Happy Neurodiversity Celebration Week
Why do we have Neurodiversity Celebration Week?
On our new section of our website we have the following statement:
“At Response we understand the power and importance of neuroinclusivity. We know everyone’s brains are different, that we are all neurodiverse and that we all work differently. We also celebrate that some people are diagnosed and identify as neurodivergent.
Neurodivergent conditions such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, dyspraxia and Tourette’s bring so many valuable skills to society and to the workplace but also bring their own barriers and challenges. At Response we want to be part of the change but celebrating, supporting and advocating for a better world for neurodivergent people.”
The above is our intent, it is our commitment to being the best we can as an organisation in supporting all people.
Neurodiversity Celebration Week gives us a chance to pause and celebrate all of the great work we have done over the past year to develop how we support colleagues in Response and by extension the people we support. There has been a strong statement by Nicola, the Executive team and Trustees that is matters to Response that we get this right. We have rolled out more training for staff, developed Neurodiversity Champions, updated our website and started a full review of all of our policies to make sure they are reflective of our values and commitment to all strands of equity, diversity and inclusion, including the focus on neurodiversity.
We want all staff to be their best selves at work; to feel comfortable and ready to support the people in our different services. Within our Children, Young People and Families work we want to be role models for acceptance and in our Adults Services we want to recognise the challenges that the people we work with face on a daily basis.
Throughout the week we are going to shine a light on all of the good work already in place. We are going to be sharing resources and recommendations of ideas on how we can all support ourselves and others. In Talking Response we will give an update on our organisational plan and talking about the next steps in this journey.
One of the themes of the week for us is looking after yourself and treating our brains with respect and we are asking everyone to take some time for themselves to recharge and reflect. Statistically up to 20% of us have a neurodivergent condition but every brain is unique; we are all neurodiverse and this week is for all of us.
