Autonomy Works' inclusive approach is helping employees with autism change the workforce

CHICAGO (CBS) -- This next story shows the importance of good journalism, but also how doing the right thing can be good for both the bottom line and society as a whole.

Our colleagues at ''60 minutes'' showed how employees with autism can excel. That single story on the CBS news magazine led to a remarkable thing in Chicago.

Brennen Novak and Brian Evans have jobs that require enormous concentration and precision. They comb through reams of data, making sure it's accurate for Grainger, the large industrial supply company with offices here at the Merchandise Mart downtown.

"The most important thing about the data being accurate is that the customers have the right information," Novak said.

"So if it's something like a screw, we're looking at what direction does the thread go. So, does it go the right? Does it go to the left? Various details, things you wouldn't even think about it," Evans said.

Paige Robbins, Grainger's president of business units, said the stakes are high in Novak's and Evans' work.

"We are a huge company, with millions of products and millions of customers. You can just imagine how much information that we have," she said.

These two young men, with demanding jobs, both have autism.

"There's many benefits to hiring people with autism, and with some additional training time they can be as good or even better than people without a disability," Novak said.

That is the very message Dave Friedman is sharing with the world. Ten years ago, he founded Autonomy Works, based in Downers Grove, to create job opportunities for people with autism.

"A big part of our mission as a company is to change the way world views people with autism, and getting in front of millions of people and being able to tell our story is a really critical part of what we're trying to do," Friedman said.

Millions saw the story of Friedman's company on 60 Minutes last year.

"After the piece ran, we got hundreds and hundreds of inquiries," Friedman said.

Grainger was so impressed by the 60 Minutes segment, they reached out to Autonomy Works, and soon a partnership was born.

"The folks that are employed by Autonomy Works have skills and capabilities about attention to detail, focus, being able to look at large quantities of data, that was really necessary for us," Robbins said.

Friedman's motivation is personal. His son Matt has autism, and he's now working for Autonomy Works.

"I like that it's a quiet office environment," he told 60 Minutes correspondent Anderson Cooper.

"Back when he was in high school, we started to think about what he might do after high school, and what we realized is that there are very, very few jobs for adults with autism," Friedman said.

The unemployment rate for adults with autism is around 80 percent, according to Friedman.

"I knew that wasn't because they didn't have skills – Matt's really talented at a lot of things – and that was inspired me to start the company; to connect people with those skills to the business world," he said.

Connecting men like Novak and Evans, who are enjoying their work, and providing an invaluable service to a big company.

"I feel very satisfied knowing that we are doing the most accurate work possible for the client," Evans said.

"It has just been a really great partnership," Robbins said.

"It's one of my favorite things. I've become a happier person since I started working at Autonomy Works, and this work has given me something to look forward to every single day," Novak said.

Not a lot of people can say that about their jobs.

"No, it's truly a blessing," Evans said.

Friedman said when people with autism have good jobs, it changes their perspective, their confidence grows, and that extends into friendships and how they interact with others.