EPISODE 4

Neurodiversity and the Inclusion Revolution | Wanda Deschamps

October 27, 2020

Wanda Deschamps explains the need for neurodiversity in the workplace and shares steps employers can take to better attract and retain neurodiverse employees. By encouraging participation from the neurodiverse population within your business, your organization will be able to learn new ways of thinking from a generally untapped community of potential employees.

Diversity doesn’t just refer to physical difference. 1.3 billion people globally live with disabilities worldwide and over 80% of these people live with what are considered invisible disabilities. When your neurologic makeup is different, you might look the same as everyone else. The neurodiverse population deserves acceptance from the mainstream population.

Neurodiversity, coined by Australian sociologist, Judy Singer, refers to differences across human brain makeups, including dyslexia, dyspraxia, autism and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Neurodiversity emphasizes the vast range of differences in individual brain function and behavioural traits. As such a large community with untapped potential, workforces need to improve the inclusion of neurodiverse employees.

The workforce has shifted online due to the ongoing pandemic. The success of this movement has created a watershed moment in history, supporting the long-standing requests from disability advocates for further flexibility and thoughtful accommodation in the workplace.

Wanda Deschamps is the founder of Liberty Co., a neurodiverse advocacy company working toward the goal of increasing the participation level of members of the neurodiverse population in the workforce with a special focus on autism, due to Wanda’s own diagnosis at midlife.

Wanda suggests that employers increase their knowledge by:

Reading about the Inclusion Revolution,
Reviewing their internal policies and DEI strategies to ensure disability is part of their diversity agenda
Doing the work to recruit and retain employees within their goals of becoming a more inclusive workplace.

Diversity comes in many forms and inclusionary practices are not one-size-fits-all. Invisible disabilities are no less important than physical ones. Many of us are just beginning to scratch the surface of this important issue and should hold ourselves accountable to learn how workplaces can better support neurodiverse employees.

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ABOUT OUR GUEST

Wanda Deschamps

Liberty Co

Prior to founding Liberty Co, Wanda enjoyed a 25 year career in the philanthropic sector, serving as a consultant for KCI (Ketchum Canada Inc.), a leading fundraising consultancy, as well as an institutional development leader. A champion for inclusivity, she enjoys writing under the banner of the Inclusion Revolution, a worldwide movement launched in 2018 to spearhead broader thinking about disability, especially disability employment. Wanda is also the catalyst behind the #women4women collective focused on gender equality through supporting other women. Combining these two goals provides an avenue for Wanda to be an advocate for women with autism, including as a participant in research into autistic women’s experiences in the workplace. As a means to further help create safer and healthier workplaces, she is the co-founder of the National Day of Conversation about sexual harassment in the charitable sector.