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How聽can workplaces be more inclusive of colleagues who are deaf or hard of hearing?

Much can be done to make a workspace more accessible to and inclusive of colleagues who are deaf or hard of hearing. Universal design can provide a framework for doing so by underpinning practices that can be applied proactively to make a welcoming and environment and to ensure that appropriate accommodations are available specific individuals.

Are there employment resources specifically designed to serve neurodivergent job seekers?

There are various resources for helping neurodivergent聽job seekers find jobs and careers. For example, the聽聽includes a collection of employers committed to hiring neurodivergent employees as well as providing additional training and support to foster success and career growth. The聽聽combines job posting services with business consultancy services, to help businesses develop policies and services to support neurodiverse employees.

What do 鈥渘eurodiverse鈥 and 鈥渘eurodivergent鈥 mean?

Terms such as 鈥渘eurodiverse鈥 and 鈥渘eurodivergent鈥 were introduced in the 1990s by autistic sociologist Judy Singer as an alternative to deficit-based language, such as 鈥渄isorder.鈥 Singer highlighted notable strengths of many individuals in the autistic population that include abilities to focus, recognize patterns, and remember factual information. A 鈥渘eurodivergent鈥 person refers to a person聽on the autism spectrum or, more generally, to someone聽whose brain processes information in a way that is not typical of most individuals.

How can STEM academic departments be more accessible to and inclusive of faculty with disabilities?

As institutions seek to leverage the benefits of diversity, application pools for faculty positions have become increasingly diverse, inclusive of faculty with disabilities who bring unique and valuable perspectives and talents to the workplace. However, the inaccessible design of the employment application process, as well as many campus facilities, software tools, services, and online resources, continue to erect barriers to some applicants and employees with disabilities, including those who are also members of other marginalized groups.

What can companies do to support employees with disabilities?

There are a variety of strategies that companies can use to support employees with disabilities. Taking such actions may help to ensure that employees with disabilities have the same opportunities for advancement and professional development as all employees.聽 Some of these strategies may be similar to strategies used to support other underrepresented groups, such as women and racial/ethnic minorities. To support employees with disabilities companies can:

How do neurodiverse and neurotypical software engineers differ in the workplace?

Research findings comparing the experiences of neurodiverse employees with neurotypical employees at a large company revealed differences between the two groups. In the study 鈥渘eurodiverse employees鈥 were defined as individuals with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and/or learning disabilities. 鈥淣eurotypical鈥 employees were defined as individuals without one of these disabilities.

What can companies do to raise awareness of the need for employees that understand accessibility?

When employees across a company 鈥 in engineering, design, and development roles 鈥 have an understanding of accessibility, rather than just a handful of employees in an accessibility department, it can lead to improved accessibility of products developed and services offered by the company. To achieve this goal, is encouraging employers to include in job descriptions required or preferred skill, knowledge and/or experience about accessibility. This strategy raises awareness of job seekers of the importance of these skills.

What strategies are companies using to recruit employees with autism spectrum disorder?

A large portion of individuals with ASD are unemployed although many of them are capable of working. Students with ASD often find it difficult to communicate in a traditional interview format. Some companies, both in the US and abroad, have enacted programs to specifically recruit employees with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Examples of these recruitment efforts and programs include:

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