Education & Awareness: Neurodiversity at Work Learning Series
Creating a neuro-inclusive workplace starts with you. Our education and awareness services are designed to enhance understanding, challenge misconceptions, and build organizational capacity to create neuro-inclusive practices across the employment lifecycle.
Employ Different Thinking: Specialisterne’s Neurodiversity at Work Learning Series for Employers
Specialisterne’s Neurodiversity at Work Learning Series offers in-person, online, and recorded educational sessions designed to help employers build more neuro-inclusive workplaces. The series covers topics across the employment lifecycle, from building awareness and understanding of neurodiversity to neuro-inclusive recruitment and management practices. Each session includes clear learning objectives, practical calls to action, and opportunities to apply learning through examples, scenarios, case studies, and/or discussion.
The learning series is designed to be flexible and customizable to the unique needs and context of your organization. Our team takes an individualized approach, meeting with you to understand your goals, audience, and workplace context so we can tailor the learning experience accordingly.
Just starting your journey towards building a neuro-inclusive workplace? Start with the foundations. Our introductory sessions are designed to build awareness and understanding of neurodiversity and workplace inclusion across your organization.
Ready to explore neuro-inclusive hiring and management practices? Build on the foundations. Create a learning series tailored to the needs of your organization or team or connect with a Specialisterne team member for recommendations. Learning sessions can also be paired with consulting support to help your organization identify priorities, translate learning into practical next steps, and support planning for more neuro-inclusive workplace policies and practices.
Languages: English & French (upon request)
Our learning series supports organizations to:
Develop greater understanding and awareness of the value and benefits of a neurodiverse workforce
Build engagement and support for a Neurodiversity Hiring Initiative, including identifying allies and champions and supporting internal program enablement
Build confidence and capacity to adopt and implement inclusive HR practices and procedures that promote neuro-inclusion
Cultivate a workplace culture that is adaptable and open to diverse ways of thinking and working
Build Your Neurodiversity at Work Learning Series: Session Offerings
Explore the sessions below and create a learning experience that works for your organization. Sessions can be offered individually, combined into a series, and customized to reflect your goals, audience, and workplace context. Sessions are available in person, virtually, and/or as recorded learning.
Session 1: Introduction to Workplace Inclusion
- Introduce learners to the concept of disability from a critical, structural lens
- Introduce the basic concepts of neurodiversity and inclusive language
- Examine accessibility, including the societal barriers faced by neurodivergent employees
- Discuss the concepts of universal design, equity, and inclusion in the workplace
Session 2: Exploring Neurodiversity
- Introduce learners to the concept of neurodiversity, diving deeper into different diagnoses, labels and identities that fall under the umbrella of neurodiversity
- Develop understanding of how to navigate and use inclusive language and labels related to disability and neurodiversity
- Invite learners to consider the benefits of a neurodiverse workforce, focusing on capabilities versus disabilities
Session 3: A Person-Centered Approach to Building an Inclusive Workplace: Introduction to Supported Employment
- Introduce learners to the supported employment model. Supported employment is the belief that everyone who wants paid employment can attain it, if the proper supports are in place
- Discuss how employers can build natural supports into their workplaces
- Provide details on how employers can add structured supports into their workplace
Session 4: Inclusive Recruitment Practices
- Introduce learners to the barriers that exist for neurodivergent candidates in the recruitment lifecycle
- Explain what inclusive recruitment is and how to practice it within your organization
- Teach learners how to write an inclusive job posting by utilizing job analysis to understand the role
- Provide concrete steps and strategies for using accessible language
Session 5: Inclusive Screening, Assessment, and Selection Practices
- Explore some of the common barriers that neurodivergent individuals face in screening, assessment, and selection practices
- Examine interviewer bias and how this contributes to overlooking neurodivergent candidates
- Provide tips for inclusive screening, assessment, and selection including how to conduct a job analysis and how to define screening and selection criteria
- Explain the difference between structured and unstructured interviews including how to conduct a structured interview
Session 6: Creating an Inclusive Onboarding Experience
- Explore the onboarding process and the difference between onboarding and orientation
- Explain and emphasize the importance and benefits of a good onboarding experience for all employees and for businesses
- Highlight the 3 components of good onboarding: development, guidance, and acclimation
- Provide tips for creating an inclusive onboarding experience including creating onboarding plans and productivity profiles, setting clear expectations, and prioritizing regular feedback
- Introduce learners to peer mentorship including its benefits and how to create a peer mentorship system
Session 7: Inclusive Management Practices
- Explore accessible workplace communication, including concrete strategies for facilitating accessible communication in the workplace.
- Examine inclusive performance management strategies that support people managers in effectively working with neurodiverse teams, benefiting both neurodivergent and neurotypical employees.
- Provide information on workplace adjustments and accommodations as well as steps for implementing these
Session 8: Understanding Disclosure and Accommodations
- Introduce learners to disability, disclosure, and workplace adjustments and accommodations
- Develop understanding of why employees may or may not choose to disclose and the ways to respond to disclosure
- Invite learners to consider how workplace adjustments and accommodations can empower employees and unlock their full potential at work
- Share concrete steps and strategies for how to have proactive and productive conversations about how employees work best and any potential adjustment or accommodation needs
Session 9: Inclusive Career Development and Advancement
- Explore a more inclusive approach to navigating career and professional development and advancement
- Broaden understanding of legislation, policies, and the contributions of workers with disabilities that have advanced inclusion and equity in the workplace
- Invite learners to consider alternative approaches to promoting employee career development and advancement
- Share concrete steps and strategies for creating more inclusive career pathways within your organization
Session 10: Neuro-Inclusive Approaches to Difficult Conversations, and De-Escalation in the Workplace
- Build understanding of different neurotypes and the neurodivergent experience
- Describe strategies for neuro-inclusive and accessible communication that support difficult conversations
- Provide strategies for de-escalation and crisis management