A massive thank you for everyone’s rich contributions to our Let’s Talk about Neurodiversity conversations, which have been taking place since October 2023. The sessions have proven extremely popular, with hundreds of staff members across the ICS joining the conversations.
They have provided an opportunity for connection and conversation around the subject of neurodiversity and supporting neurodivergence in the workplace for health and social care staff across Gloucestershire. These conversations help us as an ICS to understand individual experiences and how best to support neurodivergence in the workplace.
Amongst our attendees, we have had people with lived experience of neurodivergence; people who want to understand more about neurodiversity and neurodivergence; people who are thinking about how to support their neurodivergent colleagues; and people who are engaged in thinking about policies and processes to support neurodiversity at an organisational level.
Ultimately, we want to empower individuals to express what they need and want, and to inform and empower managers to know how to support them.
Our conversations started by exploring terminology and sharing experiences and challenges in the workplace. We were delighted to hear Jess Meredith from Differing Minds talk about social models of disability, support with and without diagnosis and about how neurodiversity applies to all of us. We were also privileged to hear from Dr Mala Ubhi, a longstanding Gloucestershire GP and ICS-lead for Learning Disabilities, Autism and Mental Health, who lead a conversation on reasonable adjustments and the use of the SPACE (sensory, predictability, acceptance, communication, empathy) framework to think about individual needs. We have since drawn on specific aspects of the SPACE framework in our conversations, sharing individual experiences of helpful and unhelpful practices in the workplace.
We have also established an ICS Working Group to build on the Let’s Talk about Neurodiversity conversations and are considering the idea of a QI approach to help us take these conversations forward and continue raising awareness in our organisations.
Our next Let’s Talk about Neurodiversity conversation will be on Tuesday 19th March, during Neurodiversity Celebration Week, where we will be hearing each other’s stories of celebration and good practice.
To find out more and get involved, please contact us hello@thewellbeingline.co.uk