Neurodiversity Celebration Week (18th - 24th March) is a worldwide initiative that challenges stereotypes and misconceptions about neurological differences.
It aims to transform how neurodivergent individuals are perceived and supported by providing schools, universities, and organisations with the opportunity to recognise the many talents and advantages of being neurodivergent, while creating more inclusive and equitable cultures that celebrate differences and empower every individual.
There are a number of free resources and live events to access that week and it would be great for colleagues to promote these further.
There's also additional social media information if you want to show support externally on our socials channels too.
Reminder that we have our GC Neurodiversity Teams Support group for peer-to-peer support for those with lived experience, and we also have Neurodiversity Champions and additional resources and tools on the Neurodiversity page on Our Working Way.
Read more about what Neurodiversity Celebration Week means to one of our colleagues, Kate McQueen, IPS Employment Specialist in GC Employment:
"For me, Neurodiversity Celebration Week is about breaking down barriers and doing away with misconceptions and inappropriate comments. It is an opportunity to educate the less informed, promote awareness, and understanding, which is crucial for creating and maintaining a healthy neurodiverse workplace. Personally, I will be celebrating this week by inviting my colleagues to an anonymised Q&A, which will create an opportunity for both neurotypical and neurodivergent individuals to ask questions that has otherwise made them uncomfortable or worried due to causing offence.
"Additionally, I will be co-ordinating a weekly neurodiverse drop-in session, which will enable my colleagues to discuss any issues they may be experiencing with their neurodiverse clients. As a neurodiverse individual with professional specialist knowledge, I will utilise this platform to informally share hints and tips that may improve the diversity practice of other employment specialists and the IPS-PC programme overall.
"There are, of course, many top tips to help colleagues better understand Neurodiversity in the workplace. From my perspective, however, my personal top tip is - think before you speak where possible and try to look at the bigger picture. Big, bright, and busy open plan offices can be triggering for the neurodiverse community, which can lead them to be at a disadvantage physically and emotionally to begin with. Most contemporary office work-environments neglect to consider the over stimulation of loud and busy places, which can cause sensory overload, feelings of isolation, severe social anxieties and stress, and the negative impacts it has on physical health for the neurodiverse community.
"Additionally, the language that is used to communicate with a neurodiverse person is of crucial importance and must be considered in the process of inclusion. For instance, you would not comment on an individual with diabetes needing to eat when they’re having a hypo (e.g. too little sugar in the bloodstream, usually associated with taking insulin) – why would we, then, tell a neurodiverse person to be aware of their surroundings when they are showing signs of stress in the workplace? Neurodiverse people are frequently exposed to the preconditions of stress, misconceptions, and inconsideration as a result of poor planning and workplace management - the playing field needs to be levelled to promote inclusivity."