Last month, 17 March - 23 March, marked Neurodiversity Celebration Week. As the name suggests, the aim is to celebrate neurodiversity but also to challenge the stereotypes of neurological differences.
Hunters' Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee invited Greg Kearns from The Brain Charity to come and speak to the firm about neurodiversity in the workplace. The internal event was intended to allow people to understand what neurodiversity means and discuss how to challenge the preconceptions that exist by interrogating our own ways of thinking. This, in turn, helps us in working with our colleagues and clients through understanding the variations of cognition in people.
There are a range of neurodivergent conditions, however the ones we focused on during our sessions were dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD, autism, dyscalculia, dysgraphia and Tourette's. Despite being categorized separately, there is often overlap between the conditions. A point which Greg made that really stuck with me is that no two people are the same. This is an obvious point but one, I think, is often overlooked. We understand that two people who are not neurodivergent will not process and function the same way, but sometimes there is a presumption that two people with, for example, dyslexia will function in the same way and have the same needs, which clearly is not always the case – each person is an individual who has different cognitions.
Greg shared with us his own lived experiences of being neurodivergent, the barriers he has faced throughout his life and how he has overcome them. This was insightful to hear, but equally it was relatable for people to hear someone be so open about experiences which they may also have had, so we are very grateful to Greg for sharing. He also spoke about the simple steps that can be taken to assist someone in working, such as if you know you need to send a long email to someone who struggles to read and process long emails, it may be an idea to call them ahead of sending them the email to verbally convey what is in the email.
When it comes to neurodiversity, it's clear that although people's understanding has improved over the years, there is still a lot of work to be done in terms of challenging preconceptions/stereotypes. This includes taking steps to allow everyone to function at their best, taking into consideration any adjustments that need to be made to allow people to do this, but the first (and arguably most important) point is to create an environment in which people feel safe to voice their needs and requirements.
Increasing our knowledge of neurodiversity allows us to have ongoing discussions about how we can implement new ideas to ensure that we support our team in the best way possible and create a more inclusive environment for everyone. We are thankful to Greg for providing such an informative talk which has aided us in thinking of further steps we can take individually and as a firm to celebrate neurodiversity, equality, inclusivity and diversity as a whole.