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Is neuroinclusion a DE&I issue or a people team Imperative? - Reflections from the People and Culture Forum

People & Culture

Last week at the People and Culture Forum, I had the privilege of facilitating a conversation on the topic of neuroinclusion. Framed around the question “Is neuroinclusion a DE&I issue or a People Team imperative?”, our session opened up a space for honest reflection, discomfort, and commitment to doing better.

My short answer to the question is: it’s both and more. Neuroinclusion must be a fundamental part of any diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) strategy, but it also needs to be deeply embedded in the way our People functions operate day to day. It’s a shared responsibility, and senior leaders need to lead from the front.

Innovation is not in short supply in health care. Across the NHS and social care, teams are bursting with ideas to improve outcomes, use data more wisely, and harness technology for better service delivery. But, as anyone who’s tried to put those ideas into practice knows, innovation isn’t just about ambition - it’s about implementation.

In a system as complex and high -stakes as health care, delivery is often where good ideas stall. Legacy systems, policy constraints, fragmented responsibilities and overstretched teams can make even a simple improvement feel impossible. That’s why one of the most powerful ways to turn promising innovations into real progress is by tackling delivery challenges from the very beginning.

Two people standing close together in an office with yellow chairs and a table.

Designing for neurotypical people by default

In my section, I focused on how most employee experiences from recruitment to performance management, to wellbeing programs and leadership development, are unintentionally designed for neurotypical employees. That might not seem like a problem on the surface, but with over 10 million people in the UK who are neurodivergent, it creates exclusion, misunderstanding, and missed opportunities.

We see this in the way job descriptions are written, how interviews are run, and how “professionalism” is judged. We see it in rigid communication expectations, office design, inflexible schedules, and the unspoken social rules of the workplace. The cost of this is significant. We lose talented, creative, analytical, and innovative neurodivergent people every day because they feel like they don’t fit, or because we haven’t bothered to adapt to how they work best.

If we continue designing for the default, we reinforce the idea that everyone must conform to a narrow way of thinking, interacting, and succeeding. That’s not inclusion, that’s assimilation.

Intersectionality: when it’s not just one barrier

I also shared how neurodivergence doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Through an intersectional lens, the picture becomes even more complex and more urgent.

Think about the experience of a Black woman with autism. Or a trans person with ADHD. Or someone with undiagnosed dyslexia who is also a carer and navigating economic hardship. These individuals aren’t just contending with one barrier, they’re navigating multiple, compounding forms of exclusion in systems not designed with them in mind.

The risk of being overlooked, misunderstood, or labelled as "difficult" increases exponentially. And it’s often these intersections where support systems fail entirely. That’s why any approach to neuroinclusion must also be grounded in a broader commitment to justice and equity, otherwise, we’re just putting surface-level fixes on deep-rooted problems.

So, whose job is it to implement neuroinclusion, really?

This is the question that stirred the most reflection in our session: Who should be responsible for neuroinclusion? And my answer is simple: Everyone.

Yes, DE&I professionals have a role to play in naming neurodiversity as part of the inclusion agenda. And yes, People teams should embed neuroinclusive practices into systems, policies, and employee journeys. But this is not a job to be delegated or siloed. Neuroinclusion must be a strategic leadership priority, with visible ownership at the very top.

When senior leaders demonstrate understanding, curiosity, and action, it sets the tone for the entire organisation. Without this commitment, progress stalls, and responsibility falls disproportionately on neurodivergent people themselves to advocate for change, often at great personal cost.

Person presenting in a meeting room with a screen showing “Why this topic?” and a colorful heart graphic, while two people sit at a table.

The data is clear: we’re not there yet

To underscore the importance of leadership attention, I shared insight from the 2025 City & Guilds Neurodiversity Index Report: 59% of respondents said their organisation had not considered neurodiversity in the context of health and safety.

Despite all we know about the impact of sensory environments, stress triggers, and mental wellbeing on neurodivergent people, over half of the organisations surveyed hadn’t factored neurodiversity into one of the most fundamental areas of employee wellbeing and legal responsibility

From insight to action

One of the goals of the forum was not just to raise awareness, but to equip people with the insight and conviction to take action. So here are a few provocations I left the room with:

What assumptions are baked into your people experience? How might they unintentionally exclude neurodivergent employees?
Where is neurodiversity visible in your DE&I strategy—or is it still missing entirely?
Do your leaders know how to create psychologically safe, flexible, and sensory-considerate environments?
Are your hiring processes assessing potential or just conformity?

These aren’t just HR questions. They’re culture questions. Strategy questions. Leadership questions.

And if you're wondering what’s at stake, the founder of Brighty People, Becca Brighty, who hosted the forum, shared a visual during the event featuring a lineup of some of the world’s most influential entrepreneurs, scientists, and innovators. People like Albert Einstein and Bill Gates who are or were neurodivergent. These are individuals whose ideas changed the world. Now imagine if their potential had been cut short due to a lack of opportunity, understanding, or enablement.

That’s what this is really about: untapped brilliance, unrealised ideas, and the quiet loss of potential happening in workplaces every day

Moving forward with intention

Neuroinclusion isn’t a “nice to have” or an emerging trend, it’s a moral, legal, and business imperative. It challenges us to rethink what we mean by inclusion, who we’re designing for, and what kind of workplaces we want to build.

At its core, neuroinclusion is about honouring the full range of human minds, not as problems to be fixed or accommodated, but as valuable contributors to collective success.

As I reflect on our conversation at the forum, I’m encouraged by the growing appetite for change but I’m also clear-eyed about the work ahead. We have the tools. We have the data. Now we need the will. From everyone.

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Is neuroinclusion a DE&I issue or a people team Imperative? - Reflections from the People and Culture Forum

Designing for neurotypical people by default

Intersectionality: when it’s not just one barrier

I also shared how neurodivergence doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Through an intersectional lens, the picture becomes even more complex and more urgent.

So, whose job is it to implement neuroinclusion, really?

This is the question that stirred the most reflection in our session: Who should be responsible for neuroinclusion? And my answer is simple: Everyone.

The data is clear: we’re not there yet

To underscore the importance of leadership attention, I shared insight from the 2025 City & Guilds Neurodiversity Index Report: 59% of respondents said their organisation had not considered neurodiversity in the context of health and safety.

From insight to action

One of the goals of the forum was not just to raise awareness, but to equip people with the insight and conviction to take action. So here are a few provocations I left the room with:

Moving forward with intention

Neuroinclusion isn’t a “nice to have” or an emerging trend, it’s a moral, legal, and business imperative. It challenges us to rethink what we mean by inclusion, who we’re designing for, and what kind of workplaces we want to build.

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I also shared how neurodivergence doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Through an intersectional lens, the picture becomes even more complex and more urgent.

This is the question that stirred the most reflection in our session: Who should be responsible for neuroinclusion? And my answer is simple: Everyone.

To underscore the importance of leadership attention, I shared insight from the 2025 City & Guilds Neurodiversity Index Report: 59% of respondents said their organisation had not considered neurodiversity in the context of health and safety.

One of the goals of the forum was not just to raise awareness, but to equip people with the insight and conviction to take action. So here are a few provocations I left the room with:

Neuroinclusion isn’t a “nice to have” or an emerging trend, it’s a moral, legal, and business imperative. It challenges us to rethink what we mean by inclusion, who we’re designing for, and what kind of workplaces we want to build.