04/13/2023

Autism Acceptance at Work Starts in the Mental Space

Many changes also could benefit non-deaf workers

April is Autism Awareness Month (also called Autism Acceptance Month by autism advocacy groups). So it seems appropriate to discuss how employers looking to assemble a more neurodiverse workforce can make their workplaces more, well, workable.

A recent Scientific American article explores how designers and architects are seeking to make open-plan offices more accommodating for neurodivergent and deaf workers. By reducing visual and acoustic distractions, adding more breakout spaces and private nooks, and adjusting workspace layout to incorporate employee feedback, they hope to remove sensory stressors and obstacles that fatigue and hinder those workers. Many of those changes also could benefit neurotypical and non-deaf workers.

But some of the most inclusive workplace adaptations aren't about physical space. Rather, they're about adjusting mental space to accept and accommodate differences in our fellow humans.

Please select this link to read the complete article from The Washington Post.