Figure 1. Neurodiversity Engagement Framework.
agreement that an understanding of neurodiversity is the key entry point to any supportive people strategy. This agreement is followed by an initial review to determine what the deficits are in organizational knowledge and policymaking around neurodiversity. It then divides the acquisition of knowledge into two parts - interactive engagement with outside experts and a structured process for internal engagement. Interactive Engagement with Outside Experts . This component sets the expectation that Disabled employees/students are not responsible for educating their employers and universities on the history and context of neurodiversity or the variety of supports available to individuals. This is reinforced by encouraging employers and universities to engage outside experts and to have designated human resource (HR) or legal personnel responsible for maintaining currency on neurodiversity best practices and understanding the global implications of neurodiversity supports. This would also result in employers and universities normalizing on a universal policy
across all constituents as supported by law, ensuring that all employees or students receive the “most comprehensive” supports afforded to any one employee or student. Engaging with outside experts is a critical component of this model, as frequently the labor for advancing marginalized causes and initiatives in the workplace is done “for free” by members of the marginalized community. Often, employee resource group (ERG) members will be tapped to be a part of a “diversity taskforce” on a particular subject and will engage in efforts to improve their community’s experience in the workplace, working in surplus of their existing 45-hour weeks to achieve these efforts. By engaging with outside experts, the organization is forced to either make financial commitments to resources for the initiative in question or to ask outside experts for free labor (who frequently decline). This financial commitment results in better outcomes for marginalized employees within the workplace (through reduced burnout and demanded emotional labor to “create organizational understanding”) and better outcomes for the organization as well, as the organization
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