Supporting and celebrating neuro-inclusion

Would you like to be involved in helping shape how we support and celebrate neuro-inclusion in the workplace?

Neurodiversity is the idea that cognitive conditions, such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia and dyspraxia, are natural variations in the way people think and process information. It highlights and promotes that people naturally think about things differently. The term recognises both the difficulties that people who have these conditions may encounter in the workplace, and also the unique strengths that can derive from thinking differently and making workplaces inclusive for everyone. Staff may be described as neurodivergent if they have a cognitive profile that is different to that of the average or ‘neurotypical’ person. For example, a dyslexic person may be said to be neurodivergent. Employers can play a crucial role in supporting neurodiversity by creating inclusive workplaces that break down stigma and make individuals feel valued, supported and understood.

At Essex, we are looking at how we can best create resources and ways of working that recognise the needs of all types of neurodiversity. Improving understanding and building a supportive culture for colleagues who are neurodivergent is absolutely key to this. We would really welcome hearing from colleagues who are neurodivergent (or have experiences of neurodivergence) to help ensure our work in this area is relevant and created in a way that is of real value.

We understand the benefit of having inclusive workplaces that break down stigma and make individuals feel valued, supported and understood, and would really welcome your input to help shape what this looks like at Essex.

As part of the resources we create to support neuro-inclusion, we also hope to include individual stories from neurodivergent colleagues – the advantages, successes and benefits, along with the challenges and how we can improve our workplace when taking these points into consideration. If you would be willing to work with us to share your experience please do let us know.

If you would like to be involved, and help shape the support we provide, please contact develop@essex.ac.uk to express your interest.