Neurodiversity in Business Conference Reflections - SHORTS
Joanne Feaster
VA for non-profits/purpose-led businesses | Autistic | PDA | Bipolar type 2 | Mental Health & Neurodiversity Champion
The theme was collaborating for impact, and although the challenging external global environment was acknowledged, there was much positivity about progress made to date and some clear visions on the key factors needed now to ensure neuro-inclusion becomes understood and embedded as a mainstay of good business practice.
I have compiled an executive summary of my key takeaways, as there was so much content. I’d love to know if you are collaborating already, and what impact that has. Or, if you’ve been inspired to collaborate, what are you planning on doing?
Executive Summary
Key statements
Workplace considerations
Inclusiveness is valuable and scalable, not charity, and has concrete value. Workplaces must be designed more human-centred and personalised. Everyone should have everything tailored to remove any barriers and optimise their performance.
To see positive changes, it always starts with how. Instead of focusing on why we can't do something, we need to focus on how we rectify and remove unnecessary barriers. Collaboration between businesses and researchers can be vital here to evidence the impact of neuro-inclusion and demonstrate how it can be achieved, so that it can be replicated in different ways.
A moral imperative isn't sufficient for those who disagree. Neuro-inclusion must be embedded within existing strategies, policies and structures rather than being seen as ‘another add-on’. We need to use the language of leaders – framing the conversation to improve productivity and increase retention, demonstrating the benefits to the business of inclusive practices and seeking to design inclusive spaces.
Leadership (strategic) and bottom-up input are key. Everyone, at all levels, needs psychological safety to share and operate differently. We must create space for leaders to share stories. It can't be a tick box. We must bring lived experience into every business area. Businesses must demonstrate that they mean what they say. The more people are reassured, the more they can advocate for themselves. Confidence is central, and that's brilliant because we can change confidence. We need to enable everyone to improve their confidence.
Managers are the linchpin, critical, and need support. They can also be neurodivergent and may have their own preferences and communication styles. It is about giving individuals a choice.
We must question whether everyone must have the same skills and accommodate spiky profiles. Can we have career paths where people don't become people managers? Judge outcomes, not processes, and approach with curiosity rather than judgment. Different methods often have brilliance behind them.
Allyship is essential. Can you be the ally, or find such an ally in your organisation? As an ND community, we need to be allies and collaborate with other marginalised communities.
Language and labels
Words are powerful, and their meanings change over time. Categorisation can give some categories more value than others, and they are used to allocate resources. One of the key considerations now is, “Who misses out ... The most ... And why ... And again?” We need to add some nuance to the conversation about labels. We need to understand their purpose and assess whether it's helpful to use them.
Context is important, as is the intent behind the language. Infighting about language can be counterproductive and exclusionary.
It’s important to consider who is safe to use labels, who they liberate, and what the future will call those labels. We must also consider those who cannot get a diagnosis/label. How can we circumvent the whole label discussion and lower the barriers for people to express what they need without disclosing a label?
The broader context impacting individuals and businesses – education, health, and social care
We need the right children to see the right people (specialists) at the right time for adequate support. We need to not train in boxes and not work in siloes across education, health and social care.
Too many parents, specifically women, are having to take time out of work to manage difficulties that neurodivergent children are experiencing. We need to think about who we are losing and why.
My questions for the future beyond the conference remit
Collaborating for Impact – Corporate Partners
Wells Fargo was the conference headline sponsor, and JP Morgan Chase was the inclusion sponsor. These are two powerhouses of the financial services world. We heard how they have embedded neuro-inclusion in their organisations and the many benefits this has for individual employees and the businesses.
Tom Norrish of JP Morgan Chase advised that we may “need to expand what good looks like” and, crucially, play to our strengths. He made a statement that was repeated by many others throughout the day: “Neurodiversity is a fact; neuro-inclusion is a choice”.
Stephen DeStefani, of Wells Fargo, said that traditional workplace norms reward sameness, a legacy design flaw driven by a lack of understanding of cognitive differences. Now we know better. He spoke passionately about their collaboration with the University of Connecticut - a corporate and academic partnership. Judy Reilly of the University of Connecticut highlighted that the university converted the Wells Fargo model of excellence into a workshop to train other companies in how to do it. The workshop represented the "how"; it was the vehicle for education and change.
They aim to prove that inclusiveness is valuable and scalable, not charity, and has concrete value. Stephen confirmed that inaction is the enemy of progress. Wells Fargo has embedded neuro-inclusion into its DNA. He posed a key question: “What will you do to shift from passive awareness to action?”
Tom, Stephen, Judy and Alex Hedlund (of NiB) then joined host Char Bailey for a panel discussion. Key factors for enabling neuro-inclusion noted were:
Calls To Action by the panellists for collaboration for impact were:
Judy: We need evidence-based knowledge to convince companies of what they should be doing. Trust and collaboration between companies and researchers can achieve this.
Stephen: This is about workplace transformation, so we must start executing and celebrating the results.
Char: Noted that among the delegates, the people of colour could be counted on one hand. She wants to see more and is on a mission to change that. She urged everyone to find and look for those who aren't at the table.
Tom: Our experience is not the experience; everyone experiences differently, so step back.
Alex: Open heart, open mind, and open mouth – we need to talk about it and normalise the conversation.
Collaborating for Impact – Community Partners
Professor Nancy Doyle (Birkbeck and founder of Genius Within), Atif Choudhury (Diversity & Ability), Char Bailey (Birmingham Pride), and Chris Quickfall (Cognassist) joined Dan Harris (NiB) in a panel discussion.
The current DEI situation was discussed. The impact felt on the neurodivergent (ND) community was mixed, with more noticeable changes in businesses that depend more on US-based financing. The current impact level mainly depends on individual experiences and individuals’ and organisations' privileges. We must fight back against a rollback of what has been hard-fought for decades.
As a community, we must change our approach, review our language, and shift to adapting, adjusting, and reframing to a new external reality.
Emergent trends for 2025
Nancy confirmed that the whole world of work is changing. Our work and education structure is fit for the Industrial Revolution. Transition and change are painful. A more human-centred design of workplaces is required. It's a big job.
Chris suggested personalisation will be the significant shift and the key to progress.
Atif posed several questions about labels: Who is safe to use labels? Who is liberated by them? What will the future call those labels? How will those trends impact those in school? Going back to Char’s earlier point about the demographics of delegates attending today, he felt there was much work to do because this conference is in London, where 62% of people are of colour, yet that wasn’t reflected in the demographics of the delegates present.
Char was seeing much personal liberation. People are stepping into being their whole, full selves. We must be more accepting. As an ND community, we need to excel at collaborating with other marginalised groups. We need more openness and understanding.
People, Culture & Processes Panel
Caroline Buchanan (Mondelez), Tristan Lavender (Philips Neurodiversity Network), Kay Sargent (HOK), Lisa Smyth (Everway) joined a panel chaired by Robert Annis (NiB and Business Psychologist). This was an interesting discussion because it was acknowledged that businesses and their people often come from completely different starting points.
On the one hand, many businesses have no idea about neurodivergence and will claim that they don’t have any neurodivergent people within their large organisations. A massive education effort is needed for many.
On the other hand, those who have already embraced neuro-inclusion are shifting their approach to making accommodations more easily accessible by making them available to all, such as all software options. It can be cost-effective for businesses and remove barriers for individuals.
There was a consensus that we need to use the language of leaders – framing the conversation to improve productivity and increase retention, demonstrating the benefits to the business of inclusive practices and seeking to design inclusive spaces where possible for the physical environment. It was also suggested that embedding neuro-inclusion initiatives in existing policies, strategies and initiatives was more likely to be successful and adopted by leaders and middle managers, rather than trying to add an extra layer on top and creating silo programs.
How can leaders embed neuro-inclusion into business strategy, so that it is not tokenistic?
Lisa from Everway suggested that we create space for leaders to share stories. It must be part of everyday life, not a one-off.
Kay from HOK commented that our sensory intelligence is poor, so we guess about everyone else. She gave an excellent example from a client space she had visited: name plates indicated the person’s name and 4-5 things they needed individually to function well.
Caroline from Mondelez highlighted their one-page profile, which creates that safe space as everyone shares it.
Tristan from Philips commented that Kay and Caroline's ‘work with me manuals' examples were valuable, as they circumvent the whole label discussion and lower the barriers for people to express what they need without needing to disclose a label. He also stressed that we shouldn't underestimate how difficult it is for leaders to be open and that we need to create psychological safety for them.
A moral imperative isn't sufficient for those who disagree. Businesses want to optimise what they get from their people, so we must focus on improving everyone's working lives.
Charlie Hart’s Q&A
Delegates could draw on Charlie’s ‘double rainbow’ intersectional lens (LGBTQIA+ and Autistic) and 20-year background in HR analytics.
I asked a question in this session: “What do you think the impact will be on neurodivergent children and young people facing such difficulties with education currently?" Charlie acknowledged the severe challenges many face, undoubtedly impacting young people now. However, reassuringly, Charlie felt that the world of work is increasingly shifting to what people can do and what skills and experience they can demonstrate. Therefore, the reliance on formal educational qualifications is likely to lessen. The value of different and diverse thinkers should increasingly be recognised.
Neuro-inclusion in 30 years? Prof Amanda Kirby and Atif Chaudry Q&A
Prof Amanda Kirby (Do-It Solutions) and Atif Choudhury (Diversity & Ability) held a Q&A session that examined the language, labels, and categories used in the past and present, and considered how we will define ourselves going forward.
Amanda was clear that words are powerful, and their meanings change over time. Categorisation can give some categories more value than others, and they are used to allocate resources. One of the key considerations now is, “Who misses out ... The most ... And why ... And again?” It is worth repeating Amanda’s non-exhaustive list here:
Amanda argued that the current system isn’t working. She said we must get the right kids to the right people at the right time. We can't use the medical model and screen for all conditions. We must use the cheapest resource: parents, and we need to train teachers.
Atif said the conversation is about participation. Do we believe it will eventually trickle down by doing it ourselves (only certain people participating)? We have a school-to-prison pipeline now; it isn't full of middle-class kids. Class level matters. Whilst those in middle-class families may be suffering too, the extent of the future damage done to the children and young people is severe, because they have no financial or other privileged safety net. It was acknowledged that the consequences impact the individuals but are also a cost to society.
Today's liberation and insight are tomorrow's prison. But just because time will move on, we can't ignore it. What do we need to do?
Amanda - we need to not train in boxes and not work in siloes.
Atif advised that we move at the speed of trust, which can be 6 seconds or 60 years. We need to recognise why people won't talk about this. We need education, not necessarily just about neurodivergence. Why is it not safe for some people to talk about their diagnosis? What does the brave new world of neurodiversity look like?
Trying to simplify the complex harms us. To do this right, we must think about what we want. We have the responsibility to build a safe place to go. What does that look like?
Empowerment and Leadership Panel
Tania Martin (PegSquared), Theo Smith (Neurodiversity at Work), Jacqui Wallis (Genius Within), and Onyinye Udokporo (Neurodiversity consultant and content creator) were next up for a panel discussion about empowerment and leadership.
We need to see the journey and the barriers that successful people have overcome. To achieve this more widely, we need to create psychologically safe places so people are prepared to share their journeys and a space where individuals can express what they need, sharing their strengths and challenges.
Simply having a policy and words is not enough. Businesses must demonstrate that they mean what they say. The more people are reassured, the more they can advocate for themselves.
Psychological safety is complicated. Confidence is a big issue. Confidence and empowerment come from a place of privilege. Leaders must investigate all corners of their organisations and ensure everyone has the tools to be confident. We need to enable everyone to improve their confidence.
The notion of what it “looks like” to be neurodivergent is a particular issue. Leaders need to accept that neurodivergence isn't visible. You can't look at anyone and determine whether they're neurodivergent.
Theo was very passionate that we must stop thinking about the why and what, and start thinking about the how. To see positive changes, it always starts with how. Instead of focusing on why we can't do something, we need to focus on how we rectify and remove unnecessary barriers.
Individuals often don't want to be othered or singled out, so how do we support individuals while focusing on team success?
About normalising the neurodiversity conversation. We must be open and honest - what are individual preferences, rather than having ways of working determined and dictated by leaders and managers.
Managers are the linchpin, critical, and need support. They can also be neurodivergent and may have their own preferences and communication styles. It is about giving individuals a choice.
The suggestion for individuals was to start advocating positively for their needs rather than going cap in hand. For example, I will need X to get the best performance out of me. We need to encourage leaders to be open to people stating their needs.
Career trajectory doesn't have to lead to people management.
When looking at our teams, we must acknowledge that not everyone can become a manager of people. Individual skills and excellence should be recognised. We need to consider people's journeys and how to support their ambitions. Coaching often works well, both individually and in groups.
The performance management system is fatally flawed because it looks for well-rounded individuals, which doesn't match up with spiky profiles. We need to question whether everyone must have the same skills. Businesses need to consider what skills they need in roles and how the systems they have in place support achieving that.
Parental experiences in the workplace
Theo highlighted the issue of parental experience in the workplace. Too many parents, specifically women, are having to take time out of work to manage difficulties that neurodivergent children are experiencing.
In terms of leadership, that is a real issue. Disproportionately, parents and women leave the workplace at a significant stage in their careers. We need to think about who we are losing and why. It might be external factors that we're not even thinking about.
Allies and demonstrating inclusive business models
Allies are key. We must get the rest of the population on board; we need that majority. Find an ally in a leadership position.
Jacqui from Genius Within highlighted Nancy Doyle's book on neurodivergent leaders. This book features many different voices talking about their experiences and is a practical workbook.
To empower people, we must role model what we expect others to do, demonstrating and proving psychological safety. It was also pointed out that for people to feel that safety, it might have to be someone who ‘looks like them’ to get them over the line to trust that it will be safe for them. Having multiple means for people to communicate or listen helps to build participation and trust.
Looking Beyond the Label
Dr Mine Conkbayir MBE (Early Years author, researcher, and consultant), Nat Fletcher (there as an individual, works for The King’s Trust), Marcia Brissett-Bailey (Re-Think Learning), Tumi Sotire (The Black Dyspraxic), Alex Partridge (Podcast Host, author and speaker), and Alex Hedlund (NiB) held a panel discussion considering the impact of labels and how we can look beyond them.
What does a person-focused approach look like?
Mine confirmed that throughout her career, pre-diagnosis, she was accommodated. Nobody judged her, and they let her do what she wanted to get the best out of her. When she thrived, her students thrived. This approach worked before neurodiversity was even a thing, by meeting people where they are.
Nat related their personal experience of having a job, and when they were struggling, they were advised, “We have other autistic members of staff and they don’t struggle”, so they had to put up with the barriers they were facing. This demonstrates the dangers of over-focusing on a label and expecting everyone with that label to respond similarly. By contrast, Nat’s experience had been much more positive after moving jobs “My manager now just trusts me. They haven't had any particular training, but they're flexible and accommodating, trusting employees to get the job done in their way.”
Marcia contrasted experiences at school, which tend to be focused on what you can't do, with the workplace, which tends to come from a strengths-based approach. Person-centred is where you can be yourself, have conversations, and be curious meaningfully and impactfully.
Timu suggested that we allow the label to define the content, rather than the content being key. Labels don't allow for the variation and complexity of individuals. Labels are a tool, but they can be used for good and bad, depending on who uses them. We need to understand the purpose of labels and assess whether it's helpful to use the label. It’s most important to lead with love.
Alex thinks ADHD is a terrible label, not a description of his experience or all those he has heard through his podcast. Alex believes that it is anxiety that stitches us all together. Anxiety is triggered because we feel different, and we are different (though there is nothing wrong with that). A commonality of the neurodivergent community is the feeling of being different. Negative comments from others about our behaviour and reactions compound over a lifetime, meaning that we are fearful of rejection. Spending so much time pretending means we can lack self-awareness, and whilst in the short term that can feel good, we end up not knowing who we are.
How do you build self-awareness? Employers need to focus on creating an environment that builds self-awareness for individuals. Then, employees can start saying yes to things that are better aligned with their needs, and those experiences can compound positively.
The importance of language and intersectionality
We have to be very culturally mindful of language. We can't tell people what they can or can't use, but we need to remain open-minded to have these conversations about language. We don't want to have in-fighting about language.
Context is important. Everyone is entitled to use language that is comfortable for them. However, a lack of consensus on language can impact the level of awareness, e.g. dyspraxia and DCD.
Alex feels that you must pick your battles. The intent behind the language is more important.
Marcia explained that her intersections are complex. For example, she is a woman, black, and dyslexic, and they are all part of her. She had to learn to love all these aspects of herself. The biases are real, so we have to have difficult conversations. She felt she had to show up; she had no choice but to be herself.
Temu highlighted that stigma can be bi-directional. For example, he might not experience stigma in the workplace, but he might do so among family and friends. In the workplace, we need to think about celebrating the intersections, for example, during Neurodiversity Celebration Week, celebrating black history within that. Temu suggested using intersectionality to examine marginalisation and privilege, which can include everyone.
Nat confirmed that, from looking at EDI within different organisations, it had become apparent that many organisations only have one EDI person/role. Therefore, those organisations should be mindful that they will always have one perspective with their individual lens. This is why collaboration is so vital in the EDI space.
Temu suggested that we must create psychological safety, where people aren't afraid to get things wrong. Instead, we can learn from our failures. This will allow employees to learn together as a community to become more inclusive.
Alex highlighted that labels and diagnoses encompass a complex set of experiences for each individual. Employees must be able to ask for, or have available, what they specifically need, rather than generic one-size-fits-all solutions. The consequence of being unable to ask for individual requirements was to leave the role because of the anxiety. Then the business has recruitment and retention costs. So there is always a cost to the individual and the company of not accommodating needs, or creating the environment where employees can ask for what they need.
Final thoughts
Temu confirmed that “as long as you have a brain, you belong in this conversation”.
Mine argued that we should put the child's wellbeing before academic outcomes, and the rest will follow.
Nat suggested giving people the benefit of the doubt if they are struggling. Please don't assume they're not good enough or not trying. Work out what the barriers are, as most people will have obstacles to overcome.
Alex urged businesses to create the psychological safety that allows people to ask for their unique requirements. Judge outcomes, not processes, and approach with curiosity rather than judgment. Different methods often have brilliance behind them. Recognise what anxiety is and how it can present, as the best ideas are frequently trapped inside anxious minds.
About the author
I am Joanne (Jo) Feaster, a late-identified autistic and bipolar woman. I started self-identifying as autistic in May 2023 and was diagnosed with bipolar type 2 in July 2023. I am married and live in Leeds with my husband, John, and my two exceptional children, both of whom were diagnosed in late 2023 and early 2024 as autistic and with ADHD.
I write to aid my mental health and to share my lived experiences as an autistic and bipolar woman and parent-carer of my neurodivergent children. I subscribe to the social model of disability and the neurodiversity paradigm. I see our strengths, positive qualities, and spiky profiles just as much as I recognise the barriers we face from society.
Neurodiversity activist | Founder of Neurodiversity in Business charity | "The Joshie-Man's" dad
2moAgain, a really great summary and we appreciate you sharing this