(bright music) >>Welcome to "A World of Difference Embracing Neurodiversity."

I'm Darryl Owens.

Estimates suggest that 15% to 20% of the population is neurodivergent, individuals whose brains process, learn and experience the world differently.

In the workforce, these employees can bring unique strengths to the workplace, including innovative problem solving, diligence, and exceptional analytical skills.

Yet employees who learn and think differently often face significant challenges from stigma and communication barriers to sensory sensitivities.

For neurodivergent job seekers, the road to success ideally begins early, with K through 12 schools introducing career development and companies creating programs to hire neurodivergent workers, build awareness, and cultivate an inclusive culture.

By providing thoughtful training and tailored accommodations, companies can empower neurodivergent employees to thrive.

On this episode, we visit a groundbreaking Denver school that's helping neurodivergent high school students prepare for successful careers.

Then we travel to Pennsylvania where an innovative firm is creating tailored pathways to help neurodivergent job seekers gain a foothold in the workforce.

Our panel of national experts shares insights into the hurdles neurodivergent individuals face and strategies that can help them navigate successful careers.

Later, we'll introduce you to our latest difference maker, a noted cognitive scientist and neurodiversity advocate who has shattered barriers and redefined possibilities for neurodivergent individuals.

But first, we head to the Mile High City to visit Denver Academy where students are learning to dress for success, hone their skills in mock job fairs, and explore career paths early, all while building the confidence and skills they need to conquer the job market.

(upbeat music) >>I wanna be a biomedical engineer.

>>I want to be a college professor.

>>Baseball writer.

>>I've decided to go into the Marines.

>>Denver Academy is designed to be different.

So first of all, we start out by truly taking a look at the student and who they are and what their strengths and challenges are.

And we do that in an environment where we pay attention to, what we call Glasser's five basic needs of power, fun, freedom, belonging, and security.

And once those five basic needs are done, we feel then we can really get that student to operate their at their maximum capacity and potential.

>>The idea is to teach our students how to lean into their natural talents and abilities, lean into their superpower so that they can really find a career that will help them be all that they can be.

Cool!

You've got CSU.

>>CSU.

>>Accepted.

>>Yep.

>>Congratulations!

>>Thank you.

I think it's important to start career development in high school, even earlier, at the very least in terms of thinking about your own strengths and challenges and asking students to really start investigating what they're interested in.

And so that translates well into not only post-secondary college experience, but also for those students going into the workforce.

>>And we do that by focusing on the verbs, not so much the nouns, meaning they know how to think critically, analyze, apply, evaluate, synthesize, 'cause the nouns are gonna change.

So in a way, I think we're preparing students potentially for jobs that don't even exist yet.

Being able to truly show what you know through a variety of ways, whether that be an essay or a podcast, a performance or a presentation, a slogan or a piece of artwork.

Or, sometimes, we'll read a novel that students will show their understanding through creating a soundtrack for that novel, from picking songs that exist to composing songs.

So just kind of finding ways for student to express.

Truly how they learn best, I mean, it's our tagline, but it's also truly like our North star.

I mean, it's something we focus on every single day.

>>Students are doing a deep dive, they're researching five different schools, level, reach, super reach, and so forth.

And they are identifying what they would need to do in order to achieve those schools.

In 10th grade, we introduce students to community service and they're doing those career interest inventories.

They are then set up to do a job shadow.

Later on, in the junior year, students will be doing that career exploration, they are researching, doing that deep dive, "What am I interested in?"

And for students who are not interested in college, "What sort of industry certifications do I need?"

>>When thinking about what I want to do with my future and my career, I want to make an impact on the world that's gonna have a lasting impression on people.

>>The school's helped a lot with having a safe space to fail and to learn and especially explore.

They've allowed me a lot of chances to work just with teachers one-on-one, getting the help that I need before and or after school, especially during class, there's plenty of time to work with a teacher.

>>What's mostly been the biggest struggle for me was overcoming my own insecurities about it.

And I feel like every adult teacher in my life has always said to embrace what makes you different.

I'm naturally cynical and questioning of the world around me, and I tend to be able to cut through the haze to get to the truth of a claim pretty quickly, which is kind of fun.

I think being a journalist, that's an important skill to have.

>>We bring a different perspective, we're outside of the box thinkers, which is what's so special.

It's not just like one straight path.

We're looking at all the little like cutoffs through the woods and whatnot to get to the end point.

>>I think having an open support system really pushes you to do the best that you can regardless of your neuro-divergencies.

And I think it's something that, I hope DA continues to thrive with doing.

>>I think the most common misperception or misconception about neurodiverse individuals and career path is that there would be some limitation.

And there really are no limitations.

This is one of the things that we have posted in our atrium here in the high school building, the pennants of and flags of all the different universities, colleges, trade schools, military, wherever they decide to go.

And we ask the question, where do Denver Academy graduates go?

And the answer is wherever they want.

There are no limitations.

>>My mind kind of turns to Clyfford Still.

He has a museum dedicated to him just here in Denver.

And I went with my daughter a couple months ago and there's this big quote at when you come the museum and it says that, "It is intolerable to be stopped by the frame's edge."

And that's the advice I would give here, is like, do not let certain preconceived, whether it's societal or business or other structural boundaries stop you from doing what you want to do.

>>Some of our best CEOs are neurodivergent, so get out there, go be neurodivergent and succeed.

(upbeat music continues) >>Now, let's take a closer look at how CAI Neurodiverse Solutions is creating new opportunities for autistic job seekers, offering personalized support and fostering an inclusive work environment.

(upbeat music continues) >>CAI Neurodiverse Solutions provides an end-to-end solution in the space of neurodiversity employment.

We cover from the beginning, so the outreach, the training, the hiring, the onboarding, it's all customized because we lead with a person first approach.

It's about understanding each individual.

We're able to ask questions, have one-on-one related sessions with them, and at the same time, we're providing feedback, observing how that feedback is being consumed.

And at the end of those three days, we're able to determine where an individual may fit into the program, specific job roles, understanding each individual's success enablers as well as their support needs.

(indistinct chatting) >>So here at Huntington, the program is that, that we work partnership with CAI and we bring these neurodiverse individuals in to provide an inclusive environment, a community atmosphere where they have like-minded individuals working well together and we just give them an opportunity to do what they do best.

This program doesn't go through the traditional interview process.

It's really about getting to know the individual, getting to know what they, what they're passionate about.

>>Before CAI, I really just thought that employers were looking for people that were more experienced than what I was.

It's very frustrating.

You make yourself look good on paper, you put all the effort into your resume and then you get into the interview and it's hard to come up with answers on the spot.

You're not prepared and things like that.

So, you don't get the job and you end up not being able to provide for your family and it starts back all over again.

You go back to job searching, making yourself look good on paper and you know, it's just a big circle.

The thing that really drew me to CAI was the fact that their program was called NeuroDiverse Solutions.

It wasn't, "Hey we hire Neurodiverse people", they actually had a program.

So I put in my resume and it took off from there.

>>If an individual is selected for a specific engagement, then we actually pair them up with a team leader who's there as a support, who provides training, mentoring, supervision.

And it's not just about job skills, but it's also about life skills.

>>It's not always easy to ask for the supports straight out the gate.

But I felt supported immediately here.

I felt like I had an advocate.

There was even leadership wanted to see me succeed and that felt different and good and new.

Every morning we have a standup meeting.

And in that meeting you talk about your day, what I did yesterday, what I'm doing today.

Do I have any blockers?

Is there anything that's bothering me?

Am I stuck on anything?

If so, we bring that up and Curtis is like, "Hey, I'm here to help you.

I want you to be successful."

When I needed like environmental support, I was struggling with getting migraines from like the overhead lighting.

I have some sensitivities and Louise and Curtis were able to get an umbrella to put over my desk to help that.

It was a really small thing that made a big difference for me.

>>Being able to show your skills instead of talk about your skills is a game changer for the neurodiverse.

>>What really thrills me is repeat managers.

That hiring managers come back year after year and say, "Hey, can I have a candidate on your team, through your program?"

>>One of the very first individuals who benefited from this program, he said, "Wayne, three months ago, four months ago," he said, "My phone would ring.

I'll go for an interview and I'll come back, not knowing that I didn't get the job or I will send out resumes, phone will not ring.

I just sat on my mom's couch playing video games.

Now here it is.

I am working in a field that I wanted to work in and I feel energized, I feel empowered."

Fast forward today, that individual is on a fast track at a major financial institution for a vice presidential role.

So, it's those moments that certainly energizes me to see that whatever little impact I have had in that individual's life has made that difference and it continues to give me that feeling of wanting to get up and come to work on a daily basis.

(upbeat music continues) >>Next, our experts explore the unique challenges and opportunities faced by neurodivergent individuals in the workplace.

(upbeat music continues) Melissa Bradley directs the Juan & Lisa Jones Center for Career Preparation at Beacon College, America's first college for students with learning and attention issues, building a neurodiverse talent pipeline.

She leads a team providing tailored career advising and on-campus employment services.

Bradley partners with employers nationwide to develop internships and recruitment programs.

A national board certified teacher, she began her 30 year education career specializing in inclusive language arts in Palm Beach County, Florida.

She later led statewide education and career planning for the Florida Department of Education impacting 74 districts and directing training for the FACTS.org Student Advising System for the Florida Board of Governors.

Grant Harris is a Certified Diversity Executive with the distinguished record of creating inclusive and equitable environments.

Harris leads GTH Consulting, advising organizations on DEI strategy and implementation.

Harris also serves as a senior consultant at the Department of Energy, where he's co-authored a digital DEIA toolkit and launched a national podcast.

His expertise spans strategic planning, training and data-driven DEI initiatives.

Harris has driven significant improvements in employee retention and engagement and has a passion for fostering belonging and accessibility.

Eleanor T. Loiacono is the Henry and Phyllis Shook Term Professor of Business at William & Mary's Mason School of Business, where she directs the inclusive design and accessibility hub.

A leading expert in universal design, her research explores the intersection of technology and user experience focusing on how mobile apps and social media can improve lives, especially for individuals with diverse abilities.

Dr. Loiacono also investigates diversity in IT, particularly the experiences of women.

As principal investigator for a $1 million NSF ADVANCE Grant, she leads initiatives to increase women's participation and advancement in technology.

And we're gonna start our conversation with Melissa Bradley.

So Melissa, how would you define neurodiversity and why is it important for companies to view neurodiversity as an asset rather than as a disability?

>>Absolutely, neurodiversity really describes the natural way that people think, learn, perceive the world, and even interact and process information differently.

And for those who have these different ways of thinking can really help an organization thrive, thanks to the variety of perspectives and backgrounds that can improve creativity, problem solving, and even innovation.

These types of abilities that people bring to the table can really help an organization recognize that differences are natural and it only highlights the capabilities of their total workforce and the collective impact they can have on the entire business or organization.

>>Alright, so Grant, what are some of the key benefits that companies who are building a neurodiverse workforce derive and how can you communicate these benefits to stakeholders?

>>Well, great question!

Benefits really come from two perspectives, a human capital impact and a financial impact within a workplace.

And we really see these across three different channels.

One would be productivity, increase in productivity, another would be an increase in innovation in those need perspectives that were mentioned earlier, and also on problem solving.

And a third is in employee loyalty and retention.

So, when the benefits on the human capital side is that there's better communication amongst throughout the organization from the boardroom to the mail room, there's an untapped talent pool.

The talent pool is deeper and broader, increased employee engagement across the board amongst neuro-typical employees as well.

And also it makes the brand more attractive and creates brand loyalty within the employee ranks, but also externally with customers as well.

>>Alright, thank you Grant.

So Eleanor, what are some of the misconceptions that employers might have about neurodivergent job seekers and how can those be addressed?

>>Well, thank you for your question.

Because I think this is something that is very relevant.

I think what people misconceive is that they're not qualified, that the needs, the accommodations that they need are costly when in fact 56% have no cost at all, and 37% have just a one-time cost of about $300.

And oftentimes, they're viewed as unreliable or not capable when in actuality accommodations, just like with all of us in the workforce, can oftentimes be easily made to help workers be productive.

So, I think a lot of the misconceptions that we see today are just that misconceptions of the truth.

>>Watch the full, "Ask The Expert Segment", on our website at AWODTV.ORG if you wanna learn more about this topic.

You can also watch or listen on Facebook, YouTube, or on your favorite podcasting platform.

(upbeat music continues) Next, let's meet our latest difference maker.

As a Rhodes Scholar, Dr. Maureen Dunne took the road less traveled, starting her academic journey at a community college and later becoming the first community college graduate to earn the prestigious Rhodes scholarship.

That feat foreshadowed the persistence that has colored her groundbreaking work that has touched the lives of countless individuals and organizations, establishing her as a global leader in advocating for neurodivergent individuals.

As a celebrated cognitive scientist and neurodiversity expert, she authored the national bestseller, "The Neurodiversity Edge".

Her insight has influenced Fortune 500 companies, educational institutions and philanthropic foundations where she serves as a senior advisor and lead trainer.

Dunne's journey is a testament to resilience, innovation, and the power of embracing difference.

(upbeat music continues) >>I've been working in the neurodiversity space for over two decades.

I've served as an advocate, as a researcher.

I'm also a parent.

I have lived experience.

So this has been really, you know, the focus of my life and my passion.

As a child, knew I was hyperlexic.

So I was reading fluently before I was three.

Most of my childhood I did excel at school and I was identified as being gifted, but I always kind of knew that that wasn't the full story.

And I've come to understand that I guess fall into what we'd call AuDHD, which is both ADHD and autism.

At community college, I started to just find my voice and my path and sometimes it's hard to explain, you get pulled in certain directions, but this mission of making the world a more inclusive place for people who think and learn differently.

Just that I've always gotten pulled back, that was just always like part of my core, part of me, part of who I am, part of what I always felt I was meant to do and I knew that.

I knew that at 17, I didn't know that at 16, but I knew that at 17.

(chuckles) The work I do, it's like, it's all about, you know, not just, hey, let's check the box of okay, you've got x number of people, neurodivergent people that work for you, but we're a values driven organization.

This is what we value and we're not threatened by people that may have a different opinion.

I ended up transferring to University of Chicago and then becoming the first community college graduate to become a Rhode scholar.

But I do credit my community college experience.

That's why I ended up, then running, as an elected official for a trustee role at the same community college that I had gotten that start and invested myself heavily in that kind of volunteer work, right, with community colleges is because I could see how transformative they are.

This has also been the focus of my career, my training.

I did my PhD at Oxford, Bachelor's and master's degree at University of Chicago.

All my research and professional work has also been very focused on this mission.

And have been working with organizations and companies, from startups to Fortune 500 companies, helping them develop an organizational culture that is what I would call authentically neuro-inclusive.

That I've worked with the LEGO Foundation to help them launch their $20 million, play for all accelerator focused on neurodiversity.

The goal was really just to, try to support global change makers that are innovating.

And there was more of a focus on children and families in schools, developing products and innovations that would help teachers be able to more personalize their approach in the schools and families.

But that program, there was a number of startups, but we also funded some later stage companies like Kahoot as an example.

They're a publicly traded company out of Norway and they expanded their offerings and were in some cases rethinking how they were doing things to make sure their platform was neuro-inclusive and that there was some optionality there to really contribute to this community.

>>We've been doing a lot more consultation works, a lot more tactical, I mean a lot more strategic.

>>So I'm a co-founder of the Autism Angels Group.

So one of our incubator partners is Innovation DuPage.

We've been seeing some great success with the entrepreneurs that have been selected for the program.

So that program's been a partnership where there's support for neurodivergent founders.

It could be an AI company, it could be a data solutions company.

We know we're open to any vertical, but we want to fund companies that either are founded or co-founded by neurodivergent people, or at least a company that is including a neurodivergent person in a key leadership role.

So I am the mom of triplets.

So I have two identical girls and a boy.

They know mommy released a book.

They came to the bookstore.

Each wanted to buy their own copy, right?

So, they start asking questions, well, what's neurodiversity?

And you know, trying to explain that, right?

I start telling them stories about divergent bees.

Think of these five bees and this beehive and there's four that are perfectly performing this waggle dance, that's expected, but there's this one that like is not, you know, not doing the waggle dance.

And is at first seen as different, but then it turns out actually, that one is actually a huge asset to the whole hive community.

It's going off in seemingly different directions, but is finding and discovering new sources of pollen that benefit the whole hive community.

And so it's okay to be different.

But actually, if we think about this differently, it benefits the whole community.

We should be thinking about this from more of a community level and an organizational level where we don't all have to be the same and we all can contribute different things and that's really important.

(upbeat music continues) >>That does it for this edition of, "A World of Difference Embracing Neurodiversity."

I'm Darrell Owens.

See you here next time!

You can watch episodes of, "A world of Difference", on the Beacon College Facebook and YouTube channels and on the show's website, AWODTV.ORG.

The website also provides tip sheets and other resources for your parenting journey.

You can watch the show from the PBS app available on your favorite streaming device and you can listen on your favorite podcasting platform.

Thank you for watching and supporting "A World of Difference".

(upbeat music continues)