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Neurodivergent individuals, including people who have ADHD or dyslexia, often face multiple barriers in the workplace. And despite an increased awareness about these conditions over the past few years, the majority of neurodivergent workers say discrimination against them is only getting worse.
Around 70% of people who identify as neurodivergent say they face stigma at work, up from 60% in 2024, according to a new survey from Understood.org, a nonprofit that’s dedicated to supporting individuals with learning and thinking differences. Around 77% of this group feels pressure to mask their behaviors for fear of retaliation, and another 64% worry that disclosing their condition will negatively impact how others perceive their abilities at work.
“There’s an awareness around neurodivergency that has increased over the last few years, especially amongst young people, but there are still many myths and misperceptions out there,” Nathan Friedman, co-president and chief marketing officer at Understood.org, tells Fortune. “So there’s still a lot of work to be done, not only to continue to drive awareness, but for organizations to understand better what a learning difference is and how it manifests at work.”
The fear among neurodivergent employees about potential repercussions for disclosing their conditions could hold these employees back from asking for the kind of accommodation that could make their work lives easier. Around 64% of this group says they feel comfortable asking their employer for an accommodation, but around 76% of neurodivergent employees still say that there is stigma attached to doing so.
The current political climate around DEI is also causing workers to worry about what kind of options they will have in the future—inclusion for people with disabilities is considered an important part of many diversity policies. Around 64% of all workers—including both neurodivergent and neurotypical—believe that getting any kind of workplace accommodation moving forward will be more challenging because of how companies are rolling back DEI programs.
“The macro, political environment is not necessarily one that prioritizes inclusivity, and that’s stemming from what the government has done regarding DEI,” says Friedman.
Ultimately, it comes down to each individual workplace to figure out how they can embrace neurodivergent workers and make them feel that they belong, no matter what’s happening in the world at large.
“The best way to work on reducing stigmas is by driving awareness, both overt and implicit,” says Friedman. “When you have advocacy, our data shows it comes with bottom-line growth for the organization.”
Brit Morse
brit.morse@fortune.com
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