A
Autism
Awareness & Acceptance
C
Customer
Experience & Design
E
Employee
Experience & Design
When you design for the most complex
human experiences, you build something
better for everyone.
The A.C.E. Experience is GEMBA's foundational philosophy and one of our most powerful service offerings. It's personal. It's practical. And it's unlike anything else in the CX and EX space.
WHY WE ADVOCATE
This isn't a program. It's personal.
GEMBA's founder, Andres Zapata, is the father of a son diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum at 18 months old. Watching his son navigate a world built for neurotypical experiences with courage, resilience, and grace didn't just inspire GEMBA. It shaped everything about how GEMBA thinks about experience design.
"When my son walks into a store, a restaurant, a doctor's office, the environment either welcomes him or it doesn't. Not because of policy. Because of design. The way the lighting works. The way a staff member responds. The way a process unfolds. That's experience design. And it either includes people like my son, or it doesn't."
— Andres Zapata, Founder, GEMBA LLC
Advocating for Autistic Families
GEMBA advocates for the families navigating a world that was built without them in mind. Every A.C.E. engagement is motivated by a commitment to make the organizations around us more welcoming, more responsive, and more human for every family that has an autistic member.
Advocating for Autistic Customers
1 in 36 children is diagnosed with autism. That's a significant and growing customer segment that most businesses are not designed to serve well. Autistic customers experience sensory environments, communication styles, and service interactions differently. GEMBA teaches organizations how to serve them with clarity, consistency, and dignity.
Advocating for Autistic Employees
The autism employment gap is one of the most underaddressed workforce issues in America. Only 21.3% of autistic adults are employed, compared to 65.9% of the general population. Autistic employees bring extraordinary strengths (pattern recognition, focus, loyalty, and precision) when workplaces are designed to support how they work best.
THE NUMBERS BEHIND THE MISSION
Inclusion isn't just the right thing.
It's the competitive thing.
The business case for autism-inclusive design is clear, and most organizations are leaving it on the table.
1 in 36
children in the U.S. are diagnosed with autism (CDC, 2023)
21.3%
employment rate for autistic adults vs. 65.9% general population
$175B+
autism services market is the fastest-growing disability sector
28%
higher revenue in organizations with above-average inclusion (Deloitte)
$8T
in disposable income controlled by people with disabilities globally
83%
of customers prefer doing business with inclusive organizations (Accenture)
THE BUSINESS CASE
What autism-inclusive design does for your business.
Organizations that build for the most complex human experiences don't just become more inclusive. They become more profitable, more loyal-customer-generating, and more attractive to top talent. Here's why.
Expanded Customer Loyalty
Autistic customers and their families (parents, siblings, spouses) represent a massive and deeply loyal consumer base. When a business demonstrates that it understands and welcomes autistic customers, families give their loyalty, and their word of mouth, entirely.
Reduced Sensory & Communication Barriers
Environments designed with sensory and communication clarity in mind create better experiences for everyone, not just autistic customers. Clearer signage, calmer environments, and more explicit communication protocols reduce friction for every customer who walks through your door.
Stronger Employee Performance
Autistic employees often bring exceptional strengths: deep focus, pattern recognition, consistency, and honesty. When workplaces are designed to support neurodiversity, they unlock performance that most organizations are currently missing and build teams that stay.
Competitive Brand Differentiation
83% of customers prefer to buy from inclusive organizations. Being known as a business that genuinely welcomes autistic customers and employees is not a customer service story, it's a brand positioning story. It earns media, referrals, and community loyalty that money can't buy.
Reduced Turnover & Improved Retention
Inclusive workplaces retain employees longer across every group, not just neurodiverse ones. When your culture demonstrates genuine care for people who experience the world differently, every employee notices. Retention goes up. Morale follows.
Universal Design Benefits
The principle of universal design, building for the edges to serve the whole, is proven across architecture, technology, and now experience design. What works for autistic customers (clarity, consistency, predictability, sensory comfort) works better for everyone.
HOW IT WORKS
The A.C.E. framework in practice.
Every A.C.E. engagement applies three lenses to help organizations build experiences that work for the full spectrum of human experience.
Autism Lens
We examine your environment, communication, and service design through the lens of autism. Identifying barriers that autistic customers and employees face, and redesigning them with clarity, predictability, and sensory consideration at the center.
Customer Lens
We map the full customer journey, including and especially the moments that autistic customers, families with autistic members, and neurodiverse consumers experience. We design touch-points that build trust, reduce friction, and create loyalty across the full spectrum.
Employee Lens
We assess and redesign your employee experience to support neurodiverse team members from hiring and onboarding through daily work and leadership interaction, ensuring autistic employees can bring their full capability to the work they do.
A.C.E. SERVICES
Two ways to bring A.C.E. into your organization.
Whether you're looking to train your team or bring an A.C.E. message to your entire organization, GEMBA offers two distinct formats — each designed to create lasting change.
A.C.E. Training & Workshops
WHAT YOUR TEAM WILL LEARN
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How to recognize autism in customers and employees, and respond with confidence and dignity
​
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Communication strategies that reduce frustration and build trust with autistic individuals
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How to support individuals experiencing sensory overload in a store, office, clinic, or any environment
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How to create physical and cultural environments that signal inclusion, and earn loyalty
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How to support autistic colleagues, building a workplace where neurodiverse talent thrives
BEST FOR
Healthcare & Dental
Retail & Restaurants
Schools & Childcare
Churches & Community Orgs
HR & People Teams
Customer-Facing Teams
Equipping your team to welcome, support, and serve everyone.
Interactive, practical, and immediately applicable. For teams of any size, in any industry.
A.C.E. KEYNOTE
A keynote that moves people, and moves organizations.
Combining personal story, organizational psychology, and practical tools into an unforgettable audience experience.
WHAT YOUR TEAM WILL LEARN
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The personal story behind A.C.E., why a father's journey created a framework that changes organizations
​
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The business case for autism-inclusive design, data, research, and real world examples
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The three A.C.E. lenses and how they apply to any organization in any industry
​
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Three things any organization can do in the next 30 days to begin building an inclusive experience
​
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A closing call to action that leaves every audience member with a personal commitment
BEST FOR
Leadership Conferences
HR Events
CX Summits
Corporate Town Halls
Autism Awareness Events
Faith Communities
WHO THE A.C.E. EXPERIENCE SERVES
Built for any organization that serves people.
If your organization interacts with customers, employs people, or serves a community, the A.C.E. Experience belongs in your culture.