Learning from Lived Experience: Through a Neurodivergent Lens

The world can be made richer only with the diversity of people with different skills - sociability, attention, cognitive functions and behaviour. Neurodivergence is an umbrella term used for persons with autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and learning disabilities who receive and process information differently from the neurotypical persons around them. Neurodivergent people and communities add a new dimension to human thinking, working and interacting. 

In a world where finding jobs is cumbersome, the pandemic posed further challenges to employability for neurodivergent persons. While people with disabilities in general struggle to find a stable source of income, statistics show that neurodivergent individuals are 8 times more likely to remain unemployed than people without disabilities. 

At the behest of several concerned parents and neurodivergent individuals, v-shesh started an online employability training program called ONWARDS for neurodivergent learners to equip them to express their skills and succeed at the workplace. The main goal was to support the trainees develop good foundational skills along with relevant domain skills - planning and organising tasks, managing time, social interactions with peers, and learning to work and live independently. Designed to meet the varying individual needs and following an activity-based learning model, the program assists our trainees take small but vital steps towards becoming skilled, learning how to learn, seeking help and building confidence to participate in discussions. "The Onwards Training Program has helped me learn new skills, and has given me the confidence to speak with new people," shares Sagar, a trainee from the first cohort of Onwards. 

"Training students with disabilities in a way that is easy for them to understand and sensitising the employers to their varying needs can open up numerous employment opportunities for trainees as well as provide a huge, untapped talent pool for employers!" says Radhika Agarwal, one of v-shesh's founding team members. The training focuses not only on the professional development, but also the holistic development of the trainee. Along with developing core competencies namely communication and digital skills, the training focuses on helping students develop social skills, being open to learn, understanding of self, and skills and etiquettes required at the workplace. "The training helps our trainees get inducted into the real world," share trainers Shweta and Maria. 

These programs serve as opportunities for parents to participate and understand their child’s growth. “The training was helpful for our son to understand how to de-escalate conflict and how to manage his responses. It allowed him an opportunity to improve his communication with the people around him," recalls the parent of a trainee. 

Trainees from this program have bagged employment at MNCs in banking, IT and back-office operations. These training programs include an internship component, which culminates into well-paying jobs, and also kick-start the process of transformation of the entire organization. We have seen companies go an extra mile to adapt their recruitment process from a filtering approach to a broad-based funnel approach – case study or work trial-based selection as against interviews to understand the trainee better and to assess their skills, strengths and accommodation needs while at work.  

“Companies today are becoming more open to tap into neurodivergent talent pool – a hugely welcome change. This talent pool’s unique combination of skills & behavioural traits - intense focus, obsessiveness, stricter routine, pattern recognition, detail-orientation – is bound to lead to innovation and transformative work, creating a greater good not just for the company but the society at large. We need many more Onwards to scale up the culture of inclusive hiring leading to meaningful employment, only then will we gain the confidence of parents and neurodivergent individuals,” says Raja, co-founder of v-shesh.  

With global efforts, greater awareness and lots of empathy, organisations are now opening avenues to hire untapped neurodivergent individuals. Some notable inclusive practices used by organizations for neurodiversity hiring include adapted selection process (no interviews!!), job coach and buddy support for each new joiner, sensitisation training for the team, installing silent zones in the workplace and accommodating hybrid working on a case-by-case basis. It is about time we understand that transformative solutions like these can fuel an accessible and equitable world; that all people with disabilities need, is one chance, little changes, and small steps, to grow, flourish and live a life they would be proud of!

#Neurodiversity #LearningDisability #Inclusion #IDPwD #IDPWD2022 #Training #Jobseekers #JobsforPwD #DisabilitySupport

Rajasekharan Pazhaniappan (He,Him,His) Radhika Agarwal Kavya Mukhija Rashi Gupta Shashaank Awasthi Savitha Rengabashyam Jayashree Kannan Sakshi . Nalini Sagar Ivasmita Baruah Satish Sagar