under represented groups – The Equality Blog

Managing neurodiversity in the workplace

According to Harvard Health, Neurodiversity refers to diversity in the human brain and cognition, for instance in sociability, learning, attention, mood, and other mental functions. It provides an inclusive view of cognitive diversity, highlighting the differences at a neuro-biological level while considering the socio-cultural contexts of a human’s lived experience.

Employers need to be mindful as to how the business set up helps support those with different neurological conditions to create a diverse workforce. This includes:

· Understanding the importance of managing neurodiversity at work.
· Understanding how to manage neurodiversity at work, and
· Being better able to support those with different neurological conditions.

In 2021, a Harvard Health report described the idea that people experience and interact with the world around them in many different ways; there is no one “right” way of thinking, learning, and behaving, and differences are not viewed as deficits.

The report explains how neurodiversity advocates encourage inclusive, non-judgmental language. While many disability advocacy organizations prefer person-first language (“a person with autism,” “a person with Down syndrome”), some research has found that the majority of the autistic community prefers identity-first language (“an autistic person”).

Therefore, rather than making assumptions, it is best to ask directly about a person’s preferred language, and how they want to be addressed. Knowledge about neurodiversity and respectful language is also important for clinicians, so they can address the mental and physical health of people with neurodevelopmental differences.

According to Professor Amanda Kirby, CEO of Do-it Solutions Limited and Campaigner for Neurodiversity, Neurodiversity is the way we think, move, act, communicate and process information.

She explains, “we are all different. Some people have challenges and strengths associated with conditions such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Dyslexia, Autism, Dyscalculia, Developmental Coordination Disorder/Dyspraxia, Developmental Language Disorder.

There is not one person or one condition that defines our differences ( or our similarities). We are too often defined by what we can’t do and not by what we can.

The reality is that some people will gain a diagnosis of Dyslexia, for example, and others diagnosed as having Autism or ADHD. However, who gains a diagnosis often can be a bit of a lottery. It can depend on whether difficulties are identified as a child by a teacher who spots some signs of Dyslexia or Dyspraxia (also known as Developmental Coordination Disorder) or by a parent who knows something about one of these conditions.

It often requires tenacity on the part of the parent or individual and also depends on local waiting lists and service availability. For many people it can be a lengthy and at times costly process in terms of stress. Some people are paying for assessments as an alternative at a high cost.

For most people the starting position is to understand their challenges and gain some practical strategies to help as soon as possible. By understanding their unique spiky profile, you have a starting point to help to support them to be their best.

A person-centred approach means that strategies are tailored to EACH PERSON. It also importantly means harnessing strengths, to build confidence, self-esteem and become resilient.”

Professor Kirby’s research produced an effective guide for employers to making different adjustments for neurodivergent people, where three elements can be easily changed. Take a look at the graphic below and consider what your organisation can do to better understand how to manage neurodiversity at work, and how to support those with different neurological conditions.

I’d love to hear where you are on your journey to becoming an neurodiverse workplace. Let me know in the comments…

Staff Equality Networks

Staff networks can be a powerful tool for empowering minority groups to have an effective voice in an organisation. In the context of diversity and inclusion, a minority group is a group of individuals who are known to have been discriminated against on the basis of a shared characteristic. It is worth noting that these groups may not be a minority in terms of numbers as in the case of women, who are a minority group, despite comprising over half of the UK population.

According to Advance H.E. (formally the Equality Challenge Unit), staff networks may not work in every workplace and/or for all minority groups, and their viability and success will depend on the culture and demand within individual organisations.
Networks need to be led by the staff groups that they represent.

However, there is a role for institutions to facilitate and support the development of networks:

Involve staff and discuss the need for staff networks. This could be linked to specific times of year to maximise impact, for example discussing the possibility of a women’s network on international women’s day. A specific event gives the opportunity to discuss whether it is viable and to look for volunteers to take the network forward.
Provide a budget. From refreshment for meetings, to organising specific events or training and development, a budget of any size helps to ensure the network is sustainable and effective.
Ensure senior management are open to dialogue. Networks can provide a useful perspective on institutional practice. Consultation should be genuine and views of the network taken seriously.
Publicise networks to all staff. A dedicated area on your website/intranet means that all staff are aware of support and opportunities. Promote the networks during staff inductions to maximise membership and ensure all staff are able to benefit.
Create a culture of acceptance for participation. It can be intimidating to join a network and there can be a perception that members of networks are ‘troublemakers’.
Ensure line managers encourage staff to attend meetings in work hours. Senior management engagement can help to legitimise the group, and positive endorsement can underline that taking part is worthwhile.

Aims and Objectives

1. Sharing experiences and providing advice and support in a confidential safe space

Often a staff network is the opportunity staff members have to discuss the challenges they have faced at work. To meet this aim, it is likely that membership will be limited to people with the particular shared characteristic. Organisations need to carefully consider how, when and where the group will meet, and how to get a balance between giving an opportunity to share personal experiences while retaining momentum and developing positive solutions.

2. Working collectively towards improving institutional policies and practices and implementing change

Networks with this aim can be useful for their members and their institution. They can raise concerns from members, act as a consultation group for policies and practice and help to generate ideas and solutions. However, to be successful and to maintain momentum, the organisation has to listen to the network and genuinely involve them in decision making and policy review.

Terms of Reference

Networks can have a variety of terms of reference, depending on their aims and context. These may also develop over time as the group evolves. The language used in describing and naming networks can also be crucial in their success and who joins.

However you approach staff networks in your organisation it is important to remember that an effective staff network is one that is run by staff for the benefit of staff.

Part-time students ‘down by more than half’

The government is scheduled to publish its review of higher education tuition fees and post-18 funding in the new year. Coupled with the recent introduction of the Office for Students to hold the sector to account, Universities in England are facing significant change.

As a result of these changes, widening participation has become one of the primary focuses of the newly established Office for Students. Subsequently, Higher Education providers who want to charge the maximum course fee of £9,250 per year will be expected to have an access and participation strategy designed to support the recruitment of students from under represented groups.

Part-time study has traditionally supported under represented groups by allowing, those whose outside commitments restrict their ability to undertake Higher Education full-time, an avenue to study at this level. However, significantly, part-time study also offers an opportunity for higher education to those returning to education after a period out of full time education. In my experience, part-time study is often taken up by those returning to learning after an absence from full time education and it’s this return to study where adults can retrain or gain new industry skills to further employment opportunities.

The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) says university should not only be for young people, and adults need to be able to re-train for new skills. However, as Sean Coughlan, BBC News education and family correspondent, highlights in the article below, there is a worrying trend in our University sector where part-time student numbers are ‘down by more than half’ since 2010.

The CBI and Universities UK have requested more support for students to take short, flexible part-time courses and they warn of a generation of “lost learners” who might previously have gone back to study for part-time degrees or other qualifications. Subsequently, in light of the governments drive to improve the employability of graduates – where Destination of Learners in Higher Education (DLHE) data will be measured by the Office for Students – it is a worrying trend and Universities must adapt in order to be responsive to the needs of part-time students.

That said, the report highlights the significant “rise in tuition fees” which has been a particular deterrent for part-time students, who might have jobs and family responsibilities and were reluctant to take on such levels of debt. So, the question has to be, what can Universities in England do to provide a higher education service to part-time students that is short, flexible and provides either academic or industrial updating. Ultimately, before any decisions are made its important to establish what part-time learners actually want from studying in higher education. Are they studying for personal interest reasons or are they trying to upskill themselves for employability purposes? That said, having seen a 50% decline of part-time learners in eight years it begs the question… what have Universities done differently in the past eight years that has contributed to this decline? If the rise in tuition fees is a contributing factor then what support can be put in place to make part-time fees more affordable with flexible payment options to spread the cost in a similar way to full-time learners.

In the BBC article, Matthew Fell, the CBI’s policy director, said: “Too often we think of universities as being just for young people, but as this work shows, adult education and lifelong learning matter just as much.”

“Universities need to play a critical role in responding to the changing world of work by offering education and training for learners for whom a three-year bachelor’s degree doesn’t quite fit their circumstances,” he said.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-45979230