Diversity Requires Neurodiversity

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Diversity Requires Neurodiversity

In the recent article, “Diversity Also Requires Divergent Thinking,” I talked about the need for divergent thinking. This concept refers to the decision-making processes that seek to open things up as opposed to close them down. There we talked about how individuals who might be dedicated to the diversity of identity also have to choose conversational patterns and group discussion dynamics that allow people to express a diversity of thought. But to be an inclusive leader who practices divergent thinking, you must also make moves on behalf of neurodivergent people.?

Frequently, even the leaders who’d foster belonging along the lines of race, gender, and nationality miss opportunities to do the same with neurodiversity. Sometimes this happens because they make ableist biases that masquerade as assessments of professionalism. If a person does not maintain eye contact with you during a conversation, it becomes easy to judge them as being disrespectful. When another person is doodling throughout the entire meeting, we can dismiss them as disengaged. When a person arrives late, leaves early, and takes frequent breaks, many judge them as lazy.?

But these moral judgments about a person’s professionalism fail to take into account neurodiversity. Sometimes people don’t maintain eye contact because it causes great difficulty to do so. Sometimes they doodle throughout meetings to actually increase concentration when their thoughts are racing a mile a minute. Some people who arrive late, leave early, and take frequent breaks do so, not because they’re lazy, but because they’re managing a different set of cognitive, neurological, or mental health issues and frequent breaks allow them to work better.

Many organizations looking for new ways of thinking frequently penalize those who think differently because of neurological status. To create an environment where everyone can thrive and also reap the benefits that come from having a truly diverse range of perspectives must also find ways to allow people with different mental, cognitive, developmental, behavioral, and neurological experiences to thrive. In order to foster that kind of environment, here are a few tips:

1??Interrogate your definition of “professionalism” for ableism

After the pandemic, many organizations are clamoring to get back into the office. Time and again, leaders say they want face-to-face meetings because that’s the best way “to really get a feel for a person.” When we use phrases like this, what we usually mean is that being in person allows us to read other people’s non-verbal communication. But be careful about how your office culture’s desire to “connect with people” and “get a feel for them” might simply reward those who conform to conventions of neurotypical behavior and punish those who do not.

Just because someone looks you in the eye doesn’t mean they’re honest. Just because someone is unable to return your gaze doesn’t mean they’re suspicious. Just because someone shakes your hand doesn’t mean they’re trustworthy. Just because someone refuses to doesn’t mean they’re deceptive. Honest, suspicious, trustworthy, deceptive–just think of all the moral judgments we attach to nonverbal behavior. And think about how many of those behaviors privilege neurotypical communities. We make declarations about a person’s goodness based on little more than their mental, cognitive, or neurological ability to perform countless and relatively insignificant rituals we’ve decided determine someone’s goodness. So before you make moral judgments, interrogate your definition of what constitutes a “good person” much less a “good employee.” Examine how much of it is rooted in handshakes, speech volume, speech duration, depth of answers in response to your questions, seating posture, facial expressions, or lack of conventional emoting, and notice how many definitions of professionalism are rooted in ableism.?

2??Diversify how your organization defines engagement

Even the most inclusive organizations have narrow definitions for engagement. Most often it means attending the meetings at the same time as everybody else and participating in the same way as everyone else. Frequently, this means being in the room with people, maintaining eye contact, listening to them talk over each other, then mustering the audacity to talk over others until everyone stares at you. While this process is familiar to many, it doesn’t ensure the best ideas get heard. In fact, it rewards neurotypical people who are comfortable with social settings and taking the spotlight. It also unnecessarily disadvantages people who don’t.?

Get around this problem by finding different ways for people to contribute. For example, circulate agenda items ahead of time along with supporting materials. Give them time to read, write, and actually think. Allow people to submit ideas and contributions asynchronously before the meeting begins. Let them have the option of making those submissions be anonymous or receiving credit when they are read out during the meeting. Doing so can allow people with all different ability statuses to contribute. It allows those who like to read and write more than listen and talk an opportunity to process information and provide some of their own. It also allows those who don’t like social situations or thrive better in privacy to have the opportunity to contribute fully. Avoid cold-calling on people in the meeting. Create opportunities for freewriting so people can collect their thoughts. Allow small group work to help warm up ideas.?

3??Watch how you moralize your “reopening”

In the desire to return back to the office, many employers are saying that being in person is essential for thriving work culture. Throughout these conversations lots of people suggest that working remotely was a temporary, inconvenient, unfortunate, and harmful deviation from the office norm that was otherwise thriving, inviting, and beneficial. But keep in mind that this is not the case for everyone.

For many people who find social interactions overwhelming, working remotely has been a place where they can thrive.

There are many people who were able to do their best work for the first time in their professional lives because they were able to do so from the comfort of their own homes. There were plenty who were able to thrive more than ever before and produce their best work because they never had to worry about interruptions from the person sitting in the next cubicle. Given this reality, be careful about how you talk about reopening the office. Consider whether all your celebrations about returning to headquarters suggest there’s something wrong with those who don’t want to. In the welcome back messages, think about how your suggestions that things are getting back to the way they’re supposed to imply there’s something wrong with those who prefer remote working. These forms of communication can end up moralizing neurotypical behavior and dismiss the perspective of neuroatypical people who might have profound reasons for preferring to work remotely.

4??Consider flexible scheduling

Beyond how you talk about reopening the office, also be sure to consider a flexible schedule. Many employers are putting together a patchwork quilt of employment options as they reopen. They are spinning a confusing web of people who have to return to the office and those who do not, those who have a hybrid model, and those who are full-time face-to-face. In this complex moment, many who favor unity confuse it with uniformity. In their rush to do what they think is “the fair thing,” they offer only one thing and require everyone to work in the office at the same time in the same way. While this approach may grant an easy solution, be careful not to surrender the flexibility to which the professional world has become accustomed just for the sake of clarity.?

While doing so, create avenues for people to share their preferences, and provide assurances that you’ll listen. And when you do, listen carefully! Not just to what’s being said but also to what is being implied. Many of the people asking to work remotely are not just saying they don’t want to commute. For many, such a request might be their not-so-subtle way of hinting to you that they have neuroatypical needs and work best in environments other than the office. Many don’t disclose their ability status. With the stigma around mental, cognitive, and neurological disabilities, plenty of professionals choose to toil in their professions under the radar. They manage the everyday stresses, conflicts, and exhaustions everyone else does, but on top of that, they manage a whole other set of complications that arise from working in surroundings that often seem set up against them. So the next time someone discusses flexible scheduling or remote working with you, read between the lines. Instead of assuming productivity can only come from demanding they conform to an ableist environment, explore creative ways to create environments that help them be more productive.?

Diversity and Neurodiversity

Individuals can foster diversity by choosing to practice divergent thinking. But inclusive leaders also find ways to create environments where neurodivergent people thrive. Recognize how biases against neuroatypical people continue. Note how many of the environments, rubrics, meeting practices, performance reviews, personal assessments, and non-verbal evaluations use ableist definitions of professionalism. Becoming a workplace where everyone thrives and participates fully requires strategies around creating, preserving, and growing spaces for neurodiversity.?

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