Hannah is changing mindsets when it comes to neurodiversity

Stereotypes of neurodiversity are far too common and damaging progress and increased understanding of a broad variety of conditions that come under the same label. Hannah, from our London technology team is tackling this problem head on and driving Neurodiversity Celebration Month to increase awareness across our business.

Neurodiversity is the idea that there are a range of ways our brains can work and that all of these ways are valid. It encompasses a host of conditions from dyslexia to sensory processing disorder to autism, and lots more in between. It can impact things like the way we process touch and audio and visual input, as well as our executive functioning skills, which is the ability to make and execute a plan - even one as simple as making a cup of tea.

I have always felt different, my entire life. Over the years I have been labelled shy, nerdy, and introverted, but I wasn’t officially diagnosed as neurodivergent until I was 30 years old.  At the time my whole identity was torn apart and I felt like I was defective; it felt like all the things that made me unique were suddenly labelled “faults”. Since then I’ve met more people like me and I’ve realised that there are many people across the neurodiversity spectrum who experience the world the way I do.

It’s not always something you can see from the outside, so most people wouldn’t realise that I’m neurodivergent. They don’t see how much harder I find some things than other people, and that I physically experience the world in a different way. For example, I can close a critical audit finding without a problem, but I struggle to work out when it’s my turn to speak in a conversation. Unfortunately it’s something we don’t talk about often because we all assume everyone’s brain works the same way as our own.

There’s a stigma around neurodivergent conditions because of stereotypes that do not reflect reality. They’re based on what people think neurodiversity looks like from the outside, which is often Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), autism, or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), but it’s so much more than that. In my case, for example, I can’t tell you what ‘quiet’ sounds like. While I’m talking to you now, I can hear the filter on our fish tank, the fridge, and a squirrel dropping walnut husks two metres away from my back door. They are all as loud as someone talking directly to me. In the office, I get distracted by the sound of fluorescent bulbs, footsteps, other people talking, typing, the clicking of a mouse, the printer, etc. These are things you can’t see, but they affect the way I work and interact with others.

Neurodiversity is an integral part of who I am, so it is part of the reason that I’m good at my job. I come up with solutions that seem obvious to me but wouldn’t necessarily be to other people. Being neurodivergent also gives me a high level of empathy, which I believe makes me a good manager. I make a conscious effort to include everyone in my team and to make sure that they feel heard. There is no such thing as a bad idea or a stupid question, because everyone has something valid to bring to the table.

There are always positives to embracing people for who they are. Our differences are something to be celebrated, because that’s what sparks creativity, understanding, new ideas, and new ways of working.

It’s estimated that 1 in 7 people are neurodivergent. The extent to which neurodivergent people feel accepted depends on their teammates and line management. My team has never acted as if I’m odd or weird or broken, they just take me for who I am, quirks and all. Thankfully, more people are responding like this now, but we still have a long way to go for neurodiversity to be widely accepted.

Campaigns like this one are key, I believe, to getting more people to talk about their experiences. For so long, I didn’t realise that life was harder for me than for others. I know there are people out there like pre-30 year old me who don’t even know that they are neurodivergent. I’d like us to change our collective mindset so that Neurodiversity isn’t seen as concessions people have to make for others, but more about being open minded and flexible so that everyone can reach their potential.