Neurodiversity Celebration Week

18th - 24th March 2024

Neurodiversity Celebration Week aims to challenge stereotypes about neurological differences and to challenge how neurodivergent individuals are perceived, providing an opportunity to celebrate neurodivergent talent and all the benefits of a neurodiverse workplace.

What is Neurodiversity?

When it comes to inclusion, neurodiversity refers to a world where neurological differences are recognised and respected as all other human variations.

Depending on how our brains are wired we think, move, process information and communicate in different ways. Many people use neurodiversity as an umbrella term used to describe alternative thinking styles such as Dyslexia, DCD (Dyspraxia), Dyscalculia, Autism and ADHD. But regardless of labels, neurodiversity is about recognising those who think differently.

Around 1 in 5 people has a neurological difference. The majority (61%) have experienced stigma in the workplace. This is largely due to neurodiversity being misunderstood. It is not surprising, then, that 76% do not fully disclose their neurodiversity at work. We understand just how important it is to improve the experiences of neurodivergent colleagues when it benefits both the individual and Elim as a service provider.

A Neurodiverse Workplace

Neurodivergent people bring many unique skills, especially when empowered with the right tools. Elim recently set up a network group for neurodivergent colleagues which aims to raise awareness, promote and maximise the take-up of internal and external initiatives  and career development opportunities to support the professional development of current and prospective neurodiverse colleagues.

As part of this group we aim to listen and learn. We will do this by supporting and championing our neurodiverse colleagues to hear their feedback on governance issues, and to inform workplace training which facilitates understanding and further learning for all our colleagues.

We have also improved the way in which we recruit at Elim, and have adjusted the formats in which individuals can apply for roles to reduce barriers within the application process.

Get Involved

There are a number of events throughout the week, from panel discussions to inspirational speakers. Discussions will all be focusing on key neurodiversity topics, aiming to educate while inspiring conversations about neurodiversity.

Find out how you can get involved here.