Canadian Association for Supported Employment

Neurodiversity Celebration Week

March 18-24 , 2024

For Neurodiversity Celebration Week 2024, we provide a list of resources to help create awareness of neurodiversity and to strengthen workplace inclusion for persons who are neurodivergent.

Were-busting-Myths

Neurodiversity Celebration Week was founded in 2018 by Siena Castellon, a teenager who is autistic and has ADHD, dyslexia, and dyspraxia. Neurodiversity Celebration Week is a worldwide initiative that challenges stereotypes and misconceptions about neurological differences. It aims to transform how neurodivergent individuals are perceived and supported by providing opportunities to recognise the many talents and advantages of being neurodivergent.

“(…) my experience has been that people often focus on the challenges of neurological diversity. I wanted to change the narrative and create a balanced view which focuses equally on our talents and strengths.”

The following resources might be helpful in creating awareness of neurodiversity and strengthening inclusion in workplaces.

Posters

On the Neurodiversity Celebration Week website, you can download posters with quotes about neurodiversity and inclusion and with well-known people who are neurodiverse (like the poster of Emma Watson on this page). 

The Autism Advantage – Video and Transcript

Professor Robert Austin from the Ivey Business School at the University of Western Ontario recorded this video message for the Autism Advantage Luncheon in Jakarta in 2019 organized by the Specialisterne Foundation. In the three-minute video, he explains findings from his research on the autism advantage and the benefits of neurodiversity employment programs. 

National Autistic Society: Employing autistic people – a guide for employers

This guide provided by the National Autistic Society in the UK offers comprehensive information about autism and how to make your workplace autism-friendly from recruiting to managing.

Did you know Emma Watson has ADHD? "I don't want other people to decide what I am. I want to decide that for myself." Emma Watson, Actor/Activist. www.neurodiversityweek.com

Resources at the Institute of Neurodiversity (ION)

ION is an inclusive neurominority-led global membership organisation that helps neurominorities thrive and prosper. ION fosters neurodiversity awareness, acceptance and appreciation and advocate for equality and human rights of all neurominorities. 

ION was founded by Charlotte Valeur, who has over 35 years of executive and governance experience and who has been a neurodiversity advocate since her diagnosis of autism in 2017.

Neurodiversity as a Competitive Advantage: Why you should embrace it in your workforce

In this article from the Harvard Business Review Magazine (May–June 2017), neurodiverse programs at various corporations are highlighted and tips are provided to create a welcoming workplace for workers who are neurodivergent.