Birkbeck’s Centre for Neurodiversity Research at Work to conduct Market-Wide Study into Neurodiversity Inclusion
The research, commissioned by Neurodiversity in Business, will provide insights into the challenges faced by organisations and neurodivergent employees navigating their careers.
The neurodiversity movement started by Judy Singer has prompted people to think about human functioning as a spectrum and to harness individuals’ strength. As a result, there are now increased initiatives and efforts to promote neurodivergent talent in the workplace, such as specific programmes and knowledge sharing and conferences on the topic.
Yet there is a dearth of robust data available to understand the barriers, concerns and challenges from the employer’s perspective regarding Neurodiversity in the workplace. We also know little about how workers’ actual needs are being met.
In order to improve understanding of neurodiversity in the workplace, the Neurodiversity in Business board has commissioned a market-wide survey intended to provide a quantitative ‘snapshot’. This data will provide deep insights into the challenges faced both by corporates - namely HR, Diversity & Inclusion and business leaders - in their neurodiversity inclusion agenda and neurodivergent workers in navigating their careers.
The research will be undertaken by Birkbeck’s Centre for Neurodiversity Research at Work, who bring decades of expertise on this topic and wide experience of creating robust research with practical utility.
Dan Harris, CEO, Neurodiversity in Business, said: "We're really excited to be working with Birkbeck's Centre for Neurodiversity Research at Work to commission the largest, most comprehensive survey of Neurodiversity provision in business. Birkbeck's long history of progressing social justice and inclusion for working people is an excellent values-match for the aims and objectives of our charity – to help build neuroinclusive workplaces across the world.”
Professor Almuth McDowall, Co-Director of the Centre for Neurodiversity Research at Work, said: ”Our centre thrives on collaboration with industry partners. We sorely need evidence on how businesses can create neuro-inclusion and on workers’ actual needs. This joint endeavour is sorely needed for plugging this gap in our understanding.”
The outcomes of the research will benchmark current provision and provide a future pathway for businesses seeking to build on best practices and develop best-in-class inclusion policies and frameworks.
Interested members of the neurodiversity community are warmly invited to attend an online information session about the project at 2pm on Tuesday 18 October. Book your place.