Enabling Neurodiversity in the workplace

What do ANA, JP MORGAN, Chargeback, EY to name a few have in common?

They all employ disabled persons.

Despite some progress in the last decade, it is clear that disabled people remain significantly disadvantaged, both in the labour market and in society. As the global economy changes, an increasing premium will be placed on skills. As the population ages, employers will need to adapt to changes in the pool of potential employees. Increasingly improving the opportunities of disabled people will become central to achieving national prosperity as well as equality of opportunity. The nexus between skills, employment and disability has clear implications for delivering reductions in poverty too.

The perception that people with disabilities cost more than your average Joe. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Job Accommodations Network annual report, “Workplace Accommodations: Low Cost, High Impact” which concludes “workplace accommodations not only are low cost, but also positively impact the workplace in many ways.” This report found that more than half of requested workplace accommodation cost absolutely nothing for the companies to implement. Some examples of these accommodations include scheduling flexibility, allowances in dress code rules or allowing somebody to sit or stand when other positioning is customary.

Take for instance Ernst & Young. Built by a founder with a disability, Arthur Young, their commitment to disability inclusion ranges from signing on to the Business Taskforce On Accessibilities (BTAT) Charter to programs such as EY Access Abilities and the Abilities Champion Network, which respectively give EY employees the resources they need to develop their skills and advocate for accessible policies and disability awareness in the workplace.

Before you start a program to diversify your talent pool, consider the following key areas to assess the candidate on:

1. What are his/her skills?

Transferable or functional

• Examples of these would be when you are good at analysing data or managing people or operating machinery. They are called transferable skills because they can be transferred from one occupation to another, and used in a variety of fields, no matter how often you change your career.
• Functional skills can be broken down again into three broad groups these are :
• Data
• People
• Things
• All jobs utilise data, people and things but most jobs emphasis one category over another. For example computer system analysts work with data, counsellors work with people and mechanics work with cars.

Non-Transferable or Knowledge Skills:

These are skills they have learned over years through formal or informal education and are like knowledge stored in your brain. They are non transferable skills as they are technical skills that apply to a specific job or occupation for example sewing - tailor, writing - journalist, food preparation - chef, etc.

Personal skills

Traits are attributes that they have either inherited or developed as a result of life experience. Usually when

someone asks you to describe yourself you will try and list some of your positive  personal attributes such as creative, dependable, caring, motivated, etc.

1. What are their values and lifestyle preferences?
2. What interests them?

Challenges:

Disabilities might hinder individuals who have the mental capability to acquire a higher education in their attempts to do so. Disadvantages that limit the ability of an individual with a disability to get and keep employment can hurt his ability to acquire education. Individuals limited in their educational opportunities may find this a continued problem, as many workplaces are unwilling to hire those who don't meet set education credentials. These organizations might overlook an otherwise capable worker unable to acquire the necessary schooling.

Discrimination

Individuals with disabilities all too often feel the sting of discrimination. As the ILO explains, nondisabled co-workers or even superiors might discriminate against disabled workers as a response to their fear of the unknown. This presents a disadvantage for the disabled worker himself, as he must work in a space sullied by discrimination. It also presents a challenge for the rest of the workforce, who might have to act as an intermediary between the disabled worker and those discriminating against him or, at the least, have workplace harmony disrupted by discrimination.

Accessibility

Particularly for individuals with physical disabilities, accessibility can be a major challenge. While legislation has made most buildings accessible to individuals with physical handicaps, disabilities may still limit the job duties these workers can perform. This creates a disadvantage for these workers, because they may not be as desirable to employers. Accessibility can also present challenges for employers, who may have to modify workspaces at their own cost to accommodate mobility impairment.

Opportunities in ”Smart Challenge”

Like other employees, employees with disabilities experience changes in the course of performing their jobs. Some people seek to tackle new challenges to advance their careers. Others may find it difficult to continue working in their current capacity due to a change in the work environment or the worsening of their disability.

Both workers with and without disabilities benefit equally from a diverse work setting. By working alongside employees with disabilities, individuals who are not disabled will become more aware about how to make the workplace and other settings more inclusive and accessible to everyone. They might consider things they had never thought of before, such as the accessibility challenges faced by people with disabilities. Employees with disabilities can also teach their co-workers about creativity and other ways to solve problems or accomplish different tasks.