The need to build neuroinclusive work environments and why this brings advantages for businesses and society

About this event

The Knowledge and Community Network (KCN) is working with the Knowledge Hub to run regular events for those interested in or are working in knowledge and community management.

The KCN is very pleased that Maria Hamilton, Engagement Manager for Auticon UK , will be providing us with a free webinar on why we all need to be developing neuroinclusive workplaces and how best to do it.

Background to session:

Diversity in the workplace is widely accepted as being of huge benefit to both businesses and consumers. While many organisations have embraced the concept of building teams that include people from different genders, ethnicities, religions, sexualities, and disabilities, few have understood the value that those with a different way of processing information or communicating (neurodiversity) can bring to their work, their teams and their organisations.

The session aims to open a dialogue around neurodiversity to normalise the conversations that employers, employees and peers may need to have to ensure that their colleagues with neurodivergent conditions can feel supported in work and perform at their best.

Established in 2011, Auticon is a global tech company and neurodiversity inclusion services training provider that exclusively employs autistic adults as IT consultants and deploys/supports them into their clients’ technology teams.

The KCN is open to all but is largely a group of peers working in or with an interest in community and knowledge management. Our work tends to cut across all parts of our organisations and we help to ignite a supportive, collaborative culture. Therefore, it is very timely that that Maria is going to help us first to understand and then give recommendations of things we could do to support neurodiversity better in our workplaces.

Maria will cover:

• Auticon – our story

• Understanding neurodiversity and neurodivergence

• Exploring neurodivergence within the workplace

• Why we need neurodiverse teams

• What could we do first? Suggestions on priority next steps

• Open discussion

It will be a participative session.

Speaker Details:

Working with auticon’s existing and new clients, Maria is responsible for leading the engagement for auticon group’s training programme and in ensuring that the service continually evolves to enable clients to work confidently with neurodivergent colleagues and recruit new neurodivergent talent.

Maria has worked in commercial and operational roles for major organisations and IT consultancies and has voluntary and applied experience in diversity and inclusion, supporting neurodivergent individuals. She was recently a Community Manager for Scottish Tech Army, the UK’s fastest growing not-for-profit tech community supporting charities in the covid pandemic.

With personal connections to autism, she gained applied autism and coaching accreditations later in her career and passionately advocates for increasing neurodivergent talent within the workplace

Format: will include a live presentation, audience input via mentimeter and informal chat discussions at the end of the session.

Tickets: this is a free event. Please register as spaces are limited.

Webinar: once you have booked a place, you will be sent a confirmation with the Zoom dial in details just before the webinar.

Audience: this is open and relevant for all but with a small focus to any community or knowledge management professional who wants an understanding of neurodiversity within the workplace and would like to introduce this topic to their workplace community.