Meet the Pods

I want to introduce you to a brilliant inclusive company Meet The Pods.

I have asked Alison Bateman who founded the Pods a few questions so that she can tell us a bit more about it. 

Alison what is your connection to autism?

My youngest son, Roman is on the autistic spectrum.

Can you tell us what Meet the Pods is all about and what inspired you to create the Pods?

I was concerned about opportunities in the workplace for Roman as he grew older so I decided to set up Meet The Pods in order to provide him with a safe and inclusive environment to work in.

Do you have a favourite Pod?

Gosh, no I couldn’t possibly choose – it would be like choosing your favourite child!  They all have their strengths and weaknesses and that’s what I love about all of them.

Your social media channels are full of great inspirational quotes, observations and brilliant illustrations.  How do you come up with the content ideas?

I gather information from all sorts of sources, I make a note of any quotes I hear and/or see and trawl the internet too.  I also keep a calendar of National and International days and monitor news so that I can ensure that we are topical and appropriate depending on what is going on in the World.

Do you have a favourite Pod illustration / quote?

Yes, although it changes.  Generally my favourites are the ones featuring kindness as I find that Patrick, our lead artist, captures the emotions brilliantly.

How do you make your company an inclusive working environment?

It’s early days yet but our aim is to offer opportunities for work and/or work experience to all abilities and work out the best ways we can work together.  We very much want to include our audience in our approach to inclusivity too by way of encouraging interaction on our website and social media channels.

Can you tell me a little about the products you have available and what products you have planned for the future?

We currently offer Pod mugs, fleece blankets, keyrings, posters, and clocks.  We are looking to extend this to all sorts of goodies in the future and our main aim is to create a multi-sensory toy suitable for children of all abilities.  We are also looking into apps, cartoons and animations.

What do you most enjoy about your job?

All of it – but mainly seeing how much Roman and Patrick have grown in confidence since we started up.

What has surprised you most about working in an inclusive way?

I am amazed how much talent is out there that just needs a little extra help to be recognized.

Thank you Alison, it is great to learn all about Meet the Pods. We look forward to seeing your social media posts and can’t wait to see future products.