What is neurodiversity ?

Neurodiversity is a group of people who have a variety of neurotypes.

While a team can be neurodiverse, because they
have different brains and process information differently, everyone is not neurodivergent.

What is neurodivergence?

Neurodivergent is an umbrella term that covers neurological differences which are clinically significant.

Categorised under neurodivergence are:

🧬Autism

🧬ADHD

🧬Specific learning difficulties; Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia

🧬Sensory Processing disorders

🧬OCD

🧬Tic and motor syndromes

🧬Chromosomal disorders

⚕️Traumatic and 🧬 congenital brain injury

⚕️Substance exposure disorders

“Neurodiversity may be every bit as crucial for the human race as biodiversity is for life in general.”

Harvey Blume’s article “Neurodiversity” in the Atlantic (1998)

The history of neurodiversity and neurodivergence.

The term neurodiversity was coined by Judy Singer, neurodivergence was coined by

Kassiane Asasumasu (formerly Kassiane Sibley) gave us the term “neurodivergent”

The term was to allow for advocacy of those who are different from mainstream neurology, as a way to include them in activist activities, refuting the medical pathologising of conditions.

Basically, the neurodiversity movement is saying that we are all diverse, and therefore should all be accepted and included.

Humankind is diverse and creating a world for the majority, not for all is what disables people’s lives.

The environment, rather than the person

For example, a shopping center is purposefully designed to bamboozle the senses, disorientate and promote impulsive buying.

For those who are sensitive to light, and noise and easily disorientated, they are intense and overwhelming.

When services are located in shopping centers and the experience of going in one induces panic and exhaustion, it is the shopping center that is the problem, not the person.

This is not to say that the person doesn’t have challenges with being neurodivergent, but that there is a significant amount that we can do as a society to shift environments that effectively disable individuals because of how they are designed

The role we play

Our team is committed and passionate about educating businesses (and anyone who will listen) about neurodivergence and diversity. The simple and practical accommodations can support neurodivergent people in the workplace and the benefits that diversity in the workplace can bring.

Companies like NASA knows the benefits and has a program to ensure that their neurodivergent employees are understood, accepted, and embraced…. do you?