Networks of Support: Past, Current, and Future Directions for Community Organizations Supporting Neuroinclusion in the Workplace

Neurodivergent people often experience high unemployment and underemployment rates, with the unemployment rate for neurodivergent individuals across most developed countries being six times higher than that for people without disabilities (Khan et al. in Group Organ Manag, 2022). Several factors contribute to this disparity. Various barriers to attaining and maintaining employment exist for neurodivergent job-seekers, including discrimination, stigma, negative attitudes, and misconceptions about accommodations and adjustments, among others (Khan et al. in Group Organ Manag, 2022). While employers and job-seekers are no doubt a critical part of the solution toward neuroinclusion in the workplace, community organizations have also played an integral part in shifting the conversation and enabling action in this sphere. This chapter describes and explores the various past and present roles of community organizations in contributing to neuroinclusion in the workplace, while also discussing what future considerations must be made for continued progress.