Neurodiversity Celebration Week is a worldwide initiative to educate about neurodiversity and neurological difference, challenge stereotypes, and celebrate the skills and experiences neurodivergent people bring to the table.
To mark Neurodiversity Celebration Week, Horton Housing colleagues Isabelle Kershaw-Halliwell and Louise Bell have reflected on their own experiences of neurodivergence, and highlighted the positive impacts of celebrating neurodiversity both in and out of work:
Communications Assistant Isabelle Kershaw–Halliwell on why meaningful inclusion matters:
My neurodivergence has shaped how I approach my work and interactions in ways that have always been apparent to me, and often to those around me, both before and after my official ADHD diagnosis at 21.
An example of this is that neurodivergent brains often approach problems from different places, looking for outside the box solutions which can bring valuable and creative results. I think this is something which really works in my favour in my Communications role, since it is a creative job which involves planning campaigns and creating appealing visual content. Another common neurodivergent tendency I experience is to ‘hyperfocus’ on certain topics or projects, which often comes in handy at work. While my attention deficit aspects (the ‘AD’ part of ‘ADHD’) do make it challenging to get started on some projects, once I’m started, I can focus intently.
My neurodivergence has taught me useful skills including resourcefulness, independence, empathy, fairness, self-awareness, and reflection. Living with neurodiversity – and I think this is amplified for the many people who were diagnosed later in life – means you develop a toolkit of coping mechanisms over the course of your life.
I think the key to meaningful neurodivergent inclusion is for people to properly understand what neurodivergence actually means. I want people to understand that being neurodivergent means experiencing and interpreting the world in a fundamentally different way than other people. It means that when you tell someone who has ADHD, “it seems like everyone has ADHD now”, you are completely misunderstanding what neurodiversity really is. People like me who have ADHD often deal with challenges including lack of motivation, procrastination, and time management difficulties, but we can adapt to this and succeed at a high level if we are in environments which take our neurodivergence into account and understand what it means.
Neurodiversity Celebration Week is a valuable way to shine a light on both the overlooked challenges faced by neurodivergent people, and the unique things we bring to the table. But I am still neurodivergent next week too, and for every week after that. Neurodiversity is something to celebrate, but that shouldn’t replace action. Really celebrating neurodivergent people involves meaningful inclusion by creating environments where everyone can succeed while still being themselves.
Administration Assistant Apprentice Louise Bell on why dyslexia gives her a unique and valuable perspective:
As it is Neurodiversity Celebration Week, I have been kindly asked to speak about my neurodiversity and how it makes me unique. I have dyslexia which means I have a language-based learning difficulty which affects my reading and writing. I may read slower than others, stutter when reading or when speaking in general, and I may struggle to spell some words.
I believe my dyslexia gives me the skill to think differently and potentially see things from a different view than other people. Those with dyslexia often process information spatially and holistically, which enables them to see the bigger picture rather than just focusing on individual details. In everyday situations my dyslexia sometimes requires me to think outside the box, especially when I’m struggling to spell a word.
Horton Housing have assisted me in any way they can to make it easier for me to work on computers. For example, I have software on my computer which acts as an overlay to help me read any documents and emails. This also helps me when editing documents and typing up emails. I also have a physical overlay to read any paper documents or notes. I had these put in place to help me complete tasks efficiently, and they allow my work to run more smoothly.
Neurodiversity can mean all sorts of things to different people. Each neurodiverse condition is different for each person and may vary each day for some. For me personally, what would help in the workplace is if people are patient, as sometimes pressure and stress can make my dyslexia worse – it may cause more of a brain fog and I may even struggle to get words out. If you know someone with a neurodiverse condition: a colleague, friend, or family member, and you want to know more about how they have adapted to it, then kindly ask. Neurodiversity is not something to shy away from; it is something to embrace.