DXC Dandelion Program Selects Life Sherpa SaaS platform to Assist Neurodiverse Individuals
News Release -- March 12, 2019
SYDNEY, Australia March 12, 2019 – DXC Technology (NYSE: DXC), the world’s leading independent, end-to-end IT services company, today announced it has chosen the Life Sherpa behavioral training and support mobile platform to power key aspects of its Dandelion Program.
Launched in Australia five years ago, the goal of the DXC Dandelion Program is to offer neurodiverse individuals with cognitive challenges such as autism, the ability to gain critical technical work experience while improving their confidence and team-building skills.
Life Sherpa is a SaaS platform that turns smart devices into virtual coaches, which assists neurodiverse individuals in overcoming executive functioning challenges.
“We realised when starting the DXC Dandelion Program that the issue we needed to focus on was sustainable employment. We started sourcing best of breed world practice and tools to assist us achieve this goal. Life Sherpa is one of the platforms we identified that would help us provide greater support and independence for individuals on the program,” said Michael Fieldhouse, Director, Social Impact Practice Leader and Dandelion Program Executive.
The Life Sherpa mobile platform addresses a number of key operational needs focused on enabling a distributed support model, providing better mental health support, and covering the gaps between work and home to drive higher levels of overall independence whilst reducing anxiety.
By delivering reminders, check lists and coping strategies, without the need for human intervention, Life Sherpa creates comprehensive analytics that can be used by administrators to track each participants’ progress. From a financial perspective, Life Sherpa will be key to keeping productivity high, mitigating absenteeism risk, and lowering costs post-commencement through enhanced independence.
The partnership between DXC and Life Sherpa was facilitated by Blue Umbrella Ventures, a San Francisco-based autism innovation accelerator. “We are very pleased to enable this relationship to help employers hire more individuals on the autism spectrum,” said serial entrepreneur and autism advocate Dan Feschbach, the founder of Blue Umbrella.
“We believe the integration of Life Sherpa into the DXC Dandelion Program will be key to scaling this innovative program for employing neurodiverse individuals in roles across an enterprise,” said Doug Meeker, CEO/Founder of 3R Behavioral Solutions, the developers of the Life Sherpa Platform.
About DXC Technology
As the world's leading independent, end-to-end IT services company, DXC Technology (NYSE: DXC) leads digital transformations for clients by modernizing and integrating their mainstream IT, and by deploying digital solutions at scale to produce better business outcomes. The company’s technology independence, global talent, and extensive partner network enable 6,000 private and public-sector clients in 70 countries to thrive on change. DXC is a recognized leader in corporate responsibility. For more information, visit dxc.technology and explore THRIVE, DXC’s digital destination for changemakers and innovators.
About 3R Behavioral Solutions
3R Behavioral Solutions is a Reston, VA-based venture focused on creating technology-based solutions to help drive behavioral changes that are foundational to self-reliance and independent living. Founded by technology executives with a personal connection to its mission, the Life Sherpa Platform is the first example of 3R’s focus on helping neurodiverse individuals acquire the skills and habits needed to find self-worth via employment. For more information visit: lifesherpapp.com
About Blue Umbrella Ventures
Blue Umbrella is the world’s first Autism and NeuroTech innovation accelerator whose mission is to meaningfully improve the lives of people with autism by boosting growth and speeding adoption of technologies and early stage ventures that address the concerns of this vibrant community. Blue Umbrella is focused on driving the commercial success of its portfolio companies through a comprehensive package of resources with a focus on acquiring paid Proof-of-Concept (POC) pilots within its extensive network of corporate enterprise contacts. While accurate data on the autism technology market is sparse, the Blue Umbrella research team has cataloged and curated a global database of research-based start-ups and emerging companies that have the potential to have a high impact and be self-sustaining. For more information visit: blueumbrella.io
Contacts
- Sheila Dhillon, Corporate Communications, DXC Technology, +61 423 884 848, sdhillon@dxc.com