Welcome to another monthly roundup, here we discuss everything that was mentioned on Diversita's LinkedIn throughout the month. We will talk about neurodivergent achievements and news through both Diversita and the community.
The Buckland review of Autism Employment was launched on Feb 28th 2024
Diversita were fortunate enough to attend the launch of the Buckland review of Autism employment at Deutsche Bank
Supported by Mims Davies and other key advocates for the ND community the report aims to give recommendations to directly influence the creation of job opportunities for autistic individuals.
With the latest Autistica statistics showing that 71% of autistic adults are unemployed the report has 19 key points to drive change. Key themes were
What initiatives can help to raise awareness, reduce stigma and improve the productivity of autistic employees
What more could be done to prepare autistic people effectively for beginning or returning to a career
How recruitment practices can be adjusted to meet the needs of autistic applicants
How employers can identify and support autistic people already in their workforce
How autistic staff can be encouraged and supported to develop and progress in their career
Read the full report here
Ever wondered what makes Diversita stand out? 💡✨
Here’s a couple of things you might not know about us:
✍️ When you drop us a line, expect a personal touch—we take the time to reply to every single message with a personalised response. We're talking about real human connections here, not just automated responses.
💼 Our founder Marc wears a hat as an enterprise advisor for the Central London Careers Hub, specialising in creating touchpoint for ND students to step into the world of business.
🤗 Our incredibly dedicated volunteers are the heart of our community, ready to lend a hand or give advice to both junior and senior neurodivergent technologists.
😃 We’re big believers in giving back, pledging 30% of our time to pro-bono activities.
🤝 Looking for connection? Our monthly community meet-ups are a safe place to share thoughts and experiences and give and receive support. If you're interested in attending our next one, the link to the event is in the comments!
🧠 Each one of us at Diversita.co.uk has an in-depth understanding of neurodiversity, as we’re either neurodivergent ourselves or we have lived experience.
🏠 Independence is what makes us special —it means every choice we make is with the neurodivergent community firmly at heart.
⏰ And because we're all about balance, we have a 4-day work week with flexible hours, 100% remote.
If we’ve peaked your interest, and you’d like to know more about what we do, check out our website: www.diversita.co.uk. You can also drop us an email at contact@diversita.co.uk.
The Autistica Neurodiversity Employers Index (NDEI)
After the launch of The Buckland Review of Autism Employment Diversita.co.uk are proud to support Autistica and the NDEI® Neurodiversity Employers Index.
The index is a practical , evidence-based annual measurement that captures every stage of the employment journey, and both diversity & inclusion.
Other diversity and inclusion measures like this already exist for gender and ethnicity, but there is nothing that exists for neurodiversity.
How the NDEI will work?
The NDEI will be online and available to organisations of any size. Organisations who want to participate will be given the opportunity to complete the Index every year during the annual reporting period.
The NDEI will include questions on current workforce, policies & procedures.
When completed, organisations will receive a personalised report, a score and recommendations for improvements alongside resources to help make those changes.
All organisations will be invited to be listed in the annual market report which will help them to attract neurodivergent talent.
Diversita.co.uk would encourage all the organisations in our network to review and see if it's something they would like to get involved in.
The digital skills gap and neurodiversity with Jon Hammant | AWS
In our first Diversita.co.uk live of 2024 , we were SO excited to be joined by Jon Hammant from Amazon Web Services (AWS).
We discussed Jon's own neurodiversity journey and the current & future digital skills gap and how neurodivergent talent COULD be the key to closing it.
This was a great opportunity to hear from a senior neurodivergent tech leader who has an insight from one of the most influential organisations in the world.
View the conversation here
Cybersecurity skills gap
This article from Dark Reading dives deep into how neurodiversity isn't just beneficial, it's essential in today's tech world, especially for meeting the growing demands in cybersecurity.
It's time to support and leverage the diverse capabilities of people with autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and other neurodivergent conditions.
Read more here about this thoughtful approach to filling the cyber skills gap and how your organisation can benefit from supporting neurodiversity
Our News
ND celebration week w/c 18th March - book an awareness session now!
Neurodiversity Celebration Week is just around the corner, and you're in luck—we have 2 spots left for our neurodiversity training sessions!
These sessions are designed for organisations looking to equip themselves with a deeper understanding of neurodiversity and to learn how to better support their neurodivergent staff members effectively in the workplace.
Our aim is to create an environment that recognises and celebrates the unique talents and perspectives that neurodivergent individuals bring to the table.
Don't miss this opportunity to become champions of inclusivity and diversity.
For enquiries please reach out to contact@diversita.co.uk.
For more information on the session content - click here
Join our community group on LinkedIn! 💙
Thanks so much to everyone that attended our virtual community group in Feb. We had nearly 40 people attend and it had everything !!!
📖 Great topics
💙 Passion
🎤 Respectful debate
💡 Interesting ideas.
The main discussion points included
➡ Psychometric and profile tests in interview
➡ The Buckland report
➡ The value of hiring ND individuals and hope for the future
Our next event will be on the 28th March and more info to follow. Our google meet licence gives us a 100 spaces so we would love to test that capacity !!
For more info and to join our Linkedin group - click here
Are you interested in learning more about neurodiversity? Join our training sessions for individuals! 🎓
"My company isn't doing training but I want to learn more about neurodiversity"
"I have a CPD budget this year and would like to learn more about neuroinclusion"
"We have a small team so want 3-4 people to be trained - do you have a service for this?"
If you're like many of our supporters, you might be interested in learning more about neurodiversity - but not sure where to start! We totally understand, and we're here to help.
Our neurodiversity awareness sessions for are perfect for individuals who are keen to gain a better understanding of neurodiversity. And the best part? You don't need to go through your company to access this training.
We're running one session per month, so you can conveniently choose a time that works for you.
Our aim is to deliver high-quality training that will leave you feeling confident about engaging in conversations about neurodiversity. Plus, you can use your CPD budget to attend!
Our next session is on the 14th March 2024 so click here to book a place