People living with invisible disabilities experience difficulties in their daily lives although this is not visible to people who are unaware of the condition. Neurodiversity is an umbrella term that brings together people with neurological conditions such as autism, dyslexia, dysgraphia, attention deficit disorder and hyperactivity disorder. Although they sometimes experience difficulties in the workplace in some respects, neurodiverse employees outperform their colleagues in other aspects.
Opportunities and challenges
Studies by the World Health Organization show that people living with some form of disability account for over 15% of the world’s population.
It is characteristic of people with autism to have repetitive behaviours. They have high focus when learning new information, noticing details and inconsistencies.
Dyslexia is a learning disability that includes difficulty reading. A common example of dyslexia is reading words with letters in reverse order. This neurological disability can affect adolescents and adults alike. Dyslexia is one of the most common learning disabilities, and sometimes occurs in combination with dysgraphia. Dysgraphia causes problems with writing skills, particularly handwriting, and spelling. People with dyslexia decipher new information well and are very creative.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) manifests in the workplace with difficulty in prioritizing and working on multiple tasks simultaneously. People with this deficit are likely to forget plans and have difficulty coping with stress. Their strength lies in creative thinking and idea generation, making them valuable team players.
Disguising their authentic self
In order to cover up differences with what society has accepted as “normal,” it is common for neurologically diverse people to disguise their authentic self and practice “masking.” This happens when people downplay parts of their identity in order to conform to the mainstream workplace culture. Covering can negatively impact well-being, commitment to the organization, and job performance.
Inclusive communication
Ableist language is offensive to people with disabilities, especially when mocking or abusive language is used when referring to disability. When talking about people from underrepresented communities, it is important to be careful about the words that are used when discussing these employees.
