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The International Day of Persons with Disabilities celebrates the important contributions made by people with disabilities in professional and private life. It also aims to raise social awareness of inclusion topics and draw attention to the benefits of an integrative society. In order to increase the visibility of these key issues in every sense of the word and to shine a light on them, companies and institutions in many countries participate in the #PurpleLightUp campaign and light their façades and logos purple.
The international high-tech company AT&S, based in Leoben, is taking part in the campaign for the first time this year. A high-tech lighting element developed in cooperation with Ars Electronica, which is modelled on the traces of a printed circuit board and illuminates the entrance of the new headquarters, will shine in purple from Thursday, 30 November, until Monday, 4 December, and will send purple light along the PCB traces in order to express AT&S’s appreciation for the achievements and concerns of people with disabilities.
Diversity as an advantage
“For a globally operating company like AT&S, it is essential to understand and embrace inclusion and equal opportunities,” says Marina Hornasek-Metzl, Senior Director Corporate ESG at AT&S, and explains the motivation behind taking part in the campaign: “By participating in the PurpleLightUp campaign, we are setting a signal, showing that all people who want to work together appreciatively and apply their talent for a better future are welcome at AT&S. We are OneAT&S.”
As of March 2023, AT&S employed 41 people with disabilities, of whom 83 percent worked at locations in Austria. “In our company, people with disabilities work in various different departments ranging from maintenance and production to our laboratories,” emphasises Marina Hornasek-Metzl. In Leoben, AT&S has also partnered with Café Beniva, a centre enabling the people with Down syndrome working there to lead an autonomous lifestyle, for many years.
AT&S considers diversity in the workforce an enormous advantage and values the creative solutions that such diverse teams deliver. The company pursues a zero-tolerance policy against any form of discrimination and, on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, thanks all employees for their efforts for an inclusive environment at all locations.
