Neurodiversity in the Arts

Heath, I just want to say thanks for posting this and for sharing your story. Be well - 

Thanks Mindee - Doing great   

I admire your courage and honesty to always be who you truly are Heath. You are a very special person. Although it was a long while ago now, I am glad that I was able to work within your orbit for a short time. Jenn x

Thanks Jenn

Congratulations on finding a diagnosis that feels right! That's such a great feeling.

My organization is just starting to become comfortable talking about neurodiversity in small ways. I've found myself becoming more comfortable vocalizing my struggles with dysthymia and anxiety, and that's encouraged the teams I work closest with to start thinking about mental wellness more. We don't have a specific strategy or anything official, but it's nice to not feel afraid to talk about it and I think it's setting the stage for growth!

Thanks Maery.  You're an inspiration of mine.

Whilst we have a mental health and wellness program at work it's of course counselling behind closed doors. I've also been wondering about a strategy towards neurodiversity acceptance and openness.  Opening up the conversation and understanding mental health is a start to removing the stigma and isolation.  I've just been vocal and open as well and it seems to have decent effect.

Thanks for being such a motivator

I'm so glad to see this post Heath! I'm always interested in how organizations are managing any kind of diversity. 
At Woolly, I know more of our "policies" center around mental health in general, not so much neurodiversity specifically, but wanted to drop what we do if nothing else.

All full time employees have 3 Personal Days per year to use. No questions asked. No explanation necessary. Just some extra "Freebie" days to take when you need them. Furthermore, many staff members take comp-time or work flexible hours in order to go to therapy/psychiatry appointments, just like standard eye doctor/dentist/etc. appointments. Folks just block off the time on their calendars and coordinate with their supervisor. This isn't so much a set in stone policy, but rather something we all adhere to.

Hope this helps for other orgs out there!

-Ashleigh

Heath, that's such an honor! You're an inspiration of mine.

Thanks Ashleigh.  That's a great point.  We have a mental wellness policy and plan and from informal sentiment it seems to be well received from staff. 

I love your personal days ... that's great.  Our mental wellness policy has 3 appointments per year with our psychologist. I've used it for other things but it was invaluable for me to get assistance with an ASD referral.

Interestingly I hadn't considered the broader sense of how to make our workplace more inclusive for neurodiversity until 2 executives asked me on separate occasions (post "coming out").  Their point was well made.  Making the working environment less disabling leads to greater happiness at work as well as higher productivity (less sick days, burnout etc). I'm not the only autistic at our small organisation and I'm certainly not the only non-neurotypical so it is definitely a great question to ask. 

Having a more inclusive work environment seems to be a great way to strengthen the team.

I feel encouraged by this discussion thread and the future of creative arts workers. Although I have had very significant support from some companies, others have totally missed the mark, and continue to do so. I really like the idea of assisting to make the work environment more user friendly to those of us who may struggle with things like open work environments that have continuous noise that cannot be canceled out. And the idea of having a day off 'no questions asked', well, just the concept of this would be wonderful. I cannot tell you the number of 'microscopes' I have been placed under! The funny thing is, I have been managing a number of mental health issues over the past 20 years and along with the 'interrogation' and misunderstanding, I am quite often told how great I am at the work, how well I work with customers and stakeholders etc etc etc, then i usually get, if only the other stuff wasn't a problem! What can you do? 

Communication is a two way street and organizations really need to open (if not active) in maximising the potential of their own teams.  Neurodiversity, particularly autism, flies completely under the radar especially in women.  The "other stuff" would be a problem - nay an asset - if it was adequately accommodated for. And it doesn't take much.  Things like the idea that open offices are great for everyone, or that everyone responds to sales targets in the same way is ludicrous, and if I'm honest with myself wasteful management.

You are an incredible asset JL.  Great to see you today at the ANZTRUC Virtual

Great point! Let's celebrate diversity and recognize each other's strengths. When we work together we can accomplish more. I'm so glad you're bringing attention to this. Thanks so much, Heath. 

Thanks Emerald.  It's centrestage in my life and I though that it might be useful to facilitate the maximising of all our potential and the reduction of our pains.  There's never been a better time to support one another, learn more about our diversity and be inclusive.  Stand strong

Hey all - me again.

Open Academics posted a handy set of posters for designing for accessibility and I thought I'd share.

https://ukhomeoffice.github.io/accessibility-posters/posters/accessibility-posters.pdf

They are infographics on things to keep in mind when creating inclusive content (from the UK homeoffice)

Enjoy,

H

This is such a great resource - I'm excited to share this with my colleagues.