Neurodiversity Celebration Week

✨ Neurodiversity Celebration Week 2025 Dates Announced! ✨   📅 Monday, 17 March - Sunday, 23 March 2025 🔗 Sign up to take part here: www.neurodiversityweek.com   In the coming months we'll be working hard behind the scenes to bring you a brand new and exciting schedule of FREE events, new resources and lots more. Keep an eye out for further updates coming soon!   We look forward to #CelebratingDifferentMinds with you all in March 2025.   Lexxic   #NeurodiversityCelebrationWeek #NeurodiversityWeek #NCW #ThisIsND

Neurodiversity Celebration Week 2024 Highlights! 🌟  https://lnkd.in/efKG8ghz   We are truly inspired by all of the stories that were shared and the activities that took place, and we want to say thank you once again to each and every one of you that took part in celebrating different minds.    Let's continue to champion neurodiversity every single day, together we can make a difference!    Whilst we have tried to capture a variety of activities in these highlights, there are thousands more that we would have loved to include.    To see even more of the celebrations, we'd recommend searching through the campaign hashtags:  #NeurodiversityCelebrationWeek, #NeurodiversityWeek, #NCW and #ThisIsND    We look forward to celebrating with you again in 2025! 

Last week, across all of our sites, BMI Group UK&I supported Neurodiversity Celebration Week. This important event gave us the opportunity to celebrate and recognise the talent and fresh perspectives that neurodiverse employees can bring to the workplace.    During the week we shared a series of personal stories written by our employees on their lived experience of neurodiversity, as well as encouraging all colleagues to sign up to some of the brilliant webinars available through Neurodiversity Celebration Week. We also provided fidget toys so that employees could learn more about how these can support concentration and focus and promote a sense of calm; as well as sharing further information on neurodivergent conditions to help raise awareness across our teams.   It was a great opportunity for each of us to learn more and to consider how we can further support and enhance the experience of neurodiverse people across our organisation.

Turely amazing session 🌈🧠 I cannot priase the panel enough for sharing their experiences and insights into these really important areas⭐️ Who gets left behind?

Throughout last week’s Neurodiversity Celebration Week, I saw posts discussing neurodiversity in the workplace, and how to attract and engage neurodiverse team members. Less discussed seemed to be the needs of our neurodiverse audiences. With an estimated 15-20% of the population thought to be neurodivergent, it makes up a substantial portion of the audiences we aim to engage with in our marketing and communications. Still a relatively new topic to the diversity and inclusion space, there are nevertheless cultural institutions making strides in this area that I wanted to recognise. Three great examples are below: The Royal Academy of Arts was one of the first places in London that I saw produce sensory maps of the buildings. The sensory maps include bright, dark, quiet, and noisy areas marked out. It is helpful for audiences with audio-sensory processing challenges (common in both autism and ADHD) to navigate the space. With vast spaces, often made of stone and marble, sound can be very pronounced, so having this asset available online can assist in planning a visit in advance with less stress. In the theatre space, The Young Vic is a great example of prioritising accessibility. In addition to giving away substantial numbers of free tickets to local communities, The Young Vic lists out its Access Performances by audience need. The usual programming runs alongside performances with audio description, BSL, captioned performances, relaxed performances, sensory adapted and sound enhanced performances. These are all listed alongside the information for audiences with assistance animals, minimising the stigma of diverse audience access needs. Across the pond, I was lucky enough to visit Space Center Houston, with the American Museum Membership Conference in 2023 (pictured, me, very sweaty). It had been on my ‘hit’ list for years, and it did not disappoint. The Director explained that Space Center Houston had been working to ensure that it is an accessible and accepting destination. As a result of its work, the science and space exploration learning center is the first of its kind to be designated as a Certified Autism Center by the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES).  This involves rigorous training for staff, inspections, and improvements to better welcome and accommodate guests with autism spectrum disorder and other sensory and cognitive challenges. It is considered hugely important internally and considered to be a central part of activity decision-making. There are some interesting and exciting opportunities to help our neurodiverse audiences feel welcome and included into our shared cultural spaces. By shaking off the old perception of being elitist and inaccessible, arts and heritage institutions hold an opportunity to lead the way in diversity and inclusion. Let’s hope to see many more fine examples of accommodating and engaging neurodiverse audiences in the months to come. 😊

I wrote about the impact that undiagnosed ADHD and other neurodiverse fun times has had on my life as a writer, for the British Fantasy Society. Maybe it will resonate with you, fellow creative stuck in a business-focussed world? https://lnkd.in/ejPjgEqf cc Neurodiversity Celebration Week

Thank you to Neurodiversity Celebration Week for making all these recordings available to watch. Panel discussions from last week on topics including: The Benefits of Neurodiversity in the Workplace, Neurodiversity for HR Professionals and Neurodiversity at Work Q&A. Watch here: https://lnkd.in/eVspJFQ2 #Neurodiversity #HR #HumanResources #DiverseWorkforce

That’s a wrap on Neurodiversity Celebration Week 2024! 🌟 We want to say a huge thank you to everyone who signed up to show their support, shared their stories and celebrated different minds throughout the week, including the incredible event Chairs, Panellists and everyone who attended the events. Thank you to the thousands of you who took action in your local communities and contributed to changing the narrative. We have been so inspired by your stories and the celebrations that have taken place. 🌍 139 Countries 📚 3,100+ Schools 🎓 1,200+ 6th Forms, Colleges & Universities 💼 4,350+ Organisations 💚 900+ Charities, Clubs & Associations 🤝 7,100+ Others 📅 164k+ Event registrations 📢 80+ Incredible Speakers   It’s important that as Neurodiversity Celebration Week 2024 closes, we don’t lose momentum about the important work left to do. Change and inclusion does not happen one week per year, and we hope you will be able to take away the messages of NCW and take action year-round to understand and celebrate neurodiversity! 🌟 #NeurodiversityCelebrationWeek #NeurodiversityWeek #NCW #ThisIsND

My wrap-up video about Neurodiversity Celebration Week 2024. My tone of voice does not convey what an awesome week this has been for me, but I am going out this evening and I recorded this voiceover in one take. #Neurodiversity #NeurodiversityCelebrationWeek #AuDHD #Intersectionality #LGBWithTheT

On the last day of Neurodiversity Celebration Week, I wanted to share my own most cherished moment of neurodiversity celebration. My autism diagnosis happened after a lifetime of confusion and mental health struggles, around the time of my fortieth birthday, so it was a massive moment for me with a lot of conflicting thoughts and feelings to process. A friend of mine Alex Newman, after hearing about the diagnosis, very simply presented me with a birthday card with a receipt in it from his donation to Autism Spectrum Australia (Aspect). It was the most understated but beautiful moment of acceptance, support and celebration for someone new to their own diagnosis, and I will never forget it. Celebration via the action of support.