Why neurodivergent inclusion doesn’t just end at acceptance. By Mary Jane Mcluskie

Whilst over the past 30 years, Ireland’s social development and promotion of equality has been impressive and something to be proud of, there is a sentiment that can be found across the country that the job is done, Ireland is up to code with the rest of Europe, and the focus should be now placed elsewhere. 

However, there is an argument to be made, a critical argument at that, that we are still behind in our inclusivity goals and that fact cannot be better exemplified than how we accommodate neurodiverse people in the workplace and interview process. 

Over the past 4 weeks, URHired.ie, an e-learning platform who support neurodivergent jobseekers, conducted a detailed survey on neurodiversity in the Irish workplace and the results are quite telling. 

According to the survey, 46.6% of respondents who identify as neurodivergent are currently unemployed. For those who’ve at least gone through the interview process, only 16.7% found the interview process fully accessible to them and 44.5% did not disclose their condition for fear it would impact their chances. 

53.3% of respondents who are employed have not disclosed their neurodiversity to their employer, the common reason for lack of disclosure being lack of trust in their employer and concern for their career progression. 

This lack of trust also plays into respondents' lack of knowledge of their rights. 44.5% reported awareness of any such accommodation policies in their place of work. Alongside this a further 60% of respondents had never heard of the Work and Access scheme, a scheme which exists specifically to help accommodate neurodivergent and disabled employees in the private sector. 

While Work and Access is a good groundwork for more workplace inclusivity, there is a glaring issue with the fact that neurodiverse people are often underdiagnosed (13.3% of respondents were not medically diagnosed) and costs for diagnosis range upwards of 

€2,000. This is a problem when considering low income neurodivergent people who may benefit the most from these schemes, might be priced out of it because of the cost of diagnosis. 

That means the government has in place a support scheme 60% of respondents have never heard of, and 13.3% of whom may not ever be able to access. 

By providing more information regarding the Work and Access scheme and informing neurodiverse people of their rights and the policies available to them, we can help ensure a more inclusive workplace and interview process for them.

However, aside from further expanding and promoting government schemes, the survey respondents suggested simple and implementable procedures that would be beneficial during the interview stage such as interview questions being sent ahead of time, extra time to respond, and skills/ task based assessments. 

These are not radical changes to the interview system but alternative paths to best fit the employee and give employers a more accurate understanding of the candidate. Research across job specifications in Ireland shows the vast majority make no accommodations for neurodivergent candidates- a significant barrier that prevents companies from accessing exceptional talent they would overwise overlook.

For respondents currently working, noise, open plan environments, flickering lights, social interactions and workhour flexibility remain the major barriers facing them.

Having a more flexible and less sensorily overwhelming environment is actively beneficial in not just accommodating neurodivergent people but maximising their productivity.

With the popular rise of more flexible work hours and the 4 day work week being adopted across Europe, Ireland and Irish employers now have an opportunity in which to implement much needed systemic changes to the work week, which would in turn greatly help in accommodating neurodivergent people by addressing their need for workplace flexibility. 

Whilst this may be the biggest change to help accommodate neurodivergent people, smaller ones such as softer lighting, quieter rooms, clearer and direct communication in emails, meetings etc. and more flexible interview formats can provide meaningful assistance in ensuring that neurodivergent people aren’t just accepted, but included.