advantage. Large firms including SAP, Microsoft, and Deloitte all operate neurodiversity hiring initiatives. But hiring neurodivergent employees is only the first step.

“The corporate world is full of unwritten rules about social interaction, which are very difficult for autistic individuals to interpret,” says Fabrizio Acanfora from Specialisterne Italy, “Recognizing neurodiversity within organizations means valuing different ways of thinking, communicating, and working. This creates accessible environments that encourage collaboration, innovation, and collective wellbeing.”

Operating as a consultancy, Specialisterne helps businesses address these barriers by advising on communication styles, management approaches, onboarding, and other adaptations that create a more inclusive workplace for neurodivergent workers. More often than not, these changes also prove helpful for all employees.

Does redundancy equal success?

Specialisterne and other mission-driven organizations have a decision to make. How do they expand their impact without eroding the financial foundations that made that impact possible in the first place?

Will the leadership choose to prioritize direct employment models, invest more heavily in consultancy and talent placement, or attempt to balance several approaches simultaneously? There are risks to all strategies.

Lasting change may require a combination of approaches rather than a single dominant model. Specialisterne could continue to deliver services, as well as transferring knowledge, redesigning systems, and encouraging others to take ownership of the mission. For organizations whose goal is social impact, the greatest success may ultimately be creating a world in which their original model is no longer needed.