The Irish Congress of Trade Unions’ Disability Committee has released a guide to help unions and employers better support and accommodate neurodiverse people in the workplace. 

The guide was launched on 3rd December, the date chosen to coincide with the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The launch event took place in the Communications Workers’ Union offices in Dublin 1, with attendees representing a wide swathe of the union movement and disabilities organisations.

Speaking at the event ICTU president, Justin McCamphill called on unions to “ensure the guide is widely distributed in your union structures.” He also gave thanks to the many organisations representing neurodiverse people who took part in producing the guide.

This group includes Dyslexia Ireland, ADHD Ireland, and AHEAD who all made contributions. While organisations such as AsIAm, National Disability Authority, and Employability, among others, provided information used in the guide’s production. 

Justin made special mention of Neuro Pride Ireland who collaborated with ICTU’s Disability Committee, providing feedback and input on the final drafts.

Speaking at the launch event, Gillian Kearns of Neuro Pride, said “We were very happy to be in a small way involved in the making of this guide.” Appearing via web call, she stressed the importance of accommodations and understanding of neurodiversity in the workplace.

She expressed her hope that the guide would be “an important stepping stone in the right direction.”

The guide provides a detailed explanation of neurodiversity. It takes readers through the ins and outs of what it means to be a neurodiverse person, and how being neurodiverse can impact on how a person interacts with their coworkers and workplace.

Importantly the guide avoids making broad statements on the needs of neurodiverse people. Gillian described it as “the need for individualisation.” She said, “what each neurodiverse person needs can look very different. For instance, both myself and my sister are autistic and ADHD, but what we need is not the same.”

This point was picked up by Nem Kearns, also of Neuro Pride Ireland. They shared the case of a Neuro Pride member who later in life realised he was autistic and disclosed to his manager that he had received a diagnosis. Rather than asking him, the manager consulted a doctor on the needs of autistic people in general. On this advice the manager decided he could not work onsite. He had worked onsite for years without incident, and not working on site meant he was unable to do his job.

In Nem’s words “his career was ruined through beneficence.”

In attendance on the day, Katie Morgan, Fórsa National Secretary and Vice President of ICTU, drew attention to the Neurodiversity in the Workplace Policy Pledge. She said “Often neurodiverse people find the biggest barrier is that neuro-typical peers and employers just don’t know and are afraid to ask. 

“That’s why it is great to see the Neurodiversity in the Workplace Policy Pledge included in the Neurodiversity guide.” She continued “The pledge consists of a model policy that lets employers know what to do to accommodate neurodiverse workers, including the most important step of asking the person themselves.”

ICTU’s Neurodiversity Guide and pledge can be downloaded here.

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