The Blog

As we shop for gifts for our friends, family, and loved ones during the holidays (and throughout the year), it is important to consider both what we are purchasing as well as the company we are purchasing the gifts from.

"Equating a need for support, neurodiversity, or any type of disability as 'something wrong' instead of just describing it as another characteristic of a person...summarizes what having a disability translates to for the rest of society."

As the world “builds back” from the COVID-19 pandemic, promoting the idea of acceptance of neurodiverse persons must be inclusive. This more inclusive approach into everyday life focuses on acceptance into our communities, our workforce, and institutions of higher education.

While many educators and businesses understand the concepts of inclusion, mainstreaming, and diversity, the “real” question is: Are these concepts something your establishment is doing in practice?

Storylines featuring autistic characters also often focus on the world's view of them or on the difficulties that neurotypical family members have with accepting their neurodivergent children or siblings, instead of accurately portraying life from an autistic person's perspective.

"When many schools highlight their incoming freshman class, you’ll see data related to students of color and first-generation college students, but you won’t see a number related to students who identify as neurodivergent.”

Autistic masking is when an individual on the autism spectrum either consciously or subconsciously hides the telltale signs they are autistic in order to appear more neurotypical. According to a recent online study, 70% of autistic adults participating reported that they consistently mask.

"Many institutions of higher education, particularly the highly competitive schools, are unwittingly failing people during the admissions process when it comes to considering neurodiversity."

When developing accommodation and inclusion protocol in the classroom, work environment, or beyond, I cannot understate the importance of sourcing neurodivergent perspectives in the conversation.

Whereas an estimated 50 large U.S. employers have publicly launched hiring initiatives specifically targeted to autistic and neurodivergent talent in the past two to four years, four companies have achieved the highest hiring numbers: SAP, JPMorgan Chase, Microsoft, and EY.

I believe Haley Moss said it best: “The future is now. The future is neurodiverse. The future is accessible. The future is people with disabilities. We’re here and ready. Are you?”

“The single most important feature of being inclusive towards autistic employees is to have the right attitude — to appreciate their unique strengths.”

“Increasing the number of autistic characters has helped bring more awareness and acceptance of the autistic community.”

On the first day of the new year, Marcia Scheiner, President and Founder of Integrate Autism Employment Advisors, released a comprehensive and revealing report in Autism Spectrum News analyzing the impact of top Fortune 500 companies’ efforts to employ and engage neurodivergent talent. The results were eye opening.

Sea change is defined as a “profound or notable transformation,” and many are skeptical as to whether or not companies, despite their talk, are actually prepared or equipped to make that kind of change in their workplace this year.