Amanda is the founder and CEO of Do-IT Solutions, a globally recognised tech-for-good company specialising in neurodiversity screening and support tools for education and employment. She is an emeritus professor at the University of South Wales, honorary professor at Cardiff University, and visiting professor at Trinity College Dublin.
This month Acas launched a campaign to improve understanding and support for neurodivergent workers.
This comes at a crucial time, as more workplaces are recognising the need to be more neuroinclusive. They are seeking help on creating inclusive workplaces that embrace difference whilst providing appropriate support.
Neurodiversity at work
The campaign will equip employers with resources and advice to help foster a culture of belonging, where neurodivergent workers can thrive.
It also highlights the challenges that neurodivergent workers often face, including barriers in recruitment, workplace adjustments, and retention. The focus is on practical steps employers can take to make work environments more accessible. These include:
- inclusive hiring practices – ensuring recruitment processes accommodate different cognitive styles
- reasonable adjustments – providing tailored support such as flexible work arrangements and assistive technology
- workplace awareness – educating employers and colleagues about neurodivergence to reduce stigma and increase understanding
The expert panel
Alongside the campaign, I chair a new expert panel by the Department for Work and Pensions: an Expert Academic Panel on Neurodiversity and Employment.
The panel is set to examine employment outcomes for neurodivergent people. Running until this summer, this initiative is expected to provide evidence-based recommendations that inform workplace practices and policy.
The group's work builds on the Buckland Review, which previously explored the barriers autistic people face in employment. This new panel will look across all types of neurodivergence and delve into:
- key barriers to employment and workplace success
- effective employer actions to enhance inclusion
- government policies that could drive systemic change
- economic benefits linked to greater neurodiversity in the workforce
- intersectionality, including how social deprivation, gender, and ethnicity impact neurodivergent employment outcomes
What does this mean for employers and workers?
The work of Acas, along with the expert panel, can be a turning point in employment policies for neurodivergent people. Employers should prepare for:
- better accountability in ensuring recruitment and workplace policies support neurodivergent people
- more practical guidance on reasonable adjustments and good practice
- potential policy shifts around inclusive employment strategies
- a stronger evidence base to underpin the benefits of neuroinclusive practice
What is clear is that we are moving towards workplaces that are more inclusive of neurodivergent people.
The Acas campaign and the expert panel's work reviewing the evidence will help empower employers to better understand and support the needs of all their workers. This can bring outcomes that benefit both individuals and organisations from the get-go.
Those that proactively engage with these developments will be ahead of the curve in fostering truly inclusive workplaces.
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