Picture yourself walking through a city. You’ll see beautiful architecture, towering buildings and curb cuts, small sidewalk ramps built for wheelchair users. It’s fascinating how many others they help: travelers with rolling bags, parents with strollers, commuters sprinting for the bus.
When you build for inclusion, everyone benefits. That’s universal design. The workplace should be no different. The “curb-cut effect” is known in these circles already; however, too many organizations are still built for only neurotypical people. Too many organizations are still built for one kind of mind—fast, verbal, linear, endlessly “on.” But that’s not how all brilliance shows up.
During research that my company, Coqual, recently conducted—The Neuroinclusion Imperative: Unlocking Untapped Potential—we found that approximately one in five people identify as neurodivergent, and among younger individuals, that number is closer to one in three. That means every leader is most likely already leading a neurodiverse team, whether they realize it or not. The future workforce is neurodiverse, and leaders who design for difference will be the ones who unlock innovation. This is a leadership opportunity.
To really embrace this opportunity, here’s what you can do now
Read on at FORBES.COM.