A still from Ford ’ s video highlighting its neurodivergent employees hired through the FordWorks program role or environment to enable them to thrive ,” says Kelly .
“ Companies are keen to train their staff , but for some sadly this is still a tick box exercise . To be truly successful and inclusive it needs to go beyond a one off training session .”
True neurodivergent inclusiveness comes down to open-mindedness and a willingness to be flexible . For example , many neurodivergent people are highly sensitive to sensory stimuli like loud noises , which are common in manufacturing environments . Wearing protective headphones is the norm .
One employer Hester and Kelly worked with would not approve their employee ’ s request to wear noise cancelling ear buds , only permitting them to wear over-the-ear headphones .
They had read that autistic people wear headphones , so in their mind that ’ s all they needed , regarding the request as frivolous and unreasonable .
In reality , that employee experienced sensory overload and even sensations of claustrophobia in headphones due to their physical pressure and enclosed nature .
“ Remember that everyone is different , so one size doesn ’ t fit all ,” says Hester .
“ It ’ s important to listen to the autistic / ADHD individual , understand their
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