Five ways to make higher education more accessible to neurodivergent people

About 15 to 20 per cent of the global population is in some way neurodivergent. Yet, unemployment and dropout rates among neurodivergent people are alarmingly high. Eighty per cent of autistic people are currently unemployed, and 56 per cent of autistic students consider dropping out from university, a much higher rate than that for neurotypical students.

This is a disadvantage to institutions as much as it is to the individuals concerned. Neurodivergent people often possess skill sets that can be an asset to their institution or company, such as higher creativity, problem-solving and pattern-recognition skills. So even beyond the humanitarian consideration of equity and inclusivity, addressing these issues makes good business sense.

My team at Loughborough University in the School of Science has been working on practical ways to make offices more accessible to neurodivergent individuals. This has made our office a happier, more comfortable environment for everyone, and it is my view that accommodations for neurodivergence, as for cultural, religious or other characteristics, benefit everyone in a team. 

Here are five practical ways to make your workplace more neurodivergent-friendly:

Open up your interview questions

In interviews, it’s common to shield the questions from candidates until they’re in the room. But this can put neurodivergent people at an even greater disadvantage.

The other standard expectations of an interview panel – rapid reactions, maintaining eye contact, clear, defined responses – can all be an immense challenge to neurodivergent individuals, and in my team’s experience, they’re also not the best indicator of a strong candidate. 

We experimented with giving candidates access to interview questions in advance and allowing them a couple of days to prepare, and saw improvement in performance among neurodivergent and neurotypical candidates alike. Setting job candidates up to succeed, rather than to fail, seems to offer everyone an advantage – not least hiring managers.

No stupid questions, no obvious answers

Putting candidates and interview panels at ease means both sides can focus on the needs of the job in question, rather than be distracted by nerves and the logistics of the interview room. After successful trials, our team now sends a pre-interview email detailing what to expect on interview day to every candidate, setting out step-by-step responses to all the FAQs we typically receive and making sure there are no surprises.  

This can be particularly helpful to neurodivergent individuals, as interviews are typically structured around social expectations, not always obvious to us, or easy to navigate. What is viewed as normal to neurotypical individuals might feel entirely alien to a neurodivergent candidate, who is nonetheless the perfect fit for the role.  

The same principle – don’t assume knowledge or behaviour – can equally be applied to applicants from other cultures or socioeconomic backgrounds. Set expectations for the candidate yourself, spell out what their experience will be, and they can dispense with anxiety and stress to focus on showing you what they can do in the role.

Is a dress code necessary?

An example of implicit knowledge, often used to evaluate professionalism in a candidate, is the dress code. As anyone who has agonised over what to wear for a certain occasion can attest, an implicit or explicit dress code aggravates stress and ultimately tells you nothing about a candidate’s suitability. I could do just as good a job in my pyjamas! My team no longer sets any expectations about workplace attire, to ensure a comfortable and inclusive office environment. This is particularly useful to neurodiverse people, who can find that unfamiliar clothing, fabrics and colours lead to sensory overload. 

Invest in a respite room

Accessibility can also be achieved by providing material amenities in the workplace. As an example, “respite rooms” are usually rooms dedicated to being quiet, safe spaces open to all employees. Rather than being designated a highly specific function (such as breastfeeding or prayer rooms), they are multipurpose spaces designed for anyone with a pressing need, be it emotional distress or hot flushes. 

For neurodivergent people, a quiet space where they can guarantee alone time is invaluable as a counterweight to the sensory overload often typical in a busy workplace.

Tool up with fidget toys

Fidget toys are small objects designed for “purposeless” activity. They can help neurodivergent people – and many neurotypical people – to release stress, agitation or excitement and reduce sensory overload and improve concentration and focus. Fidget toys can be used either in the office or in the respite room. They are low-cost and easy to carry. 

In my office, we have several fidget toys for shared use, and they have proved both popular and effective with all colleagues. This is another example of how improving accessibility with a specific minority group in mind often leads to a shared benefit.

Safe, comfortable, accessible offices aren’t only a requirement for neurodivergent team-mates. Their neurotypical colleagues benefit just as much from these inclusive environments. Openness, transparency and the equitable application of a duty of care, even in small, incremental changes, can make a colossal difference to the workplace environment.

Valen Lollato is a student support admin at Loughborough University.

If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.