3 Strategies for Supporting and Advocating for Neurodivergent Employees

You may remember that earlier this year and late last year, several issues of Library Worklife included articles on neurodiverse workers. Kelly McDaniel, the author of the two-part article, We Need to Talk About How We Treat Library Workers Who Are Neurodivergent, explained that “Neurodiversity is a relatively recent term (coined in the 1990s) that recasts the notion that there is only one “normal” or “right” way that the human brain perceives, processes, and interacts with information, but rather that there are many different ways, i.e., a natural diversity of neurologically-based processes and behaviors.” McDaniel commented that she believed librarians do a good job of planning and promoting diverse and inclusive collections and programs, which are designed specifically to appeal to and serve the needs of children patrons who are neurodivergent. However, this did not necessarily translate to adult employees of libraries who are neurodivergent. The focus of McDaniel’s articles was on the treatment of these workers ─the neurodiverse adult employees in libraries.

Given the estimation of 15-20% of the population identifying as neurodiverse, it becomes critical for leadership and managers to continue to learn about this topic and ways to assist employees who may have neurodiverse capabilities. Yet, This article suggests that “most workplaces lack the educational resources, institutional practices, and inclusive management coaching necessary to help meet different neurodiversity needs of staff.” The author offers several tips to help managers advocate for neurodivergent employees and suggests ways of creating conditions leading to the inclusion and well-being of these employees.

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